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A Postcard From Lake Titcaca

By Sarah Kiddle

A Postcard From Lake Titcaca

By Sarah Kiddle

This is a feature from Issue 8 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.

Lady of the lake

The intensely blue waters of Lake Titicaca, bounded by rugged Andean peaks, evoke both awe and serenity. It’s easy to see why the Incas saw this lake – the largest in South America – as the birthplace of the sun.
Titicaca’s beauty is particularly stark against the bleak landscape of the antiplano (high plateau). We set off from Puno, on the Peruvian side of the lake, for a tour of the Islas Uros: floating reed islands which look as though they belong in the pages of a fantasy novel.
The Uros people originally constructed these strange, springy isles by weaving layers of totora reeds, and their lives are still interwoven with the grasses, which also form their homes and fishing craft. Floating serenely in an ornate balsa boat, I felt like an explorer from the past.

Although it is true that tourism keeps many of these families afloat (excuse the pun), we were anxious not to be an intrusion – especially when visiting Amantani. the least visited island on Lake Titicaca offers homestays with local families on a rota basis.
At 3,812 metres above sea level, the nights are fiercely cold, despite the scorching daytime sun, so we were glad of down sleeping bags in our adobe hut.
It was a privilege to be welcomed into community life and we were even invited to a local danced where we donned traditional party dress. Clad in many layers of petticoats and bright, heavy woven overskirts, I realised the local women’s rotund silhouettes were deceiving!

Staying overnight with a local family on one of Titcaca's islands means sampling delicious home-cooked Bolivian cuisine.

Nice style

In Taquile, famous for its textiles which are recognised as masterpieces by UNESCO, we discover it’s the men of the island who set the fashion – and knit religiously. Their chullo (hat) reveals everything from their marital status (red-and-white for a singleton, red or pink for a married man) to their aspirations and even, depending on how it’s worn, their mood. From what I saw, it appears that living on these floating isles puts most people in a jaunty mood!

Plan your trip around one of the region's colourful festivals to see vibrant traditional dances

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This is a feature from Issue 8 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.