Floating Islands-Amantani

So I realize I haveyet to blod about my week here in Puno, and fret not, it will come, but since we still have two more days in this beautiful city I thought id conclude my experience after those two days. So right now Im about to go into detail about the amazing experience I had on Lake Titicaca. Fast fact: lake titicaca is actually spelled titikaka and is qetchua for puma rock. Many people make fun of the name but there is reason for the silliness. So on saturday we took a boat out on the lake and made our first stop at the uros islands, or more commonly known as the floating islands. It was so wierd. People literally live on reeds that are piled on top of very moist earth that lies in the water. One of the ladies showed us a model of exactly how they make their islands which are constantly being rebuilt because the reeds die or disintegrate. They start by compacting this really moist earth and stringing rope through the entire block and then tying all the blocks together for the base. But realize these blocks of earth have to be big enough to hold 28 people on one island. That was the number of people on the island we were on. Then after that, they pack tons of reeds on top of each other, layer after layer, untill its dry enough so they can build their houses on top of the reeds. And the houses of course are made out of reeds also. And these families live on the islands their whole lives. For schooling some go to the mainland, and if they need any supplies they go to the mainland. It was just so different. It reminded me of going to a petting zoo. When you step into the yard the ground is soft because it is covered in hay, and thats exactly how the reeds felt. They were very soft and most everyobdy walked barefoot. But the reeds are such a staple for their lifesyle. They build everything with them, and they eat them too. The reed, totoro, is peeled like a banana and eaten like one. Tried it, not very good. But it has a natural floride in it which keeps their teeth clean. Thats their method for brushing.And it was very surprising, you could definitely tell they all had very white and straight teeth. And the handmade boats were awesome. So old fashioned. They were made out of the reeds and shaped at the head to look like a dragon or some other animal. Very tribal. The only drawback to the islands is that they are so connected to the tourist way of life. Right as we stepped on the island the familiesput out their handmade items for us to buy. And they only wear these brightly colored costumes for us. Its like they are role playing the whole day. But they were still fascinating. After that we took another boat ride to the island Amantani. We took a 40 minute hike up pacha mama, one of the mountains, to catch the sunset. It felt like mt. ritter all over again. We were climbing up to about 13000 ft., and it was tough. No air lol. But the view from the top was breathtaking. You could see the whole island and wegot some amazing shots from the cliffs. The ripples in the water made the lake look frozen. It was gorgeous. And then we watched the sunset which was an experience in itself. As it slipped behind the mountains in the distance the clouds above turned first a fiery red and then calmed to a musky orange. I got some beautiful shots. It was the perfect spot to celebrate our halfway mark! Which just happened to be Halloween. When we got back to the houses we all ate together and just got to reflect on our experience so far and share good and bad memories. The second half will go by faster, and Im sad about that. Although I do miss the familiarities of home, this is such a cool experience. Most were glad we were only halfway through because we all feel we have more to learn about ourselves and more to experience before heading home. I completely agree. I feel this second half will be amazing. I cant wait for machu pichu and cuzco!