Taquile

After Uros we were back on the boat for a much longer trip this time. It would take almost 1.5 hours to get to Taquile-the main island tourists visit as well as the biggest one there. I think all three of us slept once the shoreline was too far away to look at. We arrive about midday at a boat dock near a stone pathway. No houses to be seen yet. It was very sunny out and not nearly as chilly this time of the day. We ran into some local islanders along the way and all of them seemed to know our guide. Small world I guess. The path up was long and steep at times, but after taking the other path down, I am so happy our guide liked us enough to go this way. At the top of the main path was the center of the city. Town Hall, markethall, couple restaurants and a hotel or two. I was surprised how few people were there. Our guide gave us 30 min to wander around and take pictures before we met up with someone on the town hall for a little cultural talk. The market has some beautiful woven designs. Scarves, hats, belts, vests, etc. I didn't really need anything else and the prices were a little high, so I settled on taking a picture of the colorful scene.

The guide brought us through the side streets towards a little cafe. On the way there I managed to get a picture of this little boy who was super cute. There were also stone arches everywhere--some of them nicely framing the lake.

At the cafe we tried a local tea with Andean mint. The sprig reminded me a lot of Rosemary and had a very strong woody and minty flavor. I liked it though Angie and Aaron weren't pursueded. The owner told us about the traditions on the island. Once men are old enough they are given woven bags (would look like a purse here) that is open on top. I think he said it was Coca leaves that they would carry around and trade with other men. Though I can't remember why they do that. What I do remember well is how young men choose their wife. If there is a pretty girl in town that is single (how they dress tells you that), then they throw a rock at her. Not even kidding. If she turns around and 'flirts' back, then it is on. If not, find another girl to throw rocks at. The present to a husband upon marriage is a belt made of the woman's hair mixed with wool. Divorce is frowned upon because once you cut your hair, there is not enough hair to make a new belt from. Or something like that...

To get to the other dock, we had to walk down almost 500 steps! That was the other way we could have come up and the way most tourists go. Did I mention our guide was awesome? Our boat was from the city of Puno. But of course it was funnier to read it as Pu....no!

If you were to visit Lake Titicaca, I would highly recommend Uros, but only go to Taquile if you plan on staying the night and meeting some locals. The cultural stories were cool. Otherwise it is a long ride for a nice view and lunch. The trip back seemed very slow and we started to get nervous about the time. You see, part of this tour was getting back to a taxi who would take us from the hostel and drive to Juiliaca for our flight back to Lima that night. To be continued....