Lake Titicaca

What a grueling day this has been! But quite an experience. At about 8 a.m. on this cloudy morning we boarded a covered boat for an excursion across Lake Titicaca to the Island of the Sun. The ride was fairly smooth, and it took about an hour to reach the island.

First stop was an Incan temple, dating back to at least the 1400s. It's in quite good original condition, not a restoration. A Catholic priest who arrived here with the Conquistadors back in the 16th century stated that 175 gold figures were discovered here. There were also two other temples on the island, which was inhabited entirely by young men and boys.

In the distance, we could see the Island of the Moon. The same priest described it as being inhabited only by young women and girls, with the temples there finished in silver. Apparently these were sort of monastic communities.

After visiting the temple, four of us set out on a hike. Due to the high altitude and rough terrain, the other three opted to stay behind. We learned that the island today has about 4,000 inhabitants concentrated in three settlements. 

Unlike most of the rest of the area, the old Incan agricultural terraces remain in use here. It was fascinating to see the crops growing in these, to see up close how they were constructed, and to meet people who are actually working these fields. Just on this side of the island there are over 32 linear miles of terrace! Using only hand labor, it must have taken the Incans centuries to terrace so much of this area.

At the end of the hike, we came to one of the settlements. People still draw water at an ancient spring here, but water is now also pumped from the spring to a cistern at the high point above the village, so that most of the tiny, mud brick houses have running water and indoor plumbing. Electricity has only fairly recently reached the island to make this possible.

Descending to the lakeshore, we met our other three group members who had been brought here by the boat. We joined them on the boat and went a very short distance to another nearby bay. Here we found a rather nice, modern resort owned by an indigenous family. They prepared for us a traditional native lunch, consisting of potatoes, lava beans, corn, plantains, black potatoes, chicken, fish, and fritters. It was a lot of food and all very good.

As we ate, the heavens opened and the rain began to pour down. Our timing was excellent, because if the rain had begun before we finished the hike, getting down the steep stone pathway would have been treacherous. As it was, we got pretty wet just getting back to the boat.

The return trip was not so smooth. With the rain came wind that made the ride back to Copacobana a longer and rougher ride. With our stomachs so full, the rocking put almost everyone to sleep.

Upon docking, we got into the van for the trip back to La Paz. The rain made this trip a near instrument of torture. Roads were rough and muddy, so it was slow going. The sun came out for awhile, and we were able to stop and get some nice views of the lake. But rain resumed once again, making for a very unpleasant journey.

Even though we don't finish this excursion until late tomorrow night, we had our "farewell" dinner tonight. It was a good meal with a good Bolivia cabernet wine, but two huge meals in one day is never a good thing.