Next I headed to Puno, Peru which sits on the western side of Lake Titicaca and at the border of Peru and Bolivia. From there I was able to visit Titicaca, famous for being the highest (3,800 m. above sea level) navigable lake in the world. (For those of you who want more facts, here is a quick overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Titicaca).
The Aymara people initially lived on the 41 different islands of Lake Titicaca (including the floating islands), and then with the Incan takeover the Quechua language and culture largely replaced the Aymara´s. (And THEN, of course, the Spaniards inhabited some of the main islands for a time). The Uros islands, or the floating islands, are constructed from 1 m. of totoro reeds layed across a 1.5 m. thick totoro/earthen base. They last for about 15 years, and a new one can be reconstructed within 6 months. The ability to move the islands was at one point a defensive stratagey, but today it also helps to find better fishing and as one person told me, ¨we move when we get bored [with the scenery]¨. 
I also visited Taquile island, the largest island on the Peruvian side of the lake . It is about 1 km. wide by 7 km. long. There are some pre-incan ruins, but I did not have the time to visit any of them. Below you see Taquile´s central plaza, where they sell woven goods in the cooperative store. 
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