Peru Travel

In case you missed some of my posts about our 2010-2011 trip to Peru, here is a complete list:

1. Peru
2. Road to Manu National Park
3. Paucartambo
4. Can You Get Fresh Bread in the Middle of the Jungle? Yes, You Can.
5. Butterflies of Manu National Park
6. Coca Plantation
7. White Water Rafting on Alto Madre de Dios
8. Clay Lick, Manu National Park
9. A Night Walk through the Jungle
10. Zip-lining above the Amazon Jungle
11. Machu Huasi Oxbow Lake, Manu NP
12. Cock-of-the-rock: the National Bird of Peru
13. Help! I'm Going to the Amazon Jungle - What Can I Expect?
14. Animals and Plants of Manu NP
15. Cuzco
16. The Saqsaywaman Ruins
17. Traveling in Peru - Practical Information
18. The Inca Moral Code on Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca
19. The Floating Islands of Uros, Lake Titicaca
20. Peruvians Are the Worst Drivers in the World
21. Cameloids of South America: Llamas, Alpacas, Vincunas, Guanacos
22. Our Adventure with Unreliable Travel Agency, Friendly Police, and Super-Helpful iPeru
23. Backpacking in Colca Canyon, Day One
24. Christmas Eve in the Oasis at the Bottom of Colca Canyon, Day Two
25. Backpacking in Colca Canyon with a Friendly Dog Companion, Day Three
26. The White City of Arequipa
27. Political Advertising in Peru
28. Christmas in Peru: Nativity Scenes
29. The Inca Trek, Day One: Cusco to Wayllabamba
30. The Inca Trek, Day Two: Wayllabamba to Pacamayo
31. The Inca Trek, Day Three: Pacamayo to Winay Wayna
32. Runkurakay Ruins on the Inca Trek, Day Three
33. Phuyumatamarca Ruins on the Inca Trek, Day Three
34. Sayaqmarka Ruins on the Inca Trek, Day Three
35. Intipata Ruins on the Inca Trek, Day Three
36. Winay Wayna Ruins on the Inca Trek, Day Three
37. The Inca Trek, Day Four: Winay Wayna to Machu Picchu
38. Machu Picchu - Huayana Picchu Hike
39. Good Morning, New Year! Good Morning, Machu Picchu!
40. To Inca Trek or not to Inca Trek—that Is the Question

The Floating Island of Uros, Lake Titicaca

The amazing floating islands of Uros easily ignite the imagination of travelers, photographers, and anthropologists. How could they not, being built in the same traditional way for the past few hundred years by the descendants of the pre-Incan people?

The Uros islands are located on Lake Titicaca, just five kilometers away from the city of Puno, and are made of totora reeds, which grow in the lake. There are 42 islands, inhabited by several hundred people. The islands differ in size but are all located in close vicinity to each other. The larger islands house about ten families, and some shared facilities (e.g., a school, a local radio station). The smaller islands house only two or three families. Between the islands the locals travel in motorized, not reed boats–crushing the romantic image that many visitors to the islands would love to cherish.

Personally, I do not have a problem with the Uros people using modern technology. I think it is quite admirable that they put so much effort into preserving the cultural heritage of their ancestors, and choose to live on and maintain the islands. In case you do not know, the reeds rot away, and have to be replaced at least every three months, if not more often. This seems like a lot of work to me, and I could not blame anybody who would like to choose an easier lifestyle and move away to the mainland. So if the motor boats, solar panels, TV sets, radios, or gas ovens make the lives of the Uros easier, I’m happy for them. Expecting them to completely stay behind the rest of the world, just to please the tourists and anthropologists, seems very egoistic to me.

On a similar note, I have no problem with the Uros trying to make money off the visitors to the islands. In the end, the islands are their home and they can decide if and when they want to have visitors, and if and how much those visitors should pay for interfering with their lives. Would I like to be an explorer who stumbled upon the undiscovered Uros tribe and got to experience their “real” life instead of watching the show they put on for tourists? Sure, I would. Is it a realistic dream? Definitely not. So instead of complaining about “commercialization” of the Uros islands, I’m going to get the most I can out of this experience and learn as much as I can about their fascinating way of life.

For example, during the visit to the islands I learned that the totora reeds are not only the building material for the islands, but are also part of the Uros’ diet and are used to cure some medical conditions. The bottom of the reed is eaten for its iodine, the white insides are used to fight pain and hunger, as well as to reduce the fatigue and hangovers (in that way they are quite similar to coca leaves), and the flowers are used to make tea. Of course, we did not miss a chance to try the totora reed and I have to say that it was quite tasty–slightly sweet and refreshing. I would not, however, enjoy having to eat it every day.

The Uros Islands:


Santa Maria Island:

The Inca Moral Code on Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca

The inhabitants of Taquile, a small island on Lake Titicaca located some 45 km offshore from Puno, follow the strict Incan moral code ama sua, ama llulla, ama qhilla (Quechua for "do not steal, do not lie, do not be lazy").

“Do not be lazy” for Taquilenos means relying on their own strength to do the majority of chores. Not only do they not use motorized equipment (e.g., cars), but they don’t even use wheel carts or farm animals. We were very impressed to see several older people carry huge loads on their backs from the docks to the main village–the elevation difference of around 200 meters (650 feet). It might not seem like much, but at 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) of altitude it is a lot. Most people in our group were gasping for air and stopping every few meters to catch their breath, while Taquilenos kept on marching at an even pace.

It is also admirable that Taquilenos do not lie and do not steal, but I guess I would expect that from all small and isolated communities. If you live on an island with only 2,200 people, you’d better make sure that you don’t make enemies with anybody!

Taquilenos are also known for their textile products, and, in 2005, "Taquile and Its Textile Art" were proclaimed by UNESCO to be "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity." We wanted to buy some woven hats, but we got discouraged by their excessive price. We were interested, though, to learn that a hat’s color and the way it’s worn helps distinguish married from single men, and the ones who are looking for a wife from the ones who want to be single. So, the red hat is worn solely by married men, and the white-red by the single. If a single man is looking for a wife, he will wear the hat’s end on the side of his head, and if he is not looking he will keep the hat’s end on the back of his head. How cool and simple is that?! I’m convinced that single people in most countries would appreciate this simple system of announcing dating intentions and that it would lead to an increase in happily married couples worldwide.

Peru

Peru is an extraordinarily beautiful country with amazing landscapes and great people, but it is also an extremely popular tourist destination and because of that it can be tiring. There were so many Western tourists everywhere that already a week into our trip both Anil and I were almost ready to go back home, or at least to another country. We didn't, as we had the Inca Trek planned for the last few days of our trip.

Don't get discouraged by this introduction. As I said, Peru is stunningly beautiful and it is definitely worth a visit. However, if you plan to go there, I would suggest that you learn from our mistakes and plan your own trip better than we did.

Our vacation in Peru was only 18 days long, which meant that we could not go everywhere we wanted. For example, I would have loved to go hiking in the Cordillera Blanca, but it did not seem feasible to do it during this short trip. We made a decision to travel exclusively in the southern part of Peru, as I'm of an opinion that it is better to explore a few places in more detail, rather than many superficially. In consequence, we missed out on several interesting sights like Nazca Lines and the Cordillera Blanca. That might have been one of the mistakes we made while we planned our trip. Most famous tourist attractions are concentrated in Southern Peru, which means, unfortunately, that most of the tourists concentrate there as well.

That said, we still had a really good time travelling there. We saw a number of interesting places: Machu Picchu and other Inca sites, the Amazon Jungle, Lake Titicaca and its famous floating islands, the Colca Canyon–the deepest canyon in the world, beautiful historic cities of Cuzco and Arequipa, and Andean Condors–the largest living birds.

The uncontested highlight of our trip was a visit to the Amazon Jungle. It was both Anil's and my big dream to go there, so we were thrilled that we were able to organize it even though the rainy season had already started. We spent four days there and we loved it! Anil even expressed an interest in going back there for a month or so in the future . . . Of course, I would be in favor of that as well :)

We loved our trip to the Amazon Jungle because of the unspoiled nature, numerous interesting plants and animals, a knowledgeable guide, great weather, the opportunity to do white water rafting and zip lining, and, most of all, the feeling of being far, far away from all other people . . . So if you are looking for a bit of solitude and pristine beauty, the Amazon Jungle is just the right place for you.

In the following posts, I’m going to share more information on traveling in Peru, as well as tell you about several interesting adventures we had there.