LIFE ON THE LAKE. Older than the Incas, Lake Titicaca s Uros islands are a must-step-aboard destination in Peru, writes Erin Tyer.

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2 LIFE ON THE LAKE Older than the Incas, Lake Titicaca s Uros islands are a must-step-aboard destination in Peru, writes Erin Tyer. Photograph from Getty Images. The Uros islands are a group of 40 large platforms made from tightly packed dried totora reeds that float on Lake Titicaca. Each island is home to six families, who are kept busy adding reeds to remain afloat. 166 Australian House & Garden

3 Peruvians wouldn t be the first to find love on a dance floor. But they re probably the first to make stomping on their partner more than a clumsy accident. This town is famous for its falling in love dance, says our guide, Armando Suaña, as we snake past another blink-and-you ll-miss-it village nudging Titicaca, a mystical high-altitude lake cradled between Peru and Bolivia. First, two strangers start dancing, chatting, making silly actions to amuse each other. He promises her the world, she tells him he s all talk Then she pushes him hard to the ground and pretends to stamp on his stomach. He leaps up, pretends to lasso her, then throws her over his shoulder saying, half-teasing, You re coming with me whether you like it or not! Either that works for her or it doesn t. The best fly-in point for 3800m-high Lake Titicaca is on the Peruvian side. Inca Manco Cápac airport at Juliaca is so smack-bang in the centre of town that plane propellers pop pegs off clotheslines. Ramshackle markets taper down railway lines. When the trains rattle through from Cusco, stallholders simply whisk their wares off the tracks in a flurry of flying custard apples and barnacled sweet potatoes. (Starchy roots and tubers are a serious business in the Andes. More than 3000 varieties of potato are grown here, and Peru celebrates its National Potato Day in May.) H&G TRAVEL On the hour s drive from the airport to populationboomtown Puno, the jumping-off point for boats to the Uros islands, Armando warns: Titicaca translates as grey puma. But do not say carrrka like that but cukkka. Otherwise you are calling our sacred lake puma poo! His cackle is so infectious, you ll want to immortalise it as your ringtone. Climbing ashore at Uros, to welcome cries of Kamisurasi from plump women in full satin skirts, is like stepping onto a waterbed. These manmade islands are constructed entirely of dried totora reeds, freshened with new layers several times a year, and are fibrous underfoot the huts, fishing boats, even the medical centre, are made of reeds. The only modern concession is the odd solar panel. With the men away farming on the mainland, today s Uros culture is largely matriarchal. Each of the 40 tiny islands is home to up to six families living in reed homes. The best thing, says Armando, himself an Uros islander, is that if you get fed up with your neighbours, you just lift your house up and face the door the other way. His ancestors have lived this way for centuries, since fishing families collecting eggs figured that if ducks could live on the marshes, so could they. Safe from attack on their floating fortresses, they lived a subsistence lifestyle based on fishing, but this new > Australian House & Garden 167

4 < venture into tourism is providing valuable income to fund their children s education in Puno, while at the same time preserving their traditional way of life. While visitors are now warmly welcomed, it was Jacques Cousteau who first cast worldwide attention on Titicaca during a 1968 scuba expedition for National Geographic. His sudden arrival terrified the islanders. They attacked him and jumped in the water to hide from the lake monster... In his wetsuit, they thought he was a giant frog! says Armando. Superbly located on the edge of the lake, Titilaka Lodge is the ideal place to adjust to the altitude. Your health is taken seriously from the get-go: at check-in, your blood pressure is checked. Mine s a touch on the low side but 10 minutes of breathing in pure oxygen sees me right. To speed things up, you can sip on the local altitude sickness remedy hot tea made with coca leaves and munya, a herb that tastes like lemon thyme. Having learned during our potato chat that Peru also lays claim to 56 types of corn, we fuel up on queso (cheese) expect cheese with everything and white corn kernels cloaked in a sweet sauce made of crushed vanilla biscuits. With all the high-energy excursions at Titilaka biking, paddleboarding, a visit to Taquile Island, famous for its weaving the all-included menu is welcome, right down to the quinoa soufflé. 168 Australian House & Garden

5 Photographs by John Laurie/bauersyndication.com.au & Getty Images (three women). Erin Tyer travelled courtesy of PromPeru. CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE Uros islander women in their multi-tiered satin skirts. Crafts for sale in Puno. The Andean Explorer runs between Cusco and Puno. On the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, llamas and locals greet you at Copacabana. OPPOSITE It takes time to adjust to the Andes high altitude. IN THE REGION You can check out Lake Titicaca from the Bolivian side, too, so head for the border crossing. First must-stop is Copacabana s baroque Catholic cathedral, with its whitewashed walls, turquoise tiles and extravagant gold altar. Every Easter, 15,000 pilgrims trek 140km from big-city La Paz to worship at the site, built atop Inca remains. The village itself is the kicking-off point for a Transturin catamaran cruise to stunning Sun Island. There, make sure to check out the local museum s eye-popping displays of parade costumes and masks. Contact Transturin for super-slick day trips on the Bolivian side. They are the biggest and the best. WHERE TO STAY Titilaka Hotel You ll love the complimentary llama-wool bedsocks as much as all the included excursions. So once you re accustomed to the altitude, after a snooze in your lakeview room (heated floors, giant bathtub, oh yes!), squeeze in as many watersports and half-day trips as humanly possible. HOW TO GET THERE LAN Airlines operates seven flights each week from Sydney to Santiago, Chile, with onward connections to Juliaca, via Lima; or Australian House & Garden 169