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Other entries in Lake Titicaca

All About My Mother!

Early morning we're greeted by our limousines (rickshaws), and driven at a leisurely stroll to the port at Lake Titicaca. From here, on our slow boat, we visited Isla Taquile for a cultural lesson on this self sufficient community. Continuing the journey to Isla Amantáni, another self sufficient island on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca. It's a very peaceful place where times seems to have taken a halt a century ago. On arrival to be greeted by our 'mothers', who'll be looking after us during our homestay with their families.

Laudes, my mother, was old enough to be my sister. Dressed in their colourful and traditional clothing, all the mothers looked identical. After climbing the hill, which reminded me of the steep climb along the Inca Trail, we reached mothers mud brick farm house with an orange tinned roof for the main building and straw roofed kitchen. After settling into our 'Titicaca' panoramic view room, we headed for the local square for a game of footie with the locals at an altitude of 4000m above sea level. Returning home with mother, we had dinner in the mud brick kitchen with exposed clay fire stove burning in one corner, and mother's family around the candle lit room (no electricity here)!

After dinner, mother kitted us out in traditional Amantani poncho's and colourful hand knitted local hats. Then, with the word vamos, she guided us through the downpour with the light of a flash torch guiding the way through rain drenched mud fields to the village hall. On arrival the girls in our group had also dressed in very local costume, with a traditional local band playing a mixture of guitars, pan pipes and drums. Our mothers suddenly grabbed our hands guiding us to the wooden dance floor, and we're warned that they're shy! For the next hour or so followed some traditional and energetic dance moves, finishing on an early night.

Tomorrow we leave early and visit the floating islands of Uros, before returning to Puno..... our last night in Peru, before leaving for Bolivia on Monday.

Useful Information for Travelers:

Every morning around 8:30am a boat leaves from Puno. It takes about 4 hours and sometimes you can also opt for the boat to Isla Taquile, with a few hours break to explore that island as well.

Electricity is not yet integrated in the village, so a torch is handy to get around after dark.

Hike up pachatata or the slightly higher pachamama. Both offer suburb views and ancient ruins. On pachatata there is a small museum as well as a temple (closed for public), which is still used for ritual offering. On pachamama there is small ancient tower, climb up for a 360° panorama, and another temple.

There is no restaurant in town, but food is included in the accommodation. There is a small shop selling snacks, candies and hot drinks and is situated next to the football pitch on the square.

About 50 people families have accommodation for travelers. To give everyone of them a fair share of the traveler soles, travelers are appointed to a family on a rotational system. So for you, there is not much choice where to stay. The accommodation is very basic, but include, dinner and a breakfast.

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