We flew from Lima to Puno, a city in southern Peru on Lake Titicaca, one of South America's largest lakes and the world's highest navigable body of water at 3,800 metres. The city is considered to be Peru's ‘folkloric capital’ on account of its traditional festivals featuring vibrant music and dancing. Nevertheless, the city itself was rather characterless and many parts of it were still under construction. After a smooth journey we were pleased to arrive at Hotel Casa Andina, reminiscent of a wooden chalet in a ski resort, it was akin to an oasis in this scruffy city. We went straight to bed in readiness for our early start the next day.
We travelled by boat to explore the islands of Lake Titicaca starting with the Uros floating islands, which were originally built to escape attacks by the Incas. The islands are made of layers of totora roots, a plant that is part of the bulrush family. The Uros tribe’s livelihood was traditionally based on weaving, fishing, hunting waterfowl and collecting birds’ eggs. However, nowadays they have adopted modern habits, using solar panels for electricity and earning money from the many tourists who visit the island. Their traditional totora boats are now used for display purposes only as they have motor boats to ferry them to and from the mainland to purchase supplies, be it food or other practical goods.
By contrast, Amantani island is very authentic, where Philamena welcomed us into her humble home. Amantani is renowned for its rich cultural heritage and preservation of ancient customs. The local communities engage in farming, fishing, and handicrafts for their subsistence livelihood. The indigenous of Amantani are vegetarian, surviving on what they grow and harvest. Philamena prepared us a simple lunch of quinoa soup followed by an omelette made with sliced potato, onions and dotted with tomatoes. This nutritious meal fortified us for a hike to the summit of Pachatata. Standing at 4,200 metres, it is one of two mountains on the island, the other being Pachamama. The high altitude made it rather tiring to ascend the steep slopes, and it was a lot colder than we expected. We were thus pleased to find a small café half-way up, where we cupped our hands around mugs of cinnamon spiced hot chocolate. After a simple supper of quinoa soup (again) and steamed fresh vegetables, we dressed up in an assortment of handwoven traditional costumes to attend the village fiesta. It was fun mixing with the villagers who encouraged us to join in their dances. However, my husband Philip soon discovered that the altitude did not mix well with beer, and subsequently suffered a migraine. We thus left relatively early to slumber in our simple yet comfortable accommodation, where layers of thick tapestry bedspreads kept us warm.
The
next morning Philamena served us pancakes made with quinoa flour, which I
helped grind using a flat rock rubbed against another, akin to millstones yet rather
laborious by hand. We drank muña tea that assists with digestion as well as
altitude sickness – a welcomed remedy for Philip.
Soon after breakfast, we bid farewell to Philamena and then set off by boat to our next destination, the small island of Taquile. We scaled the sheer incline that led to the village with its main plaza, which stand at 3,950 metres. Taquile is sparsely populated by a fascinating creative community renowned for its handwoven textiles and clothing, mostly made out of alpaca wool. It is customary for the men to knit, beginning in early boyhood, whereas the women spin and dye the wool. We learned that one of the conditions of marriage is for the potential groom to knit a watertight hat, to be presented and judged by the prospective bride’s father. If the hat leaks then there is no marriage until success is achieved by subsequent attempts.
While Amantani is a vegetarian island, the inhabitants of Taquile are pescatarian. The fresh whole trout that we were served in a wooden hut-come-restaurant indicating that Taquilan’s creative skills also extend to fishing. With stomachs replete we headed back to the boat, which then steadily motored its way back to Puno. On our arrival we were greeted by throngs of jubilant revellers celebrating a local feast day in the main plaza. Clad in brightly coloured costumes, they danced in time to the music in honour of this festive occasion. After watching this fascinating display, we tracked down a café that had been recommended. Set in a 17th century mansion, La Casa del Corregidor is also a fair trade boutique selling decorative arts and crafts. I chose a slice of their delicious quinoa and orange cake, which I savoured with a cup of muña tea; I then realised that I had eaten quinoa for the past four meals!
