The floating Uros Islands

After leaving Arequipa, mikz and I took a bus to the town of Puno, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is home to many vibrant communities, one of which is the community of floating islands known as Uros.



Uros is situated in marshy waterways that are full of green reeds. The reeds are used for building materials - huts, boats, toys, and the islands themselves are made with them. Mats of fresh green reeds are laid on top of old dried yellow reeds, which are themselves atop slabs of even older greyed reed blocks, composing sort of a soft concrete.

The reeds also have an edible component... sort of a heart-of-palm vegetable.



This young woman was selling woven tapestries, painted necklaces, and hanging mobiles. I asked her if the little girl was her sister, and she said, proudly, "This is my baby!"

( Dragon boat, flamingo tower, and a critter with a red beak )