Giving birth to the sun...

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Lake Titticaca, Bolivia. When you are first introduced to South America´s second largest lake, it is not difficult to get consumed by the magic and mystic of the area.
The lake´s main island, Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun), with deep, pristine blue waters that stretch as far as the eye can see, traditional villages with scarce electricity supply and ancient ruins, is a place of true and tranquil beauty. Ancient civilisations (extending to many modern peoples of Peru and Bolivia) believed this to be the birthplace of the sun and the moon, the bearded white leader / deity Viracocha and the first Incas, Manco Capac and his wife / sister Mama Ocllo. Legends are abound here, including tales of lost treaures and entire cities submerged beneath the lake´s surface.

As a tourist destination and experience, however, I was disappointed. Despite being in awe of the surroundings and the sheer size and majesty of the place, the island felt like a tourist trap where it was hard to find the genuine local kindness amongst the inevitable desire to extract as much money, service and of course, candy, as possible. It is a sad catch 22 really; tourists believe in their good intentions of offering small change and candy to the kids and elders that insist on walking you to lodgings, ruins and sights but in reality this only helps to create a precarious dependancy. Cultural tensions arise as tourists quickly tire of the antics of the islanders and the locals themselves assume all tourists come laden with gifts and endless amounts of money.
Admittedly, every travel experience is completely an individual matter. My time on Isla del Sol was tarnished with bad weather, pesky locals and the somewhat disappointing ruins (possibly only because the Peruvian ruins were so incredible). Add to this, through my own stupidity, I was almost left stranded cashless on the island (no explanation needed mama😊 and caught in a huge rain storm that left me soaked for over nine hours until I reached the haven of the capital La Paz. Needless to say, I was happy to be on the boat and heading towards the mainland.
As I sat on the bus to La Paz in my wet clothes, thousands of people walking and cycling towards Copacabana quickly placed things into a true perspective. I realised they were all making the pilgrimage to Copacabana, most from La Paz (approximately 150kms away), to offer gifts and prayers to the La Virgen Morena del Lago (The Dark Virgin of the Lake), painstakingly sculpted in the 16th century. After the scultpture was placed in the cathedral´s main altar, reports of miracle healings emerged and for over four hundred years Bolivians have made the pilgrimage. It was an incredible sight, a humbling experience and I soon realised my own troubles and inconveniences selfishly paled to the individual devotions of these pilgrims.

Although I am still happy to have the experience of Isla del Sol behind me I wouldn´t dissuade anybody from going there. It certainly holds an unique quality and if the sun managed to shine it wouldn´t be hard to find the magic in Titticaca.

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Photos

Magic in a moment
The ethereal Kakayo-Queña Ridge, the view from my hostal bedroom

Copacabana
Copacabana from above

Crosses
Rows of crosses line the lookout at Cerro Calvarion, overlooking Copacabana

Tranquillity
Looking out to the ´sea´of Lake Titticaca

Inca Stairs
Local girl climbs the Escalera del Inca (Inca Stairway)

The ´white light´
Huge cloud beams down on the perfectly calm waters of Titticaca

Snow white
Chilly start to the morning, with enormous mounds of snow-ice to follow, cover the trail

Over that hill...
Posing before a window of a ruin, with the walking trail behind

Ceremonial Table
This Mesa Ceremonica (Ceremonial Table) was thought to be the site of innumerable human and animal sacrifices

On the table
I lived to tell the tale of the table (say it 10 times fast:)

Beauty Bay
There were many views like this, with clear blue water set against white sands and rugged lands

Chincana Ruins
Doorways at Chincana, the island´s main ruin site

Titi Khar´ka
Titi Khar´ka (Rock of the Puma). This part of the rock is called Cara de Viracocha (Face of Viracocha) Incas believed this rock to be the image of a snarling puma. The light coloured part is supposedly the open mouth (good imaginations needed)

A hot birth
These niches in Titi Khar´ka are called the Refugio del Sol and the Regugio de la Luna (Refuge of the sun and moon). It is believed that the sun and moon, and later the first Incas, were all born from these niches. Yup.

Stigmata???
Perhaps miracle hopefuls should turn to this cow for their answers. The camera couldn´t pick it up clearly, but it sure looks like this cow is crying blood

Lucky Toyota
People drive from great distances to have their cars ´blessed´ by the locals priests. Double yup.

The Pilgrimage
Pilgrims making the long trek from La Paz and beyond to the lakeshore of Copacabana