Uros tribe on lake Titicaca (Reed Islands)

A couple of boats, the base of a watch tower, a little local girl, and the reads which kind of look like grass in this picture.
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In lake Titicaca (Elevation 3809m or a little over 12,000 feet) there is a tribe of indigenous people who live on floating islands they construct from a type of reed.  The have a total of 13 islands and a total population of almost 2000 people.  Of the islands only 3 are actually open to tourists while the others are off limits so the people there can live in peace.  The islands only last for about 15 years before they start to disintegrate so the islanders have a continual construction process on their hands.  While the islands themselves do not endure, their names do.  The name of an island is passed on from one construction to the next.  We were able to visit two of the islands on our trip.  Walking on them feels like you could fall through the reeds at any moment but somehow no one does.

A view from the watch tower of the island and huts.
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Lake Titicaca itself is awe inspiring in its own right.  It is huge.  Looking at it is a lot like looking at Lake Michigan.  There are places where you can´t see the other side!  The water is a ridiculous shade of blue because of how clear and deep it is.  There are numerous islands scattered in it.  We went to 2.  (Well 4 if you count the ones made of reeds.)  One was called Tequile and the other was the ¨"Isla del Sol" which comes in its own entry.  The lake is really the heart and soul of the entire zone of Peru and Bolivia which share it.  (As evidence I offer the fact that I had trout three meals in a row as the "special" at different restaurants in different towns.)