lake titicaca and the floating islands

we decided on the easy route for touring lake titicaca. the air was thin and none of us were feeling super adventurous in the conditions, especially not bob’s grandma, though we were super impressed that she was even willing to try 13,00o feet. but, we were all content to get to see the floating islands and get out of puno for the day. the boat ride was easy and scenic and we shared it with two canadian girls. so, it almost felt like a private tour.

enjoying our ride out to the islands.

bob staying toasty in his poncho as we head to our first stop

the 'mercedes benz' of the island, as the president called it

the president of the first island teaching us about their way of life with a very artistic diorama of the houses, people and boats on the islands.

i'm trying to contemplate the way of life of people who live on floating islands and survive solely on tourism. it's hard to figure out how to feel about being a spectator there for a day.

i climbed up to the crow's nest to get a better look around

bob joined me up top

overall, i would say that lake titicaca was a success. it was pretty surreal to see something i had heard about for so long and thought to be so mystical. the truth is that the tourist side of the islands made me feel a little strange and sad. but, we met other travelers who went a little further off the beaten path and saw different things. i would recommend looking into ecotourism or spending more time there so that you can get more of a taste of the area and some of the islands that don’t depend solely on tourism. we heard great things about copacabana and isla del sol in bolivia. we just didn’t quite have the time or ability on this trip to get there. i am grateful to have come so far on this journey, though. and totally understand why much of peru is swept up into tourism. it’s an awe inspiring place with some captivating scenes and crazy mixtures of ancient and modern. i will definitely never forget this experience.