Breakfast was included at our Puno hotel, which was a huge win after such a long day to get there the day before. We didn’t do anything in Puno that first day because it was our check in for Lake Titicaca. On our way to the port we had lunch at La Provincial, and it was insanely good. Nick got a burger with caramelized onions and I got the passion fruit chicken wings. We split a jug of passion fruit juice, a go-to for us in Peru. The taxi to the port was about 20 minutes and from there our AirBnB host came and picked us up in his boat.

The boat ride to our air bnb was definitely the coolest check in process we have had. Our boat went slowly, first through a narrow opening through the reeds, like a boat road. After that it opened up more and we could start seeing all of the floating reed islands with houses on top. Many people that live there offer day tours to tourists and have traditionally made puma boats to take people around on. Instead of doing one of those day tours we just booked 2 nights at this man’s family’s island. Once at the island we saw that they had their own home and a few small huts for guests.

Our hut was at quite the angle, which was hilarious to see from the boat as we pulled in. The host explained that the islands need substantial new layers of reeds every 5 years (more than the regular maintenance) and in one month it was time to redo his island. That explained our major tilt. It really wasn’t a big deal at all, just amusing. The only consequences were that it was hard keeping the blankets on the bed at night and there were places it seemed like the floor was maybe splitting. We arrived at 12:30pm and spent the rest of the day just hanging out. We had our own little deck with chairs overlooking the water. Nick swam in the 10°C lake, much to the complete shock of the passing tourist boat. Every person on board stood up to see if their eyes were playing tricks on them.

It was a sunny afternoon filled with lake watching. There were cute ducks with brightly colored beaks and many passing boats. Each wave that came rocked our little hut. The floor was also a bit wet from the waves. Eventually a thunderstorm rolled in, which moved us inside our hut. We had giant windows we could watch the storm through. It was nice and cozy. Our hut even had a bathroom with hot water. Dinner was served at 6:00pm inside a common hut. Our host’s wife prepared grilled trout and his oldest daughter helped to serve. Everything was delicious and his two daughters were super cute.

We woke up to a beautiful day of clear blue skies. Breakfast was giant plates of fresh pancakes with banana, mango, and jam. They were super delicious. Our host had to take two other guests we had met the night before back to the port before our activities with him began. We hung out with our host from 10:00am – 1:30pm, it was so great. We hopped in his boat and started with a tour of the little floating reed islands all around his place. His two year old daughter also joined us, which was mostly adorable, but did make it hard for me to pay attention to all the information he was giving us. She was very rambunctious and I did my best to entertain her as we passed by reflections of mountains, and islands.

After learning about how the islands are made and maintained, it was time for more practical activities. We arrived to a section of reeds and our host showed us how he cuts the reeds to use for replenishing his island. He used a long wooden pole with a knife tied to the end to cut the reeds and load them into the boat. The pole doubled as a way to move the boat in shallow water. Nick gave the reed cutting a try, but was not as efficient. After a few attempts he was demoted to reed collector rather than reed cutter. The boys cut and loaded enough reeds to fill one quarter of the boat, leaving enough room for us all to still sit comfortably.

Once reed collection was complete it was time for my favorite part of the day, fishing. A short distance from where we collected the reeds was a net marked by floating orange buoys. Our host explained that different family’s use different colors in order to tell the nets apart on the lake. The fish were tiny, about the length of my middle finger. They are fried whole and our host said he can eat 60 of them in one sitting. To retrieve them we pulled the net into the boat and pulled each fish that was stuck in there out and placed them into a bowl. It felt like the host could pull out 5 fish for every 1 fish Nick and I could get. Sometimes they were really stuck in the net. It was a fun experience and the two year old wanted to help out. She would reach her hand out ready to receive a fish to then place in the bowl. She would also pick up the fish in the bowl if none were ready for her and gently talk to them one by one. I had previously given her my hair brush to play with and used the fishing time as a successful distraction to get it back so it didn’t get fish guts all over it.

When the net was empty again our bowl was full of fish and pretty heavy. The daughter knew this meant it was snack time and got super excited. Our host pulled fresh reeds from the lake and pealed the outer layer before handing them to her. The ends had about 10cm of white that was edible. She ate the reeds so eagerly it was like they tasted like cotton candy or something. Nick and I both tried a few and they were soft and chewy. The taste was somewhat like banana to me, but I’m not sure if that’s just because I had to peel them. Eventually we were all just working as a team to peel reeds fast enough for the toddler to enjoy. She was eating with one in each hand, happy as a clam.

The first hour was so nice getting to do the activities that our host would normally be doing if he wasn’t hosting and seeing how he lived. Once that was done, though, our last hours were spent doing what the tours do, just privately. We were taken to a different family’s island and learned about the traditional weaving, the animals of the islands, and how they make other crafts. We purchased a woven table runner with fish and birds on it from the woman who lived on the island. She showed us inside her home and we declined dressing up in her clothing for a photo.

Nick and I didn’t know we would get to ride a puma boat, but our host arranged for us to do so to get to another island with a little restaurant on it for lunch. Since we had handled so many fish we asked if there was soap to wash our hands with. The entire island had no soap, so we decided it was probably best not to eat there. Luckily there were several islands with small restaurants on them so we arrived to a second one where we got to wash our hands. It’s hard to know if the cooks did, too, but at least there the soap existed, which was reassuring. On that island we saw a girl we did our Colca Canyon hike with, what a small world! We all sat together and ate some fried chicken.

The reed islands felt like we were walking on a floating dock; we could feel how our footsteps shifted the reeds. Some islands were more overdue for new reeds than others. Our afternoon had more relaxing time but that day was much colder than the day before, so we spent most of it inside. The previous night we had no other guests in the huts on either side of us, but the second night we had other guests in both of them. They never sat on their decks so it still felt like we had the place all to ourselves. We only met them at dinner, which was chicken since they had run out of the delicious trout.

Our last morning was the most chilly, but had the same great breakfast as the day before. We even got bonus fried egg sandwiches after our pancakes. As we wrapped up eating breakfast it was time to get ready to take the boat back to the port. Some of the other guests had an early bus to catch so we decided to go back at the same time instead of staying until check out time. A boat was drifting with no one inside away from the island. As it turns out, it was one of our host’s boats so he had to hurry and fetch it with their other boat. I’m sure that happens somewhat frequently. All of us loaded into the boat. 5 guests, 2 daughters, our host, and many backpacks led to a cozy boat ride. On the way we dropped off the oldest daughter at school; all kids get dropped off by boat.

Once back at port we all shared a taxi to town. Nick and I got some logistics done, ate at our favorite restaurant again, and reflected on our time in Peru. During our errands we also walked through the market street and passed the big square. That day was our last full day in Peru and we had such a great time. 41 days in Peru were jam packed with amazing experiences, great food, and kind people. We’ve been to many places, but Peru definitely made a good impression. I did go almost the entire time without any ‘stomach’ problems, but that ended in Puno. I wondered if it was from the island restaurant.