Amantani Island is known for its distinctive arches. You pass through several on a walk around the island.
After my article about Amantan Island was published in Fodors, I decided to go back to the island to see what the impact has been so far. If you havent read the article, check it out first. (There are also links on my website). This story will make a lot more sense afterwards. I went for a quick weekend trip and despite how long it takes to get to the island, I went there on Friday and came back to Cusco on Sunday. (Detailed instructions for how to get to Amantan are at the end of this blog).
Abel Mamani, as my main source in the Fodors article, has so far received pushback from one of the agencies I called out in the article. All Ways Travel sent him a message saying that he should have named names when he explained how travel agencies in Puno take advantage of islanders. Of course, they have no way of knowing if he did or not. All the article tells them is that I didnt publish names. My interview with Abel was over an hour long and only two sentences of direct quotes were published. I also paraphrased some of what he said, but I was the one who chose
The rainy season is about to start and most fields (called chacras) have been plowed to be ready for planting. The island is divided into four quarters called suyu. Each suyu is designated for specific crops in rotation. Ciwarasuyu is for planting grains like corn, quinoa and barley. Papasuyu is for planting potatoes and Ocasuyu is for a tuber thats kind of a cross between a potato and a carrot. The fourth suyu is wasara and its for letting the land rest and for animals to graze.
To be clear, All Ways Travel has done some good on the island. Unlike other agencies which pay with two or more weeks delay, All Ways Travel usually pays host families on the day that they host tourists in their homes. They have led workshops and lectures for families on the island who host tourists. According to my sources, the topics have been reuse for plastic bottles, information about hosting and for painting and decorating homes to be more pleasing for tourists.
Still, their message to Abel was accusatory and seemed angry to me. The owner of All Ways Travel lives in the US, which is probably why they were the first to push back against Abel for the article. Fodors is an and not widely read in Peru. I suspect that the other agencies in Puno havent read the article yet, since theyll probably be just as angry with Abel when they do find out what he said about them.
I translated the article into Spanish to take with me to the island, since none of my sources read English very
well. Abel and Gerardo both said that they liked what I wrote. When I took a printed copy of the article in Spanish to Gerardo, he asked if I could put his phone number in the article. I explained that the article itself wasnt written to specific homestays, but to encourage travelers to contact homestays directly without going through agencies. For those who want to stay at Gerardos home, which and has a beautiful view of the lake, please text him on WhatsApp +51 968 503 608
Now for the real dirt that I couldnt publish in Fodors because I dont have documented evidence. The abuses listed in the article are ones that I can prove. What follows here is what people on the island have told me, but for which I dont have concrete evidence. Im only including accusations which I believe are credible considering who from and what I have seen with my own eyes on the island.
Of all of the crazy parts of this story, this one is the most incredible to me. There is apparently such a surplus of guides in Puno
Readon #3 on this blog of how travel agencies take advantage of islanders explains why these women would be pulling a plow.
that agencies can hire guides without paying them. They promise to give a guide a certain number of days per month or per year, saying that the salary can be made up in tips.
