Jamie: Floating Islands of Uros, Peru

Fascinating and colorful.. some people say it is touristy..

But I believe it became touristy because of all the tourists.. like us!

Well.. I really loved it! :)

The floating islands of Uros on Lake Titicaca, Peru..

From this town of Puno..

We headed to the shore of Lake Titicaca..

To board a motor boat..

That would bring us 30 minutes away..

Paid some entrance fees..

To enter into this whole community..

Of at least 40 manmade floating islands made of totora reeds..

And boats made of empty plastic bottles, and totora reeds..

Paddled by the strong Uros women.. Though pushed by little motor boats when they got tired.. Or maybe it was to make the boats move faster ;)

Each tourist boat was assigned an island to visit..

Our hosts at the Corazon island were anticipating our arrival..

Gathered around to listen to the tour guide.. And I was left behind again.. haha! :)

This is the totora reed.. What everything you see is made of!

They are harvested from the lake itself..

The leader of the island showed us how they constructed everything..

The reeds were laid down in layers.. like Jenga or Uno ;)

The islands were anchored below similar to how boats are anchored..

Then she told us a story about how a strong wind caused a few islands to get released from their anchors and all ended up in one place..

I thought that was funny.. but she looked at me so puzzled when I laughed.. so I had to pretend I was talking to my husband ;)

When the reeds dry up like the ones you see here.. they break up easily when stepped on.. and they create dust that could harm the eyes..

The Uros people have to constantly add new layers of fresh reed to maintain their islands..

Women weaved..

Made colourful crafts..

And put up stalls aimed at us who flock to them..

Across the lake.. was another stretch of floating islands..

So time to cross.. in this lovely totora reed boat..

On the way to the only floating post office in the world.. which was actually just another island with a post office ;)

To get this cool stamp on our passports! :)

And by the way, don't forget to have your yellow fever vaccination certificate when going through or back to Singapore..

Hope you enjoyed the colors and the ride! :P

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References:

Customised Tour of Uros Islands and Isla del Sol - www.latebolivia.com

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