Isla Del Sol

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Hello Everyone! We arrived safely in Bolivia on Sunday morning. Mauricio´s uncle Eddie met us at the airport and even after 20 years they recognized each other. They are such a warm family. We spent the day with them celebrating another uncle´s birthday. We enjoyed the best Saltenas, although Mauricio is commenting that the best Saltenas are in Cochabamba! Well, I guess I will see! Anyway. We had a feast and a tour of La Paz. Life in Bolivia is so different from anything that I have experienced before. In the middle of the city women are cleaning their clothes in the river. There are so many hills and I still have not adjusted to the altitude! Tingly fingers and toes... I will leave the rest of the symptoms to your imagination! Anyway we took a lovely 3 hr. bus trip on the 15th to Copacabana. A city on the shore of Lake Titicaca which is the highest natural lake in the world! A beautiful churchh and amazing fresh trout. We then took a boat to Isla del Sol. This lake is like an ocean with beautiful mountains all around! We arrived to the most physically challanging hike of my life. NO JOKE! The pre Inca stairs lead up one of the highest points of South America. I had to stop every few steps to catch my breath. Between the altitude and the climb it was very challenging! We made it to Yumani a villiage near the top and found lodging. We then continued up to the INCA ruins of Palacio del Inca but we did not make it there because the altitude bug bit me. I had it bad but still very much enjoyed the scenery and people. We watched children and adults run past us on these trails while I was dying. Mauricio on the other hand, didn´t feel a thing. In the morning, we hiked down the mountain to meet our boat. Mauricio headed up the Inca Steps one more time for some excercise. I was really impressed by the women who wore dress flat shoes and walked up and down the mountain with ease, with their donkeys and llamas.
We spent some time in the market place in Copacabana, eating blown up macaroni with sugar before we headed back to La Paz. We love and miss you all. Please forward this email to janemdumas at yahoo.com and bkelly75 at yahoo.com. We are not able to type the AT symbol on this computer and we are not able to add anyone to our email list for now. Also, be sure to print this out and show it to Grandma and Grandpa.
Tomorrow we are flying to Sucre to meet Mauricio´s mom and get ready for the wedding.

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