Day 354, 14240 miles (February 1, 2009)

We arrived in Puno on Lake Titikaka on the day of the celebration for the Virgin of Candelaria.  There were loads of indigenous people walking in the streets in their colorful local outfits.  There was to be a parade later in the day, so we bought tickets for a tour of the lake in the morning.  Our tour guide helped us find a parking spot in someone’s very small fenced in driveway very near to the docks.  We jump aboard a mid-size tour boat and we were off to visit the floating islands of the Uros people, more commonly referred to as the Uros Islands.  The floating islands are made out of the roots of a floating reed called totora.  The roots are cut in blocks of approximately one cubic meter and tied together using ropes.  On top of the blocks the top section of the reeds are laid in perpendicular layers for approximately another meter of height.  These islands last about 30 years before the entire island needs to be rebuilt.  On top of these floating islands, people live in small communities, building houses out of reeds, beds out of reeds, and much more.  Each island usually houses 5 to 6 families although there are a few very large islands where more people live.  Only members of the Uros community may live on these islands and their community consists of approximately 1500 people.  They have schools and a hospital on the floating islands.  It was very interesting.  We visited one of the smaller islands and walked around on the reeds.  Some of the houses have solar panels and satellite dishes which enable the residents of that island to have a television and maybe internet.  The Uros people seemed very friendly and interested in sharing their way of life with the tourists.

After our boat tour we headed towards the Puno town square where the parade was to take place.  We hit it just right because the groups were just starting to dance down the streets.  It seemed that each community had a different colorful outfit and danced a slightly different dance to similar music.  They marched and danced for hours.  When they weren’t dancing, they were hanging out drinking beer on the streets having a good time, especially the men.

To see more pictures from our time on the Uros Islands click here Uros Islands Pictures.

To see more pictures of the festival dancers click here Festival Candelaria Dancers.

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