Uros - The Floating Islands

As we got off our bus in Puno, Peru, Andreas and I walked out to a man with a sign that had Andreas' name on it - a nice relief because we really had no clue if everything was going to work out as was planned with the woman at the travel agency in Cusco the night before. After all, she was breast feeding when we walked into her small travel agency shop, which was located in the back of a market which was located on a side street. Her husband and other child were hanging out in the little shop as well, so we figured it was a family operation but who knows how things operate in Peru. Luckily she was good to her word, and we were happily taken in our cab from the bus station in Puno to the lakefront - about a 10 minute cab ride. We pull up to this tiny strip of water and there are a few dinky little boats around, and we look at each other with a little concern. These boats didn't look that sturdy, nor did the area and water look that nice. So we get out of the cab and I tell Andreas to leave our big bags in the car until we are positive that someone is coming in a boat to pick us up. The cab driver makes a call and within 5 minutes a small skiff is coming towards us, captained by a barefoot guy in a straw hat grinning from ear to ear. At this point Andreas and I look at one another and we know this is gonna be a good time. Even if the boat isn't that nice, everything has worked out smoothly and timely, which is very rare in South America. So we jump in the boat and the driver introduces himself as Abraham, and he tells us that he's originally from Uros. We take a 15 minute boat ride out from the city and suddenly we see them - these amazing floating islands that literally look like they are part of a set from a movie (possibly Swiss Family Robinson). We pull up to the first island, called Uros Khantati, and as you can see from the pics we were created by Christine and her daughter. Christine runs this specific island, which was one of the first to start catering to tourists. She is incredibly warm and sweet, and she smiles the entire time we are in her presence. As we step off the boat and onto the island, we realize two things: 1) no one wears shoes, even though it's pretty cold, and 2) the island is made up completely of reeds - very bouncy and kinda fun to walk on (imagine a natural version of those moving walkways at airports that are kinda bouncy). We are quickly shown to our room which is also made of reeds, even the rooftop. They have managed to feed in electricity to the island so we have a light and it's actually one of the nicest rooms I've seen since being in South America (two queen beds). As I'm unloading my things in the room and decompressing from our long bus ride (not to mention the elevation is over 12K), I hear Andreas laughing outside. I walk out to see Christine has two traditional Uros/Incan outfits laid out on a table and she's fashioning one on Andreas. Check out the pics below, but it basically includes a hat, shirt, and purse/satchel. Amazing. It felt like we were full-on VIP's, and neither of us could stop laughing and enjoying the moment. Just after putting on the outfits we were put in one of the traditional reed boats that Abraham has made himself, and they pushed us both out a little bit just for a picture moment (below you'll see we were laughing hysterically). We're pulled back in and are introduced to a very cute Taiwanese couple who are studying and living in NYC. They have just put on the traditional garb as well and we all four get in the reed boat again, this time with Abraham who tells us we are going fishing. Fishing?!?! YES!! This just gets better. Andreas and I are soaking it all up and now our grins match the grin we saw on Abraham's face when he came to pick us up. So Abraham rows us out into the reeds surrounding the island and he picks up some nets that he dropped the day before. All told he snagged eleven fish, something he was surprised and excited about (sometimes he doesn't get any fish he said). After getting the fish (pics below), Abraham shows us how he cuts the reeds, which they need to do 3-4 times a month. The entire island is always being redone and added to, because the reeds are always dying. It's amazing to imagine that these people work so hard to maintain their lifestyle, but it's been going on for over 500 years. Apparently when the Spanish came to conquer the Incas in 1532, the Uros people left the land and started living on these reed islands. It's an incredibly hard lifestyle, but they seem like the most happy and content people. So after Abraham cuts some reeds (effortlessly), he lets each of us try. Of course it's incredibly hard and at that altitude we each get tired easily. Either way we pose with our reeds…mine were real short :( We head back into the island for some education about the Uros, and we meet up with another couple who had been there the night before as well. Ed and Asia are on vacation from the UK, and they couldn't be nicer. Abraham brings the six of us over to a little education area where he tells of the lake and the islands and the history, all of which are in the link above. After the education, Christine and her daughter bring out quilts and table clothes that they made, and they start trying to sell us. They were cute about it, and I ended up making my first purchase of my trip - check out the pic below. Next we head to dinner, which was definitely the best meal I've had since coming to South America (ok, Oliver - maybe the last night in Cartagena was better!). Asparagus soup, fresh fish (karachi), rice, quinoa desert, and tea make for an amazing meal, but even better was the conversation with the other four in the group. Ed and Asia are both fun and funny, and it's nice to see a couple so very much in love. They met because Ed is an actor and Asia does costume/wardrobe for the show Downton Abbey. Ed was hesitant to tell us he was an actor, and I appreciated his modesty. Funny - after a quick search of "Ed from Downton Abbey" it's clear that he's the real deal. We laughed a ton and got into both light and serious conversations, which was a perfect way to end our fun and unique night on the island. It was a long day so we passed out around 9pm, full of life and happy as I have ever been in my life. I hope you enjoy the pics, and I hope I've done justice to this amazing experience. I hadn't even planned on doing this trip to Uros, but wow I'm glad it happened. I highly recommend visiting Christine and Abraham on this island if you're ever down in Peru - they are the best and they really make you feel like you're the most important people they've ever met.

Oh! Totally forgot to mention that Christine puts a big bottle of boiling hot water under your sheets while you're at dinner, which warms up your bed so when you get in it's nice and toasty. Ed told me about this - apparently his mom did this for him growing up - and I made fun of him for a while at dinner, but as I got into bed that night I wasn't laughing anymore - it was amazing. If you're reading this, Ed - you were right!!