Lake Titicaca

I sparkle like a giant mirror high, high up in the mountains. The clouds feel so close, they sometimes tickle my water. My water is cool and clear, and the sun makes me shine all day long. I am a very special lake, a happy home for little fish and tall green reeds. People can sail boats on me, way up here in the sky. I am Lake Titicaca, the highest big lake in the world where boats can sail.

I have had many friends over the years. My friends, the Uros people, are very clever. For a long, long time, they have built their homes on top of my water. They use special reeds that grow near my edges to make floating islands, little houses, and even boats. It feels like I am giving them a big, gentle hug. A very long time ago, even before them, my friends the Tiwanaku people lived nearby. That was around the year 500. Much later, in the 1400s, great Inca kings came to see me. They thought I was a magical place. I loved having so many friends visit and live with me.

Today, I am still full of life and happy stories. Families still live on my floating islands, laughing and playing. They sail on my water in their special reed boats, just like their grandparents did. I am a happy home for people, for swimming fish, and for birds that fly in the big blue sky above me. I love being a place where people can live and share their stories. I will always be here, sharing my sparkling water and my happy secrets with everyone who comes to visit.