Lake Titicaca (Peru - part 3)

Another big bus ride (6 hrs) took us to the edge of Lake Titicaca - the highest navigable lake in the world (12.5k ft).   This was mostly a cultural excursion, but there is something a bit surreal about the lake, sky, and surrounding terrain.  I can't really explain it but it was beautiful somehow - perhaps it was just knowing how high we were, or maybe the thin and clean mountain air.  From here we could see Bolivia - snow capped mountains on the horizon.

We visited the island of Taquile - an isolated culture where the men are knitters and the women are weavers.  Kind of odd to walk through a village and see all the young men knitting -with amazingly fast and dexterous hands.  We learned interesting things about their clothing.  Like many groups in Peru, the hats are distinct and play a special role.  On Taquile, an interested young woman will steal a young man's hat to test it for quality - to see if it is tightly woven enough to hold water.  Recently the men have learned the trick of coating the inside with a bit of animal fat to seal any imperfections.  Modern technology :-)

We also visited another culture that builds floating mats of reeds to live on.  About the size of a basketball court, they house several families, each with a small hut built on top.  The mat is a bit squishy to walk around on, but you do stay dry.   They must constantly add fresh new reeds on top, and eventually the mat reaches several meters deep under the water.   Needless to say the teenagers usually leave this life once old enough.  Even the introduction of solar panels and TV are not enough to keep them - understandably.  I'm not sure I could imagine a tougher life.