Lake Titicaca

The bus from Cusco to Copacabana took 13 hrs. We arrived on Bolivia on Monday, May 22nd around 9am. Copacabana sits at 3800 meters/approx 12,000 ft elevation. One feels the lack of oxygen and the cold crisp in the air immediately. On the first day we walked around the city and saw the ancient carved Incan tables that sit on the edge of the city. I´m traveling with a Canadian girl from Toronto named Sandra. I met her at Excel, my language shcool.

Our second day in Copacabana we boarded a boat for a 2 hour crossing to Isle De Sol, an island that was settled by a pre-Incan culture known for their craftsmanship in stone building. We took a tour of the island which started with our landing at the North end of the island. We toured the tiny musuem of artifacts and then preceded to the ruins on the North end of the island. At the ruins we saw a perfectly laid out stone sacrifcial table, which was used for llama sacrifices and possible human sacrifces. Not far away from the sacrifice table were the remains of sevral stone dwellings and the ¨Titicaca Rock,¨ which was a rock that had been carved to look like a big growling puma. In the distance was an island that resembled a swimming puma coming to the sacrifice location.

When we were done looking at the ruins, we began a 3 hour hike to the South end of the island. The hike took us to an altitude (I´m guessing) of 4800 m/14,800 ft. I forgot my cliff bars, but was thankful for the coca leaves that our new found friend Corey gave me to chew. Corey is currently in his second year in the Peace Core serving near Cochibama, Bolivia. Corey was on a much needed vacation to Lake Titicaca. I find that when I´m hiking at high altitudes the coca leaves give me much strength and seem to help increase my oxygen intake. The views on the hike to the South island were absolutey breath taking. When we reached the apex of the trail before the decent to meet the boat, we found an amazing spot to have a beer, as exhibited in the above picture.

Once back in Copacabana we were famished. We took a much needed shower, which thankfully was piping hot; and met for dinner. At dinner we feasted on local trout, Bolivian beer, and pizza from a wood fired oven. Toblerone bars bought from a local merchant were the dessert.

The first picture at the top of this page shows an aerial like shot of Copacabana. I got up at the crack of dawn and hiked to the top of a local hill filled with religious monuments. The top of the hill, as you see from the photograph, offered spectacular views of Copacabana and Lake Titicaca.