Floating Islands

My Photo scholarship 2010 entry

Worldwide | Wednesday, September 22, 2010 | 5 photos

These photos were taken in Uros Islands, Puno, Perú.
This is my story:

In Lake Titicaca, at 3810 meters above sea level, within a twenty minute boat trip from Puno port, are the Uros floating islands. Over two thousand people live on these approximately forty islands. They are proud fishermen, hunters, and skillful totora reed craftsmen. Nowadays almost all of them are involved in the tourist industry as well.

My first experience on the island was a friendly Aymara greeting, “kamisaraki!” (Welcome!), given by a group of local people waiting for me on the shore. The second one I had was the island itself, that special feeling of walking on an unstable totora reed floor, which is quite an experience itself.

I sit on the floor next to the family that lives on this small island, and by an educational and amusing chat they tell me about their customs, how and what they live on, the way they construct and anchor their islands on the bottom of the lake, how they transport them, and also how they attach or separate them from other islands. 

Then I am invited to sail a typical totora reed boat. The host, who is the only man living on this island, masterfully sails the weak vessel among the totora reed tracks on the quiet lake. And while I photograph the awesome landscape, my host’s little daughters accompany me singing and playing naturally. They allow you to photograph them without any trouble, happily posing in front of the camera. The only thing they want in return, is to see themselves in the camera screen.

The experience is fascinating and unforgettable. When dusk starts and the sun warmly shines the landscape and my hosts’ faces, I begin to say goodbye to this magic place.