The Uros are indigenous people that have been living on self-made islands forever. The Uros build their islands (basically very big floats) from the reed that grows in lake Titicaca. They build their houses on those islands. Even a fireplace for cooking exists - quite risky on a float made of dry plants. The community near Puno consists of about 55 islands. And there are even more islands floating further away in the lake.
We take a boat to visit the Uros. The island we visit is inhabited by seven families. While most men are away, fishing on the lake, the women receive us enthusiastically. We first get a demonstration of how such an island is built. The Uros not only use the reed for building, but also for food. We get to try a green reed stem: quite tasty. However, it is wrong to assume that you could eat the whole island - the island is built of dried reed, not the fresh one.
It actually feels quite odd walking on the island, the ground is very soft and bouncy. We get to see the small houses on the island. One of the women kept a bird with a very long beak as a pet. The animal proved to be much less friendly than the Uros: it tries to attack Gaudi as he was taking a picture of it.
One of the houses has solar panels. The power generated is used for...of course: a TV. Naive to think that it would be a fridge or a heater.
As we leave the island, the women wave goodbye and sing some songs. At the very end, as our boat has already departed, they yell "hasta la vista, Baby!" Talk about globalisation: the Terminator has reached a tribe living on floats in lake Titicaca. Their floating islands might have protected them over centuries from enemies, but not from Hollywood.
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