High Flying Birds

      
     

Near the top of the list for any tourist visiting Peru is to see the famous floating islands on the nighest navigable lake in the world.

My trip was to Lake Titicaca was very brief because I was delayed by a general strike during which the road from Arequipa was blocked. However, I was fortunate enough to get time for the trip out to the floating islands, where I took this picture.

The islands are made from huge blocks of floating vegetation and are quite unique. The other remarkable thing is that these people live at nearly 4000 metres above sea-level. The air is so thin that tourists are often taken ill with soroche (mountain sickness).

How can people live and work with so little oxygen?

ibis

lago titicaca

Does the altitude affect birds' flight?

The bird on the left is a type of Ibis indigenous to the lake. These birds can be seen happily flying across the lake and seem to be unnafected by the altitude and yet I found it hard to walk, let alone run (or fly!)

Puno, Peru, 16/05/2008

    
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
         
                           

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