Amantani Island | Peru

Friday, May 1, 2015

After visiting the floating islands, we had the opportunity to stay with a family on Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca. We were warned that many of these people didn't have electricity or light, but it turned out that most homes had a few light bulbs hanging from the ceilings. Still, the accommodations were very basic. The island was not very developed, but had inhabitants living on it for hundreds of years.

Yuriy and I were paired up in one home, and the rest of our friends (we had made some friends at Machu Picchu) went with another host. We were shown to our room upstairs, then called down for lunch—hot soup, a fried egg, and assorted fingerling potatoes—a staple on the islands, where harsh winters require dehydrated potatoes for survival. For dessert, an herbal minty tea mixed with coca leaves. Our meal was cooked by our hosts in a tiny kitchen which also served as a dining rom.

Our hosts spoke zero english. The man of the house knew a handful of words, but for once, I think we knew more Spanish than they knew English (and we don't know very much Spanish). They speak their own language on the islands as well, so Spanish is already a second language. We communicated with a lot of hand waving and smiling and facial expressions that showed we liked the food.

In the evening, we were led up a steep hill side along intersecting dirt paths, following on the tail of our host, who almost ran up the mountain while we gasped for air. The elevation here is very high and some people had headaches and nausea. We got a quick lesson from our guide about the island, and then headed up to the highest peal on the island to watch the sunset. Being at such high elevation and on a giant lake, it was extremely windy and freezing, but all of the locals wore sandals on their feet, as if to show how little they cared about the cold.

After the sunset hike and dinner, our host family dressed us in traditional Peruvian clothing—a skirt for me, a poncho for Yuriy—and took us to a community hall, where once again, all the visitors were gathering, and we were reunited with our friends. A local band played and we danced and laughed and took photos is our colorful, happy outfits. It felt very touristy because obviously the show was for just us, but it didn't stop us from having a really good time.

- Julia


16 comments :

  1. The Peruvian looks are certainly becoming on you guys ) Great pictures!

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  2. such a beautiful place! like that simple

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  3. Sounds like an incredible trip. Beautiful photos, I'd love to go to Peru someday :)

    http://www.mintnotion.com

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  4. oh my gosh, i want to be friends with and travel with you guys so badly.

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  5. Body gesture is the best universal language ;)

    Best, Albert | Palming Pebbles

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  6. Those textiles, sigh! Beautiful post.

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  7. I fell in love with you both

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  8. What an interesting tea mix, I'd like to try that.

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  9. I'm from Lima, Peru, though I lived in the states for a while. I've never been on the floating islands myself but I have travelled a lot around my country for a very long time, my father is a professional paraglider so you can imagine my lifestyle as a child. Your pictures are gorgeous and they really show how beautiful the culture on that side of Peru is. The tea you describe is called "mate de coca" and it's very popular all around the Andes here in Peru because it helps you digest, which apparently can be hard when you're in such high altitudes (and it also tastes amazing, at least I think so). I'd love to be in contact with you guys if you ever travel to Peru again, I know A LOT of people that travel constantly and could deffinitely take you on amazing trips :)!

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