Titicaca - Lake of man-made islands

This South American lake known by many of the school curriculum: diligent students - which is the highest of all the navigable lakes in the world, and the rest - that is the lake with the funny name. Generally Titicaca - a compound called "Titi" in the language of the Indians means "cougar" and "Kaka" - "rock." By the way, the lake forms the border between Bolivia and Peru, and guides that pull tourists on tours of Titicaca, say that a country belongs to Titi and one, respectively, Kaka. And each believes his is Titi - apparently feel some phonetic trick in Kake.

On Titicaca many interesting things. The lake covered with legends, among them countless tales of treasure buried by the Incas from the Spanish, and the whole city, resting on the bottom. Its water surface and the surroundings are a nature reserve with rare species of fish and amphibians, and numerous colonies of birds. But among the tourists are very popular floating islands on which the Uros Indians live. They weave them from growing in shallow reed Totoro, mixed with black earth, and formed on the floating structures built from the same reed huts.

It is believed that the man-made Indians fled from the Spanish conquerors. Although long before Columbus to discover America a fluke, Uros have settled in the vast Lake Titicaca. Perhaps they "shoved" into the water more and more warlike tribes. But the fact that for many centuries the Indians have mastered to perfection the art of "ostrovostroeniya" and perfectly adapted to life on the floating islands. They even have a school, church, post office and souvenir shops! Sometimes even installed solar panels, and, looking into the hut, you can see the Indians at the TV.

Look into the cabin for tourists is not forbidden, and even encouraged. The locals, in fact, only tourism and living. On the shores of Lake Titicaca, there are cheap hotels, where you can spend the night in double room only for 30 Peruvian salts. economical hotel in Samara, or even a hostel somewhere in Tanzania seem in comparison to their palaces, so what do you want for 11 bucks? But in the morning you are in a wicker boat (of course, from the same cane) delivered to the island where you will meet dressed in colorful skirts and jackets Indian women, and, perhaps, himself the mayor - the mayor of the island, and willing to show a modest life. And you and do not realize is that they themselves had spent the night in a much more comfortable environment - tourism revenues have allowed the majority of the Indians to build a modern house on the land.

Still inhabited floating islands on Titicaca - not just "zavlekalovka" for tourists. Some Indians still live in such a way as several centuries ago, their ancestors lived. Of course, with a certain amendment to the civilization.