Floating Islands, Lake Titicaca, Peru

After Machu Picchu, we went back to Cusco to decompress from the hike and took off on another side trip to Puno, Peru. It was an easy overnight bus ride.

6 hours later we arrived in Puno, a funky little town on Lake Titicaca.  Not as charming as Cusco and not as touristy. 

From Puno, we took a small boat to the Floating Islands where we stayed with a local family for the night. 

The Uros Islands are a small group of man-made islands on Peru's Lake Titicaca. The local people made these islands out of reed, which is similar to hay. So picture living on an island where literally everything is made of hay. 

Even their Christmas tree was made out of reed...

The family we stayed with made their money by hosting tourists and giving their guests a traditional experience of a day in the life of the Uros people. 

They had several guest houses. We came during the low season, so it was just Jasmine, myself, and another Aussie couple. 

In the afternoon the Grandfather of the family took us out on his boat and showed us how he caught fish using a giant net. The fish weren't that big, maybe half the size of my hand- but that was their main source of protein. 

He also showed us how they made the islands hundreds of years ago. Every 20 years or so they have to completely rebuild the island to keep the infrastructure secure. This usually takes the effort of several families. 

And they're constantly collecting and putting down new reeds on top of the old ones. 

Yes, that is a live Flamingo. 

One of the daughters braided my hair and dressed me in their traditional clothing. 

Lake Titicaca is the highest lake in the world, with an elevation of 12,000 feet. It got really REALLY cold at night. Before bed they gave us large water bottles filled with hot water to put on our feet so they don't get cold. Nice touch. 

Overall, it was an interesting experience to see how the Uros people lived. I would recommend checking this out for a night on the way to Bolivia- which is on the other side of the lake.