The Uros and their solar powered reed huts

The Uros people continue to make very good use of the reeds that grow abundantly on Lake Titicaca. Not only do they use it to construct their homes and their boats, but the very ground they live on.

Seriously. This tribe of peoples, centuries ago, began life on floating islands made of the reeds in an effort to isolate themselves from the aggressive Collas and Incas. They basically replenish the surface of these floating islands on a continual basis as the reeds rot. When you walk on them, in certain parts near the water, you can really tell you are indeed floating. They live in tiny little huts, big enough for a bed or two and nothing more.

But, alas, to my disbelief, these tiny little huts are solar powered. Not only that, but there is an international phone on the main island as well. Talk about an incredulous juxtaposition of the ancient and modern worlds!