A PASSAGE TO PUNO :: Bumpy Ride on Lake Titicaca

My wife Suzanne and I visited Lake Titicaca at the end of our 2015 trip to Peru, just before flying over to Argentina and eventually onward to Brazil.​ Lake Titicaca is a large, deep lake in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. By volume of water and by surface area, it is the largest lake in South America. It is also often called the "highest navigable lake" in the world.

We arrived at the town of Puno by train (one of those incredible train journeys that remain ingrained in one’s memory forever…but more about that some other time). We were picked up from our hotel just after breakfast, on a cool, clear and breezy morning in August, and driven down to the quay where we embarked on a medium sized passenger motor boat for a day’s outing on the lake. The itinerary comprised a visit to the famous Uros floating islands, the traditional community of Taquile and the biggest island on Lake Titicaca called Amantani.

The first part of the outing was pleasant and uneventful. We ventured out to the "Floating Islands" - small man-made islands constructed by the native Uros people from layers of thick buoyant reeds that grow abundantly in the shallows of the lake. The inhabitants live in thatched houses and keep their islands afloat by continuously adding reeds to the surface.

After about an hour exploring the Uros islands, chatting with the locals and buying souvenirs (yes, you guessed it, made of reeds), we boarded our boat and headed for Taquile, the next stop on our itinerary. By then, what had been a gentle breeze had turned into a stronger gusty wind, and the calm surface of the water had become decidedly choppy. The captain steered steadily into the waves, adjusting the course every now and then to avoid the highest swells. But it was evident that climatic conditions were gradually worsening.

Some more time passed. With some degree of difficulty, I managed to stand in the aisle and film the video below, holding my camera in one hand and clasping the seat back with the other to steady myself as much as I could.. I think I did a good job steadying myself because it all appears calmer than how we remember it.

Some more time passed. Then, some crackling on the PA system and the deep voice of our tour leader filled the cabin… “Senhoras e Sonhores…." He addressed passengers (first in Spanish and then in English) informing everyone that the latest weather forecast from the coast guard was that the wind would be getting stronger and changing direction, which would make it impossible for us to return to Puno by the evening. If that occurred, we would overnight on Amantani and return the next day. It was up to us to decide, but we had to do it quickly because once we reach the point of no return, we would have to keep going. As it happened, ourselves and another two couples had a flight to catch that same evening and we obviously opted for an early return. The rest of the passengers didn’t seem to mind cutting the cruise short, especially since the bumpy ride was getting bumpier, making it almost impossible to take photos, go out on deck or even use the toilet.

After the democratic decision to return to port was quickly taken and communicated to the port authorities, we still had an hour or so of navigation on the wind beaten lake, as our intrepid captain traced a wide arc in search of a favourable current that would help us get back to Puno with maximum safety and minimum discomfort.

Looking at my fellow passengers' faces as we disembarked, it was clear that we were all pleased and relieved to be back on terra firma.

#Peru #SouthAmerica #lake #sailing