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Copacabana
I don't think the beach here can live up to the more famous one in Rio!! But it was a nice view for the sunset and a quit relaxed place. (I think it's a little bit outside the tourist season.... )
The city itself is a tourist destination with big T (and D) The highlight here is probably the fresh trout from Lake Titicaca!!
I only spent two nights her, one full day, to do Isla del Sol.
Lake Titicaca
Lake Titicaca (3820m) is located on the border between Bolivia and Peru. It's probably one of the biggest tourist attractions for people going to Peru or Bolivia.
Measured by the volum of water it's the biggest lake in South-America.
The lake is composed of two sub-basins. They are nearly separate, only connected by the Straits of Tiquina.
Five main river systems feed Lake Titicaca with help from 20 smaller rivers, melting glaciers and rainfall.
It's only one river that goes out of the lake. This one goes into Bolivia via Rio Desaguadero
Isla Del Sol
Isla del Sol is one of the largest islands in Lake Titicaca.
It's different stories about this
island. But the main theme is that the sun emerged from a crag on this island. A temple was build at this rock and later expanded to a covenant for chosen women and a tambo for visiting pilgrims.
The most spectacular ruins on the island (and maybe a good start of my "ruin-expedition" with Machu Picchu as the final goal) is the Chincana Ruins on the northern tip.
About 150 meters form the ruins is the Mesa Ceremonica which is tought to have been the site of human and animal sacrifice.
East of the table is the rock Titi Khar'ka (the rock of the puma, which also have given the name to the lake). On the right side of the rock we can find Refugio del Sol and Refugio del Luna.
It was here the sun and the moon was supposed to hide during a big flood and darkness, and made it first apperance after.
Later Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo appeard from the same place and founded the Inka Empire!
We were dropped off on the northern part and walked to the southern part of the island. A sign of tourism was shown on the way. We payed for
the museum and ruins and were told that this was the only ticket we had to pay on the island. Halfway through the trek, a man was sitting on a hilltop. He was selling tickets for the southern part of the island! After a bit of arguing I payed him and was promised that this was the last ticket I had to buy.
Arriving in the last village before the port, where we would take the boat back, another couple was selling tickets!! This time my patience was over and I refused to pay. It wasn't too much money, it's just the principal of people lying to you all the way!
Crossing the border
On Saturday I jumped on a bus to Puno, Peru. It was with a little tear in the eye, because Bolivia has been my favorite country so far!!
But the time is running out, and it's just five weeks to my flight from Lima. So in order to have some time to get to know Peru as well, I had to leave soon anyway : )
The first stop Puno, is not a highlight of the trip eather, but the base for visiting
the "floating islands".
Floating Islands & Isla Taquile
The Uros islands is a group of over 40 "floating islands". It started centuries ago with the Uros people, who wanted to isolate themself from the aggressive Collas and the Inkas.
The islands are built of floating totora reeds that abounds in the shallows of the lake. The people construct pretty much everything from this reeds. Their houses, boats, in some islands hotels, and of course the island itself.
They have to constantly replenish from the top as the bottom part rotten.
Today the islands are heavily "tourist-infected" They gets visitors every day for one hour, and on some of the bigger islands they have hotels and restaurants. But it's still quit a unique experience, and a place you "have to" visit : )
Our island also had a "Condor orphant" on one and a half year. That was another highlight on this day!
35 km east of Puno is the Taquile Islands. It's a narrow, long and hilly island which was used as a prison during the Spanish Colony and all the way up to this century. In 1970 the Taquile people took over and they are
today around 3000 inhabitants.
The Taquile people have maintained their traditions and culture, and are famous for their high quality, colourful textiles.
They had different codes of clothing depending of their sivil status. Single, married and so on!
"Yavari" - The oldest steamship on Lake Titicaca
In 1862 they started to build the steamships "Yavari" and its sister ship, "Yapura" in Birmingham. After they finished the building, they were shipped around Cape Horn and up to Peru. From Arica they were moved by train to Tacna, before they hauled the ships by mules over the Andes to Puno. The whole trip took six years!!
Both ships had a coal-powered steam engine, but due to a lack of coal they were powered by dried llama dung : )
They did their service in the Peruvian Navy for many years before they were decommissioned. Yavari is today restored and can be visited as a museum on the shore of Puno.
That's all for now!
Coming up next is Cuzco and Machu Picchu!!
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En hilsen fra heimen
Hei Magnus! Godt å se at du kom deg ut av Bolivia uten å bli tatt for smugling. Avisene her hjemme er stort sett fylt av de "uheldige" ungdommene som er fengslet i Bolivia. Det gir oss jo en ekstra anledning til å tenke på deg hver dag:) Ellers skal jeg hilse fra farfar, han satt pris på sms i bursdagslaget på lørdag. Ingrid sitter nå og forbereder siste skriftlige eksamen, hun kom opp i matte og var fornøyd med det. Til helga er det flytting for Nina og Gunnar og modern drar til Køben med jobben. Gleder oss til å lese om de spennende opplevelsene som venter deg i Peru! Hilsen oss i heimen