Lake Titicaca

We were very much looking forward to experiencing Lake Titicaca in a non-touristy kind of way. This, like everything in Peru, requires a long drive over crowded, winding, mountain roads.

Among other things, we learned that when there is even just a few hundred feet of roadwork on a two-
lane road that is the only way to get from one place to another place, the delays can be enormous. We, along with everyone else, were stopped for so long at regular intervals that food vendors had set up “shop” and walked along the center line selling special Peruvian treats that you could not have paid me to eat.

On the other hand, our lunch stop, which took place at this sought-after bistro, was fantastic, particularly if you just want instant coffee for lunch.

But eventually we got to Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at well over 12,000 feet. It is huge and beautiful. 

The local indigenous population has, for hundreds of years, lived on islands hand made from reeds collected on the lake. As the reeds rot on the bottoms of the islands, the residents continually replace them from the top – once a week during rainy season and once every few weeks during the dry season.

When you walk on these reeds, your feet sink in a few inches and you are sure you’re going to drop into the lake. But, at least in our case, you don’t.

Not satisfied with taking the most common tourist approach to visiting the lake, which includes a four-hour tour and lunch with an indigenous family, we decided to stay overnight in a small “resort” (I feel silly calling it that) run by a family who lives on an island. It’s only a resort in the sense that it’s lodging on the water with food included. Not so much a resort in the sense that the rooms are unheated, there is nothing to keep anyone from falling off the deck into the lake, no one speaks any English, there’s no hot water and the electricity is limited.

But the place really hit the spot and there was no beating the sunset and sunrise. There was definitely beating the temperature. When we woke up in the morning, the temperature in the room was 29 degrees. Luckily the proprietors had set us up with hot water bottles, more than 10 blankets, and a propane heater that exhausted carbon monoxide directly into the room. We took advantage of only the water bottles and blankets.

Honestly it was an incredible experience. Both because we got to know this small family and enjoyed some amazing views and also because I had never seen my breath while inside a vacation rental.

The "dining room" wasn't heated either. These are our German friends who have become great friends despite the fact that they are young enough to be our children. I guess they're mature for their age and we're immature for our age.

On another topic, why can’t the garbage trucks in the US sound as inspirational and joyous as this one below. Really.