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Copacabana
On the shores of Lake Titicaca Spending two days away on idyllic Lago Titicaca was a great way to end my trip to Bolivia. Lauren and I caught a bus to Copacabana (not the Brazilian beach, it's a town on the shore of the lake) Tuesday morning, and within 3 1/2 hours we were far from the bustle of La Paz, basking in the peace and quiet of a sun-baked square in small Copacabana. The town is little more than a 8 x 8 block grid, nestled along the lake between two hills. The houses are colorful if not exactly in the best shape, and the people are quite friendly. Tourism is the lifeblood of the town these days, as the Aymara people have succeeded in creating a backpacker's budget hostal/restaurant paradise. We paid no more than $3 apiece for our hostal, and a set dinner "menu" (almeurza) can be had for $2. The grilled trout (trucha) is fantastic there, as it should be - it's fresh! Trout isn't native to Lake Titicaca, but today it's the most popular commodity harvested from the lake. It's a good thing tourism is growing, though, because according to local sources the lake no longer supports the community as it used
Floating the bus over the straits of Taquina!
The bus was driven onto this tiny little barge - with all of us aboard - and floated across to the other side! to. Overfishing and population growth are likely the culprits, although algae blooms related to climate change or pollution may also be at fault. The lake is beautiful, though, and resembles most closely the shores of Bretagne crossed with the Greek isles. The landscape is quite brown and srcubby, because little grows at 3800m above sea level. It's far from arid, though, and the scenery along the shores is striking. Our first evening there we climbed the Cerro Calvado, a hill overlooking the town, and watched the sun set far across the lake on the Peruvian shore. It was so peaceful; that alone was worth the trip. The next day was even better, though, as we took a ferry out to the Isla del Sol and spent the entire day hiking on the island. The Isla del Sol is only about 6 miles long, if that, and has been inhabited for thousands of years. The Bolivian Tiahuanaco civilization occupied it for a while, and then the Incan Empire moved in from the north and built over the remnants of Tiahuanaco structures. There's a sunken city just off the northern tip of the island that evokes the legends of Atlantis, and the
treasures rescued from its submarine bed are displayed in a small museum in the northern village of Chay'llapampa. It was here that we began our tour of the island, and we followed a local guide (along with a small herd of tourists!) to the well-known Chincana ruins at the northern tip of the island. The Chincana ruins contain the Palacio del Inca, which used to be a grain repository as well as living quarters for priests and high-class members of the island's Incan population. It wasn't quite as impressive as Machu Picchu, but the labyrinth of small chambers was really fun to explore, and very memorable!
After exploring the Chincana ruins, we set off on our own following the "ruta alto" along the crest of the island. As we followed the ancient Incan road, I felt at times as though I was walking along Hadrian's Wall, or the Great Wall of China, so neatly laid were it's stones. The views of the lake on both sides were stunning, expecially the Cordillera Occidental looming above the clouds on the Bolivian side of the lake. We passed above the small town of Chay'lla, and as we descended to the southern tip
of the island we came upon Yumani, the thrid and final settlement. Yumani is the site of most of the island's hostals and restaurants, so we picked a nice hostal on the ridge and spent the evening gazing over the expanse of the tranquil lake in the tepid warmth of the setting sun. It gets cold as soon as that sun goes down, though, so we settled on an early dinner of quinoa soup, more "trucha", and canned peaches. (It's not exactly 3 star dining, but it was good). We shared dinner with 3 fellow travelers and enjoyed listening to their travel adventures and plans. It's always interesting to hear what others are doing, and it sparks a desire to extend one's trip and strike off for other exotic and enticing locales! Alas, we had to get back to civilization, so the next morning we caught the ferry back to Copacabana. (But not before admiring the Escalera del Inca, a magnificent stone stairway leading down to the bay that reminded me of a scene from the Secret Garden!) Copacabana in turn furnished us lunch (smoothies and bread and apples), and then we were off...in separate directions. Lauren went on to
On top of Calvary Hill
In Copacabana, overlooking the lake Puno, Peru to fly back to Lima, while I caught a bus back to La Paz to catch my plane to Rio de Janeiro. Despite my fears, all the travel plans went accordingly (and on time!!!) and I arrived at the airport precisely 2 hours before my 8pm flight. Eight hours and two plane rides later, I arrived in Rio at the horrid time of 4:15am, but it was well worth it when I was met by my good friend Rodolpho who lives in Rio. I'll be spending the next 8 days with his family, and today we spent the day exloring downtown Rio. I'm working hard on learning key Portuguese phrases and making sense of the confusing geography of Rio, but I'm also enjoying being back in a more affluent (read: comfortable) environment and seeing Rodolpho. We toured a museum and the Biblioteca Nacional this afternoon, and strolled along the beach of Copacabana at dusk sipping on coconut water. Everything is great so far, and we'll be spending the weekend 3 hours south of Rio at the family's beach house. Woohoo! I am SO ready for the beach after 2 weeks of trekking and dusty bus rides. Next blog
will bring more details of sandy beaches and exciting Rio landmarks (I hope) so check back soon!
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