So I left Machu Pichu, returned to La Paz, then took a night bus to Copacabana, Bolivia, on the shores of Lake Titicaca. It was a long cold ride, one that I wasn't prepared for. The locals all brought blankets, the gringos all froze.
Copacabana was a cool town. Friendly, not too touristed, but all amenities were available. Overlooking the town was a hill, on top of which was a a shrine consisting of "the fourteen stations of the cross" (I have no idea exactly what that means, or what the religious significance is), there were many crosses all lined up in a row along with some other Catholic monuments. Candles were burning all over. People were selling refreshments and toys. Locals were all hanging out, drinking Champaigne, setting off fireworks. . . some were praying. The views of the lake were great. It was quite a scene. I asked a family if it was a holiday. They explained that in Copacabana every weekend is a fiesta. They then explained that it is a local tradition for people to climb the hill, purchase a small version of something they would like to have (a toy car, house, etc), then light a candle and say a prayer. If they work hard, behave themselves, and remain in god's favor, they will be blessed with whatever it was that they purchased. Afterwords, everybody has a drink. I stayed up on the hill, watched the sunset, went back to town, had dinner and crashed.
The next day began a three day trek to Isla Del Sol, a fair sized island in Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is a very big lake. . . 230 kilometers long and 100 kilometers wide. Its also extremely high in elevation. . . well over 11,000 feet. If it were in Maryland it would be frozen solid and buried in snow year round, however, here in the tropics, the weather is closer to what I would describe as late autumn weather. . . reasonably warm days and cold nights.
So, the following morning, I hooked up with a French guy I met the night before, and we set out walking along the shore of the lake to the tip of a peninsula. It took the better part of the day. All along the way, locals offered us transportation via rowboat or canoe to the Island. When we could go no further we hired a rowboat to take us across for a very small amount of money. After arriving at the south side of the island we found a place to spend the night. The island itself was hilly, about 13 kilometers long, and maybe 3 and1/2 across at the widest spot. There are no vehicles. The only way on or off is by boat. There are two villages. One at the north end, the other at the south. The rest is just wide open space. The following day we hiked to the northern end, spent the night, hiked back down the other side, and returned to Copacabana for the night. Like just about every-where else I've been, the views were great, and the locals were friendly.
Bolivian/Peruvian border:
It wasn't guarded. I got the impression that for locals, there was no border. . . people seemed to be passing back and forth freely. We actually had to look for the emigration offices on both sides to get our passports stamped.
Cochabamba:
Climbing the hill:
Isla Del Sol:
My partner Julian:
Inca ruins follow me everywhere I go:
3 comments:
once again some great pictures:) I keep copying one or two to my desk top so I can remember to attempt to paint them some time
Ria just sent me the link. Superlatives are no where near enough to talk about what you are doing and the pictures. Aunt Helen
oh russell, the pictures are gorgeous!!!!
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