Peru_2025 - Day 10: Uros/Lake Titicaca

It's called Titikaka, not Titicaca

We learned this on our two-hour boat tour. There are 140 floating islands here with about 3,000 inhabitants, two public primary schools, a church, and a doctor who practices four times a week. He is located right next to the soccer field ;-). Alarmingly, everything has been built for the tourists. Titi means Puma (the shape of the lake) and kaka means dark/grey (that's how the lake appears due to its depth). After arriving here last night in a maximum state of disarray, the world looks quite good right now - sitting in the sheltered area out of the wind, in the sun, gazing at the lake or dozing off.

The simplicity of the accommodation is hard to beat. In our hut, the indoor temperature is nearly equal to the outdoor temperature, which was one degree last night. About six stacked blankets are supposed to keep us warm but rather provide limited comfort due to their weight. We have a 'gas heater' in the room (our neighbors have a patio heater) and ice-cold water.

The last two days have made us struggle with fatigue, a cold, and the altitude as well. Not a pleasant combination.