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Published: April 23rd 2009
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Puno
with llama (It's okay. You can laugh.)
We headed to the famous Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in South America. Our Lonely Planet guidebook states (in different chapters) that it is the highest navigable lake in the world, and that it is often erroneously described as the highest navigable lake. (?!?) One thing is for sure, it is the most laughed at name in all of South America. Lake Titicaca is also the foundation of the great Tiwanaku civilization, possibly the biggest civilization you've never heard of. As such, the Lake is also the home of one of the most sacred spots in the Incan religion, the people who stood on the shoulders of Tiwanaku, but ruled for only a few hundred years.
To get there, we took 3 uncomfortable mini-buses (jam-packed mini-vans) and a boat to Copacabana, Bolivia. We encountered the landlocked Bolivian navy, and thousands of walking Bolivians who make the pilgrimage to this site for Good Friday. Heaps of bikers and walkers (many walking the 155 km from La Paz) lined the two-lane highway and the streets of the small town, making us glad to have secured our spots on the uncomfortable mini-buses. All travelers carried some kind
of sleeping bag or blanket, and some also had tents. It made us feel funny to be arriving with our tents and sleeping bags, only to saddle up at the hotel.
After viewing the beach, however, we were glad for our hotel reservations! Thousands of faithful (and not-so-faithful) pilgrims camped out on the normally tranquil shores of Lake Titicaca, giving the place a festival-like feeling. The cotton-candy and toy vendors added to the carnival, and even a giant Barney the Dino appeared for the festivities. We had to keep reminding ourselves that this was supposed to be a solemn occasion. After all, it was Passover.
Though the streets were crowded with people, we were a bit unsure of what we were supposed to be doing. We tried to attend the twice-daily "Blessing of the Automobiles" - which is exactly as it sounds - only to learn that the
padre was busy with other plans, so we just observed cars decked out with flowers. The evening processional was special--hordes of people carrying statues through the main square and solemnly singing. Though Mark would attest that it only was a miniature version of the processional he witnessed in Sevilla, it
Copa beach
Normally tranquil, turned into a giant festival was still an interesting occasion.
The next day we headed out to Isla del Sol. This island was the home of the Incan creation myth, but also held numerous pre-Incan religious archaeological sites. Upon sitting down, I noticed some graffiti scratched in the seat in front of me stating (in Spanish) "this will be the most boring trip of your life." I didn't believe it, but the boat ride was 2 long hours, and I felt as though I could swim faster than the boat was going. It was enjoyable, however, to watch the lake grow more dazzling as we left the festival frenzy of Copacabana and headed towards the tranquil island. It felt like we were in the Greek islands, except that we were a tad below 13,000 feet in elevation.
Containing less than 5000 people and no cars, Isla del Sol is a curvy escape from the hustle and bustle of mainland Bolivia containing many beautiful sandy beaches (with only a few pigs enjoying them). At the north end of the island is the sacred rock where the first Incan king and queen were said to emerge. Directly in front of the rock is the restored
mesa del sacrificio, where llamas and yes, humans, met their fate to appease
Pachamama, or Mother Earth. Surrounding these ruins were pre-Incan, or Tiwanaku, holy sites.
Our local guide, a child of about 12 who stood around the site, asserted the same claim that nearly every guide seems to make about all the ruins (that the rock was believed to look like a puma). He lead us through the labyrinth of rooms made of rocks to a covered spring where sweet water still flows from the ground. We took lots of photos and set out for a hike.
A ridge hike led us 8 km from the north to the south through panoramic views of the beaches and the beautiful lake. The sun was shining, and many kids asked us for candy. The hours flew by and we soon arrived at a cute
hospedaje where we decided to stay for the night. After dropping off our daypacks, we enjoyed a beer with some other Americans, Ross and Brynion from Portland, Oregon, who were also staying there. We headed out to a restaurant situated in a hut with no electricity as the sun set over the gigantic body of
Cordillera Real
View from Isla del Sol water. In the other side of the 2-room structure, a woman was hard at work sauteing our fresh lake-farmed trout and quinoa soup. We enjoyed a tasty dinner by candlelight for practically nothing before heading back to the hostel.
The next day we enjoyed the Escalera del Inca, the original Inca steps down to the dock, and wandered through the town of Yamani, where donkeys and chickens roam the streets. We caught the ferry back to Copa, which we found gradually emptying of the revelers as Easter Sunday wore on. Right about this time Kati noticed that her i-pod was missing. The incredibly nice German named Martin who owns La Cupula in Copa helped her call over to the tiny hostel on the island to verify that she had indeed left it in the room, 2 hours by boat away. And we had already bought our bus tickets to leave the next morning. Panicking, Kati used Martin's phone to get ahold of Ross and Brynion who were still on the island, who agreed to not only bring the i-pod to the mainland, but smuggle it into Peru and meet up with her later! She was thrilled beyond measure when
she was reunited with it.
We caught an early bus to Puno, Peru, wary of reports that strikes and demonstrations had blocked some of the roads. Fortunately for us, only the routes to Cusco were blocked, and we made it safely to the larger city of Puno, which is on the northern shore of Lake Titicaca. We began to adjust ourselves to a few differences in Peru, such as the moto-taxis and the Soles, the currency here.
With only one full day to enjoy in Puno, we headed to Sillustani, a nearby set of pre-Incan and Incan ruins that was an elaborate burial ground, with multi-story funerary towers in various states of construction. Our guide demonstrated the differences between pre-Incan blocks and Incan blocks because of the latter's fine craftsmanship. As future pictures will show, the Incans were master craftsmen of rocks. They stood on the shoulders of literally dozens of societies that lived in the high Andes before them. The landscape was beautiful and the trip was very enjoyable.
Next, we head into the heart of Peru. The navel of the world - Cusco.
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lori roberts
non-member comment
Always have love the name of that lake!