playing with kids

Beautiful children are the best part of Taquile

We have several children in our immediate extended family, plus many others who have blessed our lives.
Here Erica and Bretta know how to concentrate on their work as they make new chucos for themselves for Carnaval.

But they are also chemists, having made a mixture of shampoo and dish soap to create the perfect bubble blowing solution. A cantuta flower makes an excellent bubble making tool.

Erica knows all the plants and all the trails, and teaches us as much as we can learn: 

Erica and Bretta are hot-shot volleyball players. Sam always carries a ball in his daypack, and we have given them softer, smaller balls that are fun in a small patio setting. We play a cooperation game where we count how many hits we can make before the ball hits the ground. Their little sister, Yaqueline, is getting better all the time, if she can get a hit in with her sisters' multiple volleys. With the three girls and Sam and I, our current record is about 36 hits!

We met these three little girls at the February 2 celebration on the Plaza, together with Catarina (an adventuresome woman from Italy, who was staying at our family's bed and breakfast). The next day  they are walking along the path and we begin a new set of kid friendships.

 Sometimes friendships start just because moms are playing volleyball on a Sunday Sport day at the school, and kids are happy to have someone play ball with just them, giving them fun attention.

 Lisbet is a family member; we have known her mother, Alicia, since she was about 4 years old in 1996. We had a great day at the beach with their little neighbor girl, Estefani. Even the grownups made sand castles and buried each other's feet and legs in the sand. Taquile has several sand beaches and this one is just below the house of Alicia and her husband, Santiago, where they also keep a fishing boat.

 Lisbet's brother, Bryan, and cousin Jhon, also came to the beach that day and all the kids got to climb into the boat.

We did set the fishing net, but only caught a dozen tiny fish. Not enough for a meal. The kids helped untangle and put the net away. 

The path to the beach has a slow-moving stream full of tadpoles! These are all the beach kids of that day:

Beach kids with house in the background

Weaving for Carnaval

Active weaving for Carnaval

As we walk around Taquile Island these weeks, we hear the click-click-click of a highly polished llama bone against wood.

Women are working hard to create mantas and chuspas (coca purses) in time for next week's Carnaval Celebration.  The bone pounds in the threads of these very fine and tightly woven textiles.

Each thread of the double warp pattern is picked out by hand. Then pounded tightly into place with the llama bone. When Celbia was in the United States in 1988, teaching weaving workshops, one of her students wanted to buy her llama bone and she didn't want to sell it. Finally, when offered a substantial sum, she agreed. It is a very important tool.

Ruperta has a long way to go to finish these coca purses.

Kusi is almost finished.

It's pleasant to weave outdoors under a soft shade

Celbia' house has an easily installed shade cloth over a comfortable grassy area. Kusi, Celbia and Alicia get together to weave and chat.

Even more pleasant to weave together with friends.

Our youg girl friends are making themselves new chucos, the traditional head coverings, carefully pulling threads to create a multicolored border. We interrupt them to play volleyball, but they get right back to work after the break.

Below, Eufrasia finishes a detailed tisno, using her body as her loom. Attached to her waist and her toe, this portable loom is the first lesson of a young girl. Tisnos are traditionally used as straps for coca purses or to tie the chumpi (cummerbund), and now as wrist-ties for tourist souveniers. Sam and I have repurposed them as eyeglasses leashes.

Muscle Power

Everything is Carried
Lake Titicaca lies at 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) above sea level, so when the boat arrives at the port on Taquile Island, everything is carried by people up to the house. Some wheelbarrows are in use on the island, but with the various stairstep trails, they have limited use. One interesting historical fact is that the wheel was never used by the Inca or pre-Incan people.

Items ready to bring to the boat

We always buy lots of good food when we are in Puno. Here shows our load last trip, which included solar panels and eggs, besides fruit and cooking oil and much more.

loaded up with beer bottles

Tuesday half the community waited on the dock for the beer/market boat, everyone preparing for the week-long Carnaval celebration. Sam is loaded with two cases of beer bottles (Ivan in the foreground), ready to carry it the mile or so to our house. Carnaval is a progressive party when we will dance from one house to the next. At each house food and watermelon and beer are served.

rain barrel

With so much cloudy weather, the solar water pumping project has rationed water. Our rain barrel had been used up at Delfin and Eufrasia's store, but we carried it the 3/4 mile down to our house for rain catchment. Luckily, it's been raining ever since and the barrel is refilled every night.

Delia moves her storage chest

 I didn't check to learn the weight of this storage chest. Delia stores her many full skirts and other clothing in it. It has been at her grandmother's house and now she is moving it the mile and a half to where she lives with her new husband.

Reeds on the lake

We do get help from the lake. This small boat is carrying totora reeds, quite loaded down. Our collective boats carry huge cargos, as well as tourists and locals from Puno port to Taquile Island every day.