Departing from the city of Puno, here are three options for escaping modernity for a day or longer.
Uros Islands
One thing you can't do on the Uros Islands is plant your feet firmly on the ground. That's because there is no "ground," on these man-made islands composed of layers of totora reeds that float on the lake.
The versatile aquatic plant -- which is very sponge-like to walk on -- is also used to make houses and boats. The reeds are even eaten. Locals call them Uros bananas.
On Tatainti Island, our guide David Vilca invites us to sample one, which looks like an oversized scallion and is almost tasteless. The predominant sensation is the texture, which is spongy, watery and crunchy all at once.
Eight Ayamara-speaking families eke out a living on this island by bartering vegetables and dried fish, and selling colourfully embroidered textiles to visitors. Tatainti is one of the 52 Uros islands and among the smallest. It measures just 20 metres by 12 metres and has only a few homes. Inside one of them is nothing more than a bed, a few clothes on a line, and, surprisingly, a small television, which runs on solar power.
From a lookout tower there's a good view of the surrounding islands, some of which have large community centres and churches built of totora reeds.
After the structures are built though, locals don't just sit on their laurels (or should that be reeds). There's some maintenance involved in keeping the islands afloat.
Every so often, Vilca explains, the lower layers of the reed islands decay in the water and must be replaced from the top with new layers!
Taquile Island
Five vicunas grazing along the shore look up as our boat pulls into the dock of Taquile Island, a beautiful and rugged patch of land that was once a prison for Indians who refused to work for the Spanish conquistadors.
If you're looking for modern conveniences you won't find them here. There are no vehicles and no electricity but there are pre-Inca stone ruins, Inca stone agricultural terraces on the hillsides, and 2,500 Quechua-speaking residents who are known throughout Peru for their fine quality hand-made textiles.
A group from the village of Alsuno has come down from the hills to greet us.
Several women, wearing multilayered skirts sit on the ground with their back-strap looms, and demonstrate how they weave cloths incorporating intricate designs imbued with social meaning. Nearby a man stands under a stone archway knitting a hat! Finished products are displayed along a stone ledge -- hats and cloaks made from alpaca, woven belts and colourful bags with pompoms that are used to carry coca leaves (the leaves are chewed to counter the effects of the high altitude).
Our guide explains the meaning of the local dress. Married men, for example, wear red hats, single men wear red and white hats, while different colours can denote a man's social position. Married women wear their capes over their shoulders, while single women cover their heads with the hood.
Taquile, which has been inhabited for 10,000 years, takes time to explore. Though the island is narrow -- 1-km wide by about 6-km long, it rises to a point of 264-metres. Getting to the centre of the island involves climbing about 500 steps.
Before we go, the men of the village, including one decked in a multi-feathered crown, entertain us with drums and flutes, and a simple dance that is typically performed during festivals such as the popular Fiesta de San Diego in July.
Suasi Island
One of the most peaceful places you can possibly visit in Peru or anywhere, Suasi is a privately owned island with an eco-friendly lodge that sits on a hill overlooking Lake Titicaca. When we arrive, the sun is out, the garden is bursting with colourful flowers, and a chef is preparing a barbecue lunch on the grassy terrace.
In the 1990s, private citizen Martha Giraldo created this solar-powered refuge, which, since 2005, has been run by the Peruvian-owned Casa Andina hotel chain. An upscale lodge with 24 rooms, it's the place to come to unwind. There are no televisions and no cars on Suasi.
For the activity obsessed, you can take a canoe out on the lake, or a motor boat trip around the island or trek to the hilltop where you may see alpacas, vicunas or vizcachas -- long-tailed rabbits.
The buffet lunch -- which includes a wheat soup, barbecued chicken, sausage and alpaca -- is enjoyed in the shade of a canopy of leafy vines with a brilliant view of the cobalt-coloured lake. The waiter recommends a Pisco Sour (a local cocktail) with Sprite, though I opt for an Inka Cola -- a yellow fizzy soft drink.
Near the lodge, is a little museum with displays on Inca rituals, the region's flora and fauna, and locally made items such as sandals fashioned from recycled tires. Most impressive is the small collection of pottery and sculptures that were found on the island and which belong to the pre-Inca Pukara culture.
I laze around in the cozy lodge reading some of the many magazines and coffee-table books about Peru until dark, then join another couple for a stargazing tour. The sky is clear and the stars are all the more visible thanks to low levels of light pollution -- most of the surrounding islands have no electricity. Even the solar-powered lights at the lodge are turned off before midnight.
When I return to my room, where someone has lit the wood stove, I discover the only option is to read by candle light, or do something I haven't done in years -- go to bed early. On this utterly quiet island, you may find yourself, as I did, opting for the latter.
For more information, check peru.info or casa-andina.com.
WRITER@INTERLOG.COM
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