The “Blessing of the Cars” in Copacabana, then on to La Paz, the highest city in the world.

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The return journey to Copacabana was quite unlike the delightful outbound trip to the Isla del Sol. There were thirteen of us on the journey out and there were fifty of us, plus rucksacks, on the journey back, in a much smaller, older wooden boat: thirty inside and another twenty sitting on top. The last two passengers to come on board were two Indian ladies, with bundles of goods to sell in Copacabana. We were in the tiny front section of the boat with a family of five local people and we managed to squeeze up so that one of the ladies could join us. In the rear part of the boat were several young backpackers; these people all got on first, so we had to climb over their luggage, laden with our own, to get to our seats up front. Not one of them gave up a seat for the Indian lady, who can be seen in our photo, sitting on the floor and dozing on the luggage. The young backpackers suddenly had a great urge to get out books to read so that they could ignore her. We were disgusted. We are pleased to say that although they were all European, none were English or Spanish. Initially, one of the two outboard engines wouldn’t start, but eventually it managed to chug along across the lake. The trip in this dangerously overloaded little boat, took two hours instead of the standard one and a quarter! We were rather glad to reach the mainland again.



This weekend has seen the strangest “religious” fiesta, the “Benediction of the Virgin of the Lake”. The Virgin of the Lake, or the Virgin of Copacabana, as she is also called, is the patron saint of the whole of Bolivia, and revered by Peruvians also. We were so glad that we had pre-booked our room for two nights, because people flocked to this little town for the weekend: mostly people from La Paz. The Virgin of Copacabana’s task this weekend was to bless everyone’s cars and vans. The whole town was crowded with cars, decorated with ribbons, flowers and hats (yes, correct, hats); more of the hats in a minute! For two whole days the cars queued up to be blessed by the Virgin, outside the Basilica; the Virgin’s substitutes were priests (wearing their habits plus baseball caps) with buckets of holy water. Whilst waiting, the cars were polished and decorated. Why do the cars wear little shiny top hats, perched either centrally above the windscreen or attractively and cutely to one side? Well, everyone wears hats in Bolivia! Bowler hats for women and trilbies for the men. One does not go out in the street without a hat, and certainly not to the Basilica; and so, the cars wear hats, to look their very best for the Virgin’s blessing. When the time comes for your car to be blessed by the priest, you have to do the following: first, set firecrackers off down the street, then anoint the car with a bottle of champagne or beer, then shower the car with rice and confetti. After the priest has blessed the car inside and out, including under the bonnet, with the sprinkling of water from his bucket, all of the passengers get sprinkled with water too, then they all stand in front of the car for photographs. The whole idea of these blessings is that the car will transport everyone safely, but it is also to ward against expensive maintenance! Last week, at Christmas, everyone put a toy “something that they wished for” in a cardboard box and brought it to the Virgin: if you want a new car, you bring a toy car (sold on the stalls outside), if you want a baby you bring a doll, and so on. We saw people still bringing such boxes this weekend too. The stalls have done a roaring trade in Bolivian “champagne” this weekend, as well as rice, confetti, shiny top hats for the cars, flowers, ribbons, fire crackers and streamers. This is probably the strangest fiesta we have ever witnessed. Presumably, people used to bring their donkeys and llamas!



One fascinating “side script” to this, is that the very oldest Quechuan ladies, still revere the Pachamama, the Inca Mother Earth, so they creep around the cars mumbling “spells” like wizened little witches, sprinkling coca leaves on the cars, before or after the priest with his holy water (and some car owners like to “hedge their bets” and encourage both). Apparently, the statue of the Virgin, dating from the fifteenth century, was modelled by an Andean Indian from clay from the Isla del Sol; he made her in the image of the Pachamama, so she represented both religions of the time, Christianity and that of the Incas. So that was our weekend in Copacabana. It was a cold, wet and windy weekend for the most part, with sunny intervals. The rainy season has set in now, and the cloud bursts are torrential. We have been in rainy tropical climates before, but never at this altitude, where the rain is cold rain, not the warm rain one expects at this latitude. We have had lots of opportunities to wear our Peruvian plastic ponchos!



Now we are in La Paz, the highest city in the world. The journey to La Paz started off as one of the most scenic of our travels; the scenery around Copacabana and the eastern end of Lake Titicaca is majestic, with high green mountains, dozens of islands dotted across the blue lake, and the snow-capped Andes in the background. Our journey took us down a narrow peninsular, with the lake on either side of us, to a ferry dock to cross over a narrow isthmus to the small town of San Pablo de Tequina, 3,825 metres altitude. The coaches crossed the isthmus by barge whilst we got on small ferries to cross over and join our coaches on the other side. This part of the journey was delightful. However, once we climbed even higher on to the “Alto Plano” (High Plains), we passed mile after mile of squalor. Up here the indigenous Aymara tribes live a very harsh life, living in derelict adobe homes, washing clothes in the muddy rivers, tending their crops and animals, sheep and llama, whilst the rubbish piles up along the highway. As one gets close to La Paz, with the increase in traffic, the main road is just a muddy swamp, with dead dogs here and there, who have fallen victim to the manic driving. It is hard to believe that this is a major route into the city, the third world status of which is suddenly and strikingly manifest.



La Paz itself is in an awesome setting and it appears suddenly, like a magical illusion, after endless miles on the Alto Plano; the land suddenly drops away, opening up a view of the whole city. Magnificent! La Paz is a city which doesn´t appeal much at first. Yesterday we didn´t like it much. It is noisy, dirty and shabby. Today, however, we liked it a lot more, having found the central plaza, Parliament buildings, Presidential Palace, Basilica and Cathedral. The latter is beautiful. This tiny little heart of the city is nice, but one has to say, that beyond this small centre, the rest is a pretty shabby old place, piled together all higgledy-piggledy up the hillsides. The streets are steep and hilly, lung busting at this altitude, and thronged with humanity; overcrowded, chaotic, colourful and decidedly and distinctly “foreign”! Most of the ladies wear traditional dress with their bowler hats, some men wear black hats, these are the witch doctors, the “Yatin” who tell people´s fortune for a few bolivianos, and everywhere there are market stalls, or blankets spread on the pavements with goods for sale. What is wonderful, is that nobody hassles the tourist to buy, unlike in Peru, and the people are so willing to help, giving directions and advice, for e.g. where the post office is etc. Taking all of this in today, La Paz “grew” on us. It isn´t the most picturesque city in the world, far from it, but it’s OK.



One market that attracts the tourist is the famous Witches Market, which is just around the corner to our hotel. There one can buy herbs, folk remedies and a variety of ingredients used to appease the many spirits that populate the Aymara world. Common products include dried herbs, seeds and various parts of frogs and insects used in rituals or as aphrodisiacs. The old religion still holds strong, despite the Catholicism, which in South America is also very ritualistic. Dead baby llamas and llama foetuses hang on the stalls up and down the road. These are buried underneath new houses as a sacrifice to the Pachamama. Wealthier Bolivians sacrifice adult llamas! Skinned cats and dead frogs are piled in baskets on the curb side. The witches’ shops are surprisingly busy, with people buying powders and potions. However, more and more sports shops, selling mostly football shirts and footballs, are opening up in between the witch emporiums; the newer religion of football, supplanting the popularity of the Aymara rituals. Much healthier! We didn´t photograph the llama foetuses, like most tourists seem compelled to do. Not a pretty sight and sadly depressing! Far more colourful are the stalls selling stuff for tomorrow, for “Noche Vieja” (Old Year´s Night or New Year´s Eve). Judging by the huge amounts of shiny hats, garlands, masks, whistles, blowers, confetti and fireworks being purchased, it should be quite a night! The fireworks look home-made and decidedly dodgy, so we shall have to be a bit wary of them. However, we are really looking forward to the festivities. Also tomorrow morning we are going to take a bus to the Valle de la Luna, the Valley of the Moon.



So, readers, this is our last blog of 2014.



WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!



¡FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!

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Photos

Last photo taken on the Isla del Sol
Young llama handler on the beach

"What woman sitting on the floor?"
Boat back to Copacabana

The Blessing of the Vehicles
Benediction of the Virgin of Copacabana

Nuestra Señora de La Paz
...and her beautiful setting!

Guards outside Parliament
Notice how they are all looking the same way of course!

Guarding one of the entrances to the Cathedral
We don´t know why. We went in the other entrance!

Plaza de Morello
The President´s Palace across the plaza