Helen's Andean Adventure

Finally (aka Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol)

I FINALLY got to see the one place in Bolivia that I have read about and dreamed about seeing...the majestic Lake Titicaca.On Saturday, the Rodriguez (my host family) and I drove down to Copacabana, a small town on the shores of the Lake to see this magnificent creation of God...and everything I read about this place is true...it is absolutely breathtaking, with amazingly blue water and mountains surrounding it.
A little bit of history/geography: Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world.The reason for the water being so blue (in places sky-blue) is because it reflects the sky.Part of if belongs to Bolivia and part to Peru.It is so large that it really resembles a sea and even smells like the ocean, even though the water is not salty.The Lake has an important significance for the Bolivians as the legend says that the Incan civilization was born on the Isla del Sol (the Sun Island that is located in the Lake, on the Bolivian part).Supposedly, the children of the sun god went there and became the forefathers of the Incas.The Lake has become deeper with the centuries and has covered many unique Incan ruins.Some still remain on the Isla del Sol.
One of the highlights of the trip was definitely going to the Isla del Sol, about an hour and a half boat ride with incredible view.We only had an hour on the island, and since we wanted to see some sights, we had to climb up hundreds of steps made by the Incas (I think called Camino del Inca) and up the pathway to cross over to the other side of the island to see the Peruvian side of the Lake.The parents didn't want to climb up all the way, but Sara and I had to literally run up to see the other side and then run down to make sure we catch the boat back to Copacabana.Keeping in mind that we were climbing up in the altitude of 4000 meters above sea level, my heart was literally jumping out.
Once back in Copacabana, we went to the famous church of the Virgen of Copacabana, which attracts thousands of Bolivian and Peruvian pilgrims every year. The whole altar was covered with gold and silver, and there was a museum of all the things that people bring as gifts to the Virgin of Copacabana.
Some more adventures Bolivian style on the way back...to get to Copacabana, you have to cross a straight in a little boat (the car crosses on another ferry-type boat).Well, on the way back in the dark the boat engine died in the middle of the lake...it probably got filled with water...the driver tried to start it for about 10 minutes, but all in vain...well, two other boats came and began towing us to the other side...then our engine started again and we were going on our own for a while, but then it died again very close to the shore, and the wind started drifting us back to the other side...another boat came and literally pushed us to the dock (btw, if you thought this story was never going to end, so did I sitting in that boat in the cold and dark thinking we were never going to cross this tiny stretch).
The pictures below are of me and Sara with the view from the Isla del Sol of the Bolivian side of the Lake, and of me with the view from the island of the Peruvian side.The amazing thing was being able to see the Cordillera (mountains) ad my favorite peak, the Illimani, from the Isla del Sol (in the background of the Bolivian side of the Lake).

posted by HM @ 8:12 PM