More pictures from Isla Taquile

  I thought this post would be about adventures further along the road, but realized a few pictures from Isla Taquile were begging to be posted.

The trip to Taquile made a big impression on us:  the beauty of the island, the beauty of the people, the remoteness, the preservation of their culture while adopting modern concepts.  There is no electricity on the island, but a few people had generators, run with gas that is hauled from Puno in 5 gallon containers.  So, with those generators tv is possible.  We saw a few antenaes in mounted on the rooftop of the tiny stone houses.

The terrain is rough and steep.  In addition to being more than 2 miles above sea level, the island rises even higher, causing us to stop often when we hiked to the ridge for a sunset veiw.  The Incan terracing is used, and more terracing has been added over the centuries.





 
 











Some of the stone fences are used to keep the sheep in....or out!  Tiny fields of corn, beans or potatoes were behind every fence that didn't contain livestock.  It's very arid here, water at the highers elevations is scarce.







          





I found this building at the peak of the north end of the island.  The thatched roof was gone, but it looked like it had been lived in recently.  In it's old age, it was a beautifully built structure that had apparently survived earthquakes.




















Living in a remote place requires ingenuity.  I loved the hinges on the fences! Use what you have, make what you have work:  shoe soles, nailed into the post and gate work great!






















The single-row plow.  An ancient invention, made available at a cheap price in the US by John Deere Company.  Here, the tractor doesn't exist, an ox or two pull the single plow, tied to a tree trunk with leather strapping.  It took two to plow the rocky terraces:  one to lead the ox, the other to hold the plow.  It's a rich family that can afford such equipment.










Sheep moving south on the 101.  Children and old people are the sheep tenders, the younger people work in the fields.  Both men and women are doing something with their hands most of the time; the women are spinning yarn or knitting, the men are knitting.  Even while they are walking!