Day 6

Today we visited the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. I was sick today and almost did not make it out with the group, but I could not be more thankful that I put forth the effort to go. Arriving at the islands is simple enough, until you step off the boat and onto the totora reeds sink beneath your feet. At first you feel unstable and as if you will continue sinking, as you step around and walk a few feet onto the shore your footing becomes more concrete. You can feel how stable the island is, it is comfortable in it´s place. We all sat around in a circle on benches made out of totora reeds (most of the island is made of totora reeds). Our tour guide asked us to step up onto the benches, we all sort of looked around with uncertainty before actually making a move, once we were all standing up he then told us to jump down on the count of 3. With even more uncertainty we all took a second before completely committing oursevles to the jump. The power of our group landing at the same second made the island shake, not tremendously, but enough to feel the force of our weight. I never questioned the stability of the island from that moment on.

After we felt how balanced and sturdy the island was we were given a demonstration on how it is built. Most islands will last between 15 and 20 years, and some have been known to last up to 25 years. The islands, which were originally created as a means of defense as they were more mobile in face of a threat, are composed mainly of totora reeds. The roots, khili, as well as the reeds are both naturally floating plants which allow the island to stay on top of the water. The roots are cut into cubes, about 3´x3´ thick, sticks are driven into the top and then they are attached together with ropes. Once this layer is finished the island is anchored to the sea floor and totora reeds are layered on top of the island for flooring. The reeds are placed in a weave fashion and where the houses are placed on the island an extra layer of totora reeds are placed as a foundation.

After the demonstration we had the opportunity to go into the houses of some of the natives and they dressed us up in their clothing, we all joined together outside once more in the clothing and danced together with joined hands. It was a really incredible thing to experience and although many pictures and videos were taken, nothing could capture the true beauty of that moment.

~Melody

This day trip was a whole lot of braving the cold, but we had a great time learning and partying with the Aymara and Quechua peoples of Lake Titicaca. Here's the last video of the trip, enjoy!