Having seen the ‘local family’ in the jungle and the ‘local family’ on the reed islands, we were wondering what sort of accommodation the ‘local family’ on Amantani would provide. We were told there was no electricity, that although the sheets were clean the blankets were often dusty and a few other things that led us to believe the conditions would be quite primitive. We arrived at the island to be greeted by a dozen women dressed in bright red skirts, white embroidered blouses and black embroidered shawls. We all stood in a circle and one by one were introduced to our ‘mamas’.

Our mama was Ana, and between her English and our Spanish, we managed to communicate quite well. Her house was in the second of two communities on this side of the island and seemed to be about 100 metres above the lake. The steepness of the hill and the lower levels of oxygen made it hard work. We had lunch of potato soup, followed by fried cheese and salad. We also had Coca tea. We ate in the kitchen which was separate to the house. The food was cooked on an open fire or sort of. The fire was burned in an oven shaped clay structure with holes in the top to place cooking pots. The kitchen itself was a mud brick building with a tin roof and a single compact fluorescent light run by solar power. Read the rest of this entry »