Waves, Weaving and Sunshine
I slept like a ROCK! I seriously slept wonderfully here on Amantani. I thought I might get cold, but actually the sun had heated my little adobe room and it was quite pleasant. I had interesting dreams, but that will come in to play later.. Lets just say, I dreamed about a BIG WAVE... and I awoke around 6am.. got my bag ready and waited for breakfast. Im in the dinning room, so to speak first, then the Germans join me. They are cute. The man is pretty funny. During our Cornmeal Pancake Breakfast (amazing by the way, the corn was ground soo finely, one wouldnt know its corn other then by the taste), we are sitting around chatting. They talk to me a little in english, but mostly amongst themselves in German. And they ask me several questions about spanish.. but then the Man says, "do you know what they call waiters here in Peru?" and I said, "meseros, camareros, saloneros", and he says, "no, like amongst themselves, or between a client and the waiter", and I said, "well most countries address them as Joven, kinda a general way to get the attention" and he says, "well we found out by listening that they call them Oiga"... I am puzzled, did he just say oiga?, and I ask him to repeat it, maybe I didnt understand his german accent, and he says "Oiga, like garcon in french".. I giggle... yup he is saying oiga.. Oiga is the subjuntive form of OIR.. the spanish verb to hear, to listen.. People say Oiga when they want someones attention, not what they call servers. So I try to explain this to German. He doesnt get it at first because he is happy he heard something and spanish and made a connection.. BUT it just was lacking a little bit. Once he figures it out, we all laugh and a good time was had.
As soon as breakfast is over we head down to the harbor. There our boat is waiting for us. Its starting to rain and the wind is picking up.. Strange. My dream, the wave, the real life waves now.. hmmmm? I guess I just keep that to myself for now. Once everyone arrives, plus three extra, we head out. Good Bye Amantani! I had a wonderful experience.
We dont get out maybe 1km from shore when Fausto, the Coloradians guide runs to the front of the boat and yells to Capt. Angel "NO SALE!" "DONT LEAVE".. I have no idea how he knew, but out motor wasnt working right and we had to turn around and head back to shore. WOAH, thank god he caught that, otherwise in these waves.. ooosh.. if he would have broken down at sea we would have been tossed around like a rag doll... no motor.. no manches...
Once tied up safe at the dock we begin to chat about out evening's. The dad from Colorado says that he had a horrible night, hardly slept. He said when he did he had nightmares about ancestors of the island. And he said that wasnt the first time. He talked about a time when he was in another spiritually energized place and how, supposedly, his body could feel the energy, thus didnt let him sleep so not to be bothered by the spirits... The girl from Colorado also expressed she heard something outside of here room in the middle of the night, and that it walked around the room, and then stopped infront of her door!... woah.. SO after hearing this, I feel free to tell them about my dream...
I say, well I didnt wanna talk about this, but now I think its the right time. I had a really interesting dream last night. I was in the ocean, well first I was on a dock of sorts, and I had a little canoe next to me, it was long and thin, something about where I was reminded me of the mediterranean. Then the next thing I knew, my canoe slips off the dock and into the water... i thought about jumping after it, but I didnt. Then my friends, this two young guys, gather my canoe and the paddle and bring it back to me.. they say, Johannah, next time this happens, you have to help us okay? And I awknowledge them. Then the dock I was on is a yatch, a really big sail boat.. In the distance I see this MASSIVE wave coming right for us. Im nervous, I have no idea what to do, and by the time the wave comes, it WASHES away the boat, and I find myself atop the wave. Safe. I as holding on to a cable of sorts, but not boat. I watch as it breaks into a million pieces before my eyes, meanwhile I ride the wave safetly to shore. I remember being on shore thinking.. everything I had was on that boat.. but thankgod Im okay. And then I wake...
So my dream and the wave, and the actually waves, and the boat and the motor problem and everything was just too much. After I share my dream, and older lady on the tour says, "Well Johannah, you know tidal wave dreams are a sign of a soul cleaning..." Woah! That is soo cool! and it seems to make sense, my experience on Amantani was a release for me, a release of whatever I had been carrying on my shoulders. Woah.. what a trip.
After a while, the boat still isnt fixed and nor there are several people on the dock. The Colorado dad really wants to help out but he restrains himself. His spanish isnt that good, and he does not know that much about boats, so he figures he really would help that much anyway. He sits next to me and our back are to the action. he says, he does even want to look. But the lady infront of us, she could see everything that was going on, and she started to narrorate. First she said.. "Oh no! Angel looks seriously. Things dont look good".. and a little while later she said, "oh well now they brought a donkey" Haha everyone giggles, It was a good way to break the tension. Because things were a little tense, broken down boat... thinking of what could have happened.. oosh.. So that was pretty funny. A little while later, Capt Angel comes up to the front of the boat and attempts to turn her over.. "Drrggg drggg (sound of the engine not turning over)... HEEEHAWW HEEEHAAWW" HOLY MOLEY A DONKEY! There really was a donkey on the dock! We all brust out laughing! I thought she was making it up! And the timing of the bray was perfect with the fact that the engine didnt turn. It was like the donkey was laughing at us! Tooo funny!
SO finally they get the engine working again. They said that it wasnt taking in cool water, and he could have overheated. Whatever the cause, thanks go Fausto and his sixth sense, we are all alright. Then we bring our trip to Taquile Island.
This is an Island of textiles. The man are known for their skills in weaving. Seriously. The men weave, and this is a serious task they must master. Oh and the people, never a down moment. When they walk the steep paths, they are knitting and weaving. I have a hard enough time watching my footing and these guys pass me up while they are knitting! Also the knitting is important because the men have to knit there own hats, and these hats mean a lot. The single men wear a hat that is red at the base and then the top is white and folds over to one side with a little puff. The married men where a all red hat, and the town cheif/mayor/Cacique wears a black bowler. The single women are "marked" by the size and color of the puffs on there shawls. But back to the mens hats. NOW next man has to knit his own hat. Then the single women examine the hats.. if the knitting is good then that means the man will make a good husband, if the knitting is bad, sorry bud.. better luck next time. They also said that sometimes the women pour water in the hats, and if the hats can hold water for sometime then they have found a winner... if not.. try try again. OH and the weddings! The weddings are a week long, and the bride and groom dont see eachother, and they cannot smile! If they smile that means they are happy without their groom, husband to be, and thats not okay. SO the couple has to spend a week apart, while everyone else is partying and celebrating, and they have to just sit there. Interesting no?
On the island there is also a craft market, tipo co-op. All the money goes to the family whose product you buy. I didnt have much money, but I spent what I had on a cool belt and then along the path these cute little buggers were selling bracelets.. If I had more $ I would have bought more, but I only have 2 s/. at this point.. But the bracelets (and the belt) are clearly one of a kind. We also had lunch on the island, Grilled Trout with a QUIONA soup and explosion tea! Thats a mix of Muña and Coca... Great for elevation issues and tummy aches. I liked it because it was hot...
Afterwards we cross the island on the accient stone paths and then reach the famous arches of Taquile Island and the 500 step stairway. Supposedly over 500 steps down, but I didnt bother counting.. Like I said before just finding my footing was an issue. BUT the view was breathtaking! Simply amazing!
We arrive to the boat and by this time the sky has cleared.. and its a perfect time to enjoy the boat ride to Los Uros (islas flotates) on the roof of the boat! There I chat with Igor from Israel and Alyssa from Colorado. Its really nice to share stories and experiences. Plus we all agree that being young and free of "responsibilities" is really the best time to travel. They are great people, and three hours in the sun on Lake Titicaca is just what we all needed... And ya know what.. Alyssa, the girl from Colorado, who yesterday had a nasty eye infection, but the time we got to Los Uros.. TE LO JURO her eye was practically back to normal... and her spirit had lifted. Oh Lago Titicaca.. your powers are amazing. Thank you!
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| Note: None of these were our boat |
We dont get out maybe 1km from shore when Fausto, the Coloradians guide runs to the front of the boat and yells to Capt. Angel "NO SALE!" "DONT LEAVE".. I have no idea how he knew, but out motor wasnt working right and we had to turn around and head back to shore. WOAH, thank god he caught that, otherwise in these waves.. ooosh.. if he would have broken down at sea we would have been tossed around like a rag doll... no motor.. no manches...
Once tied up safe at the dock we begin to chat about out evening's. The dad from Colorado says that he had a horrible night, hardly slept. He said when he did he had nightmares about ancestors of the island. And he said that wasnt the first time. He talked about a time when he was in another spiritually energized place and how, supposedly, his body could feel the energy, thus didnt let him sleep so not to be bothered by the spirits... The girl from Colorado also expressed she heard something outside of here room in the middle of the night, and that it walked around the room, and then stopped infront of her door!... woah.. SO after hearing this, I feel free to tell them about my dream...
I say, well I didnt wanna talk about this, but now I think its the right time. I had a really interesting dream last night. I was in the ocean, well first I was on a dock of sorts, and I had a little canoe next to me, it was long and thin, something about where I was reminded me of the mediterranean. Then the next thing I knew, my canoe slips off the dock and into the water... i thought about jumping after it, but I didnt. Then my friends, this two young guys, gather my canoe and the paddle and bring it back to me.. they say, Johannah, next time this happens, you have to help us okay? And I awknowledge them. Then the dock I was on is a yatch, a really big sail boat.. In the distance I see this MASSIVE wave coming right for us. Im nervous, I have no idea what to do, and by the time the wave comes, it WASHES away the boat, and I find myself atop the wave. Safe. I as holding on to a cable of sorts, but not boat. I watch as it breaks into a million pieces before my eyes, meanwhile I ride the wave safetly to shore. I remember being on shore thinking.. everything I had was on that boat.. but thankgod Im okay. And then I wake...
So my dream and the wave, and the actually waves, and the boat and the motor problem and everything was just too much. After I share my dream, and older lady on the tour says, "Well Johannah, you know tidal wave dreams are a sign of a soul cleaning..." Woah! That is soo cool! and it seems to make sense, my experience on Amantani was a release for me, a release of whatever I had been carrying on my shoulders. Woah.. what a trip.
After a while, the boat still isnt fixed and nor there are several people on the dock. The Colorado dad really wants to help out but he restrains himself. His spanish isnt that good, and he does not know that much about boats, so he figures he really would help that much anyway. He sits next to me and our back are to the action. he says, he does even want to look. But the lady infront of us, she could see everything that was going on, and she started to narrorate. First she said.. "Oh no! Angel looks seriously. Things dont look good".. and a little while later she said, "oh well now they brought a donkey" Haha everyone giggles, It was a good way to break the tension. Because things were a little tense, broken down boat... thinking of what could have happened.. oosh.. So that was pretty funny. A little while later, Capt Angel comes up to the front of the boat and attempts to turn her over.. "Drrggg drggg (sound of the engine not turning over)... HEEEHAWW HEEEHAAWW" HOLY MOLEY A DONKEY! There really was a donkey on the dock! We all brust out laughing! I thought she was making it up! And the timing of the bray was perfect with the fact that the engine didnt turn. It was like the donkey was laughing at us! Tooo funny!
SO finally they get the engine working again. They said that it wasnt taking in cool water, and he could have overheated. Whatever the cause, thanks go Fausto and his sixth sense, we are all alright. Then we bring our trip to Taquile Island.
This is an Island of textiles. The man are known for their skills in weaving. Seriously. The men weave, and this is a serious task they must master. Oh and the people, never a down moment. When they walk the steep paths, they are knitting and weaving. I have a hard enough time watching my footing and these guys pass me up while they are knitting! Also the knitting is important because the men have to knit there own hats, and these hats mean a lot. The single men wear a hat that is red at the base and then the top is white and folds over to one side with a little puff. The married men where a all red hat, and the town cheif/mayor/Cacique wears a black bowler. The single women are "marked" by the size and color of the puffs on there shawls. But back to the mens hats. NOW next man has to knit his own hat. Then the single women examine the hats.. if the knitting is good then that means the man will make a good husband, if the knitting is bad, sorry bud.. better luck next time. They also said that sometimes the women pour water in the hats, and if the hats can hold water for sometime then they have found a winner... if not.. try try again. OH and the weddings! The weddings are a week long, and the bride and groom dont see eachother, and they cannot smile! If they smile that means they are happy without their groom, husband to be, and thats not okay. SO the couple has to spend a week apart, while everyone else is partying and celebrating, and they have to just sit there. Interesting no?
On the island there is also a craft market, tipo co-op. All the money goes to the family whose product you buy. I didnt have much money, but I spent what I had on a cool belt and then along the path these cute little buggers were selling bracelets.. If I had more $ I would have bought more, but I only have 2 s/. at this point.. But the bracelets (and the belt) are clearly one of a kind. We also had lunch on the island, Grilled Trout with a QUIONA soup and explosion tea! Thats a mix of Muña and Coca... Great for elevation issues and tummy aches. I liked it because it was hot...Afterwards we cross the island on the accient stone paths and then reach the famous arches of Taquile Island and the 500 step stairway. Supposedly over 500 steps down, but I didnt bother counting.. Like I said before just finding my footing was an issue. BUT the view was breathtaking! Simply amazing!
We arrive to the boat and by this time the sky has cleared.. and its a perfect time to enjoy the boat ride to Los Uros (islas flotates) on the roof of the boat! There I chat with Igor from Israel and Alyssa from Colorado. Its really nice to share stories and experiences. Plus we all agree that being young and free of "responsibilities" is really the best time to travel. They are great people, and three hours in the sun on Lake Titicaca is just what we all needed... And ya know what.. Alyssa, the girl from Colorado, who yesterday had a nasty eye infection, but the time we got to Los Uros.. TE LO JURO her eye was practically back to normal... and her spirit had lifted. Oh Lago Titicaca.. your powers are amazing. Thank you!
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