Isla del Sol: Bolivia's Sacred Waterfront
Trip Start
Sep 24, 2008
1
122
132
Trip End
Jul 21, 2009
Isla del Sol,
Bolivia
Monday, May 25, 2009
Titicaca, El Lago Sagrado
After nearly two months away from any reasonable-sized body of water, it was time for us to visit Lago Titicaca. Titicaca is a mammoth lake covering 8,600sq km (5,300sq mi) at an altitude of 3,810m (12,500ft). It is one of the highest lakes in the world and straddles the border between Peru and Bolivia. The altitude, border straddle and size of the great lake constantly reminded me of Lake Tahoe. However, unlike the US alpine lake, Titicaca is surrounded by the fertile portion of the altiplano, with the mighty Cordillera Real range in the distance.
Titicaca was formed from a large inland sea that formerly stretched all the way south and included what is now the Salar de Uyuni. The deepest portion of the lake is an astounding 2,700m (8,900ft) deep and it is believed there are many flooded and lost cities at the bottom of the lake. Jacques Cousteau famously tried to explore these regions, but his diving equipment could not handle such depths.
The lake is only 1% salt and contains a plethora of life, including its famous trout. Its vast size acts as an open sea in creating weather patterns and precipitation in the surrounding plains of the altiplano and this is a chief reason why the area is so fertile despite these plains existing in dry air and at altitude.
Bus Barge across Tiquina Straits
This lake is the sole reason that so many Andean peoples originated and lived in the area, beginning with the great Tiwanaku civilization. The importance of the lake was not lost on the Andean peoples, who view it as the most sacred place of all. All of the Andean peoples were agrarian-based and settlement-oriented peoples who relied heavily on a steady water source to keep their vast civilizations alive. The glaciar-capped peaks of the Sacred Valley of the Inca in Peru and the Cordillera Real in Bolivia are the homes of Gods and so is Lago Titicaca. The Inca believed that Isla del Sol, in the lake, was the birthplace of the sun and of the Inca people themselves.
At the Copa, Copacabana
To get to the lake, Mary and I had to take a three hour bus from La Paz. We entered the bus stand on the morning of May 23, but thought we had arrived at Sotheby's Auction House. The morning sounds of the city - a few honking horns, the sweeping of a broom and the chatter of folks heading to work - were quickly drowned in the harmonious ringing of the ticket sellers. The bus station was full of ladies screaming the various destinations on tap: "Copacabana, 8:30am; Potosi, Potosi, Potosi, 8:00am; Sucre, Suuuuuccccrreee, 9:00am, etc." It was as though these bus routes were available to the highest bidder!
Before long, we were on our way on a painless, but cold bus journey to Copacabana, on the southern lake's edge. The lake is absolutely massive. I have always lived on the coasts and most of my travels have been in the relative vicinity of water, so I missed it sorely.
Naval Presence, Tiquina Straits
It seemed like so much more than a lake; the water stretched as far as the horizon, so that for an instant, I could forget that I was in a land-locked country and envision an Asian junk setting sail somewhere on the other side. Bolivia has suffered at the hands of its neighbors like few other countries. Basically, all of its neighbors (Chile, Peru and Argentina) took land away from the impoverished country during the ill-fated (for the Bolivians) War of the Pacific in the late 1800s. Most importantly, Bolivia lost its access to the sea to both Chile and Peru. It was a humiliating defeat and one that still bears salt in the wound of many Bolivians. There is great animosity towards the Chileans and there is still a belief that there is some unfinished business with regards to the sovereign struggle of the nation. On our way to Copacabana, we had to cross the Tiquina Straits by boat barge and, in San Pedro and San Pablo (two towns bordering the Straits), we saw a strong Naval presence. We also saw several Naval bases in Rurrenabaque. While everyone cracks the joke that there is a Navy in a land-locked country, the Bolivians are very serious about their Navy and about their sovereign right of access to the sea. In the meantime, Lago Titicaca is the sea as far as Bolivians are concerned.
Copacabana is a fairly rundown town itself that is oriented almost completely towards tourism. It falls more along the lines of Uyuni as a backwater and is not a place I would recommend spending a lot of time in.
Naval Band
So, we booked our tickets for the afternoon ferry out to Isla del Sol and grabbed a lunch in a sunny garden restaurant. I enjoyed a delectable trout lunch, while Mary had a nice greek salad and chicken sandwich. The food was unbelievably fresh and tasty, as compared with most of the food in Bolivia, and cheap (15Bs or USD2 per person), which was a sign of good things to come.Isla del Sol or Mediterranean Coast?
We hopped on our insanely overcrowded 1:30pm boat for Isla del Sol, which cost 10Bs (USD1.50) and it was a beautiful ride. The sun was shining brilliantly on us, with the extra radiance that only comes at altitude, as we moved gracefully (ie slowly) through the blue waters of the lake with stunning 360 degree views all around us. Copacabana's harbor faded into the distance and was replaced by the dry, rocky and sometimes fertile coast of the lake. Sometimes gentle hills and sometimes large spiky hills emerged from the lake's edge. After passing through some rocky islets, we saw the big island, Isla del Sol, herself.
Running North-South, the island is much longer than it is wide and is a hilly beast. It is as though someone flooded a mountainous valley, leaving only the summit above the water's edge. Long been settled, the seemingly unhabitable steep hills of the island are cut with numerous crop terraces, adding varied green, yellow and reddish colors to the hillside.
Crossing Tiquina Straits
Using a small island as a stepping stone, vast power lines cross over from the mainland to Isla del Sol, juxtaposing the modernity of electricity with the very old world living that is the island.There are no motorized vehicles or roads on the island. All of the walkways are donkey paths or Inca roads connecting the two main villages on the island and the numerous crop terraces. Despite electricity, running water and flush toilets, there is very little else by way of modern technology. Legumes and potatoes are grown on the island itself, but all other food, building materials, clothing, etc. must be brought over on boat from the mainland. There are about 3,000 people that live on Isla del Sol and the island is split into two villages, at the northern and southern end, with some small settlements in between. There are schools on the island, up to high school level, and there is actually a soccer league amongst the sparsely populated island.
The hills shoot immediately straight up from the water's edge; this island is no place for the unfit visitor. As our boat docked, we were greeted by the 200+ steep Inca stairs to get up to the donkey paths that lead to the village, where the guesthouses are located. During my entire stay on the island, with the donkey paths, the small farm plots, the traditional village women and men, the farming and tourism as the local economy, and the spectacular views down the hills into the bluish waters, I was reminded of the Lycian Way along the Mediterranean Coast in Turkey.
Justin, our friend from home who climbed Huayna Potosi with us, had recommended the Inti Kala guesthouse and a young teenage boy guided us to the place...
Naval Base
at the absolute top of the hill. It was a killer getting up there (and we passed a poor young local girl who had fallen on the gnarly stairs and shredded the front of her face), but the good thing was we now had easy access to the various trails around the island. All of the guesthouses are basically the same: they cost 20-25Bs per person (USD3), you get your own private room, you have to share a bath and there is likely no hot water. However, Inti Kala has the primest view of all; from the roof terrace, one can see 360 degrees to the shores of Peru to the West and the highest peaks of the Cordillera Real to the East. Hiking to the South Ruins on the Island
While Mary relaxed and read in the late afternoon, I decided to explore and hike down to the Inca ruins at the southern end of the island. I set out on a high trail that I found, expecting it would lead me to the ruins. Well, as I mentioned before, all of the trails are donkey paths that take the local villagers to their crop terraces. This was one of them. I arrived at a high lookout and saw essentially straight below me, and many many terraces down, was the ruins. I had two choices, I could double back and hike down the bottom trail (in dwindling light) or I could trailblaze my way down the steep crop terraces.
Clearly, I chose the latter. It was fun and while I saw a few tourists on the low trail, I only crossed paths with some locals heading up the hill. They all gave me a surprised "what are you doing hiking down this way" look! At one point, a chola and her two donkeys came racing by me.
Right of Sovereign Access to the Sea!
Keep in mind she is wearing a colonial woman's dress, tiny and uncomfortable shoes and looks as though she should be manning a juice stand back in La Paz. Do not underestimate the cholas in Bolivia; they do all the hard work while the men sit around. I tried to keep up with her, but I had no chance. And I thought I was in good condition after climbing a 6,000m mountain! The ruins at the southern end were small, but still nice. I had recently seen Tiwanaku, but this place is more interesting for the history and culture of the people than for well-preserved ruins. I last saw Inca ruins in Aug 2007, so it was a joy to scamper around the place by myself (everyone else had left by the time I arrived). I saw the familiar trapezoidal doorfames and the three windows side-by-side that represent the three Pachas of the natural world (Upper, Middle and Lower). The stonemasonry was simply mind blowing, with perfectly cut rocks placed together without the knowledge of iron or bronze.
When I was finished, I tried to get out, but was locked in! The gatekeeper had sold me a ticket and taken off for the evening. Thankfully, there was some loose barbwire nearby, so I (not so) deftly clawed my way through the fence and hiked back to the guesthouse. On may way back up the steep hill home, the sun was setting and looking to the East the clouds had parted perfectly to reveal Illampu's dominant 6,430m peak illuminated in the sun's orange glow.
Having worked up a hunger, I grabbed a Twix bar from one of the small tiendas (surprisingly the prices of everything: candy, break, Coke, beer, wine, etc.
Copacabana
was all relatively cheap and barely marked up from mainland prices), which I hadn't had in probably 10 years. Upon seeing this, Mary was reminded of Costanza and the Candybar Lineup and would repeatedly quote "Twix!!! They're all Twix. It was a setup!" for the next week. We threw on our layers, given it was altitude the temperature dropped precipitously as soon as the sun went down, and had a delightful pizza dinner at one of the restaurants in the village at the southern end of the island. Our meal was 25Bs (USD3) per person. Basically everything on the island cost 25Bs. All of the ingredients were incredibly fresh tasting, which was odd given that most of the produce and all of the cheese and bread comes from the mainland! Hiking to the North Ruins on the Island
We woke up early on the morning of May 24 for our rigorous roundtrip hike to the north end of the island. The sun was beating down on us with high altitude intensity, but with hats and sunscreen, it provided for wonderful weather on a gorgeous hike. We had more great views the entire time of all the parts of the island, the lake, the coast in both countries and the mountains of the Cordillera Real. Isla del Sol is a large and stunning island. Walking across it truly made me appreciate the size.
The trail was incredibly well maintained and marked and there was a toll in order to access the trail, which goes to the village of the north.
Copacabana 2
What is nice is the people of the island maintain the island and reap the benefits of the revenues of the island. There is no regulation and it is not a national park. While walking across the island, I also appreciated how much of the dry, sometimes rocky and hilly island has been transformed into arable land. There are crop terraces absolutely everywhere. The countryside on the island looks like a patchwork quilt because of all the crops growing. It is a testament to the ingenuity of the Andean civilizations, beginning with the Tiwanaku, who mastered the tiered agricultural technology. Thousands of years later, the same technology is used, without any improvements necessary!
We reached the other end of the island, a steep, high altitude (13,000ft+), hilly and rocky trail, in under two hours, when most hikers take three hours. After a short break, we checked out the ruined city. Much larger than the ruins at the southern end of the island, the northern ruins were very well-preserved and absolutely gorgeous. The perfectly-cut grey stones assembled in a puzzle formed room after room and views from these ruins and through the windows looked down upon the yellow hills and the deep blue of the lake's water. I felt like I was wandering around the temples of the Inca in Peru or of Angkor in Cambodia, but with the added dynamic of the blue color of water.
The return trip took two hours, as we blazed by people who had taken the boat one way and were hiking back. Both of us had such an amazing day hiking in each other's company.
Boat Ride to Isla del Sol 1
After a long and challening day of walking, we kicked up our feet on the balcony and relaxed with our books, more Twix bars and my requisite Coke as the sun made its daily walk down the sky and behind Peru on the horizon. We had another excellent pizza dinner, at another restaurant where the whole family pitched in to buy and prepare our meal, and blissfully went to sleep. One Last Time in La Paz
We leisurely woke up on the morning of May 25, had an egregiously-priced glass of fresh OJ at the guesthouse (15Bs or USD2 each when it costs 2Bs anywhere else in Bolivia and the room cost 25Bs), packed up our bags, and made our way back down the Inca steps to catch the return ferry at 11am to Copacabana.
With time to kill until our bus back to La Paz, we grabbed lunch at the same garden restaurant in Copacabana and boarded our bus. We met a bunch of nice guys on the bus, Doug (US), Pat (Canada), Theo (Oz) and Adrian (Canada), which made the ride go much quicker. Pat lives in Ottawa, so we enjoyed talking about the city that I grew up in as a young child. Doug is an Emory graduate who is interested in business and finance and spent considerable time in China, so we had engaging discussions on the current state of world affairs and economic development. He is also from the town of Villanova, which is where Mary went to school, so they enjoyed some good talk about her Alma Mater and their favorite haunts. Doug deferred his MBA admission at Wharton for a year as he is heading off to learn Chinese for a year, FOR FREE! The Chinese government is so keen on getting more Mandarin speakers in the world that they will fully sponsor (including a living stipend) education at a Chinese university in their language.
Boat Ride to Isla del Sol 2
It can be done in cities throughout the country, Doug is doing his course at Beijing. What an amazing experience this would be. Back in La Paz, at the Loki Hostel one last time, we went to dinner at our favorite Lebanse restaurant, Yussef (also for the last time) with Theo and Adrian. Adrian is a massive music fan (with his top 100 ranked albums and ratings for each album in his pocket as he was thinking about it earlier, I like his style), Pink Floyd and classic rock in particular. This was great as while Adrian and Mary were drooling over Echoes and other favorite Floyd tracks, Theo and I were talking about travel and economic development. All of these discussions of people with open-ended plans and ambitions in development started to make me a bit jealous. This was the path I was originally going to lead. I would related it to buyer's remorse when you purchase a new car. You know you have made an excellent decision. You know you will be nothing but happy. And in a matter of time, you won't even remember the other options. I know I have a great thing and I made the best decisions for myself. When I am eventually living with Mary back in NYC and have influenced a kid positively in the classroom, I will never look back with regret.
Our last full day in Bolivia, May 26, was spent running errands. Knowing we were leaving the cheapest country in South America, we got laundry done, got my shoes fixed, I backed up my photos on DVD and I got a shave and a haircut. My man, at Felix's on Calle Santa Cruz (just above Plaza San Francisco) did the finest job I have ever had.
Boat Ride to Isla del Sol 3
The haircut was brilliant and all manual. His clippers had the shear blades, but were operated manually like a pair of scissors. He put all sorts of lotions and powders and what not on my face and did the most meticulous, gentle and complete job in shaving my face I have had. My man in Salta was topped, which was hard to believe. I tried to get a flat razor shave in Lafayette, CA in Aug 2008 and I am sure the man wouldn't have done as great a job and I was not willing pay the absurd USD20 he was asking. My shave and haircut in La Paz cost me 20Bs (USD3) total! I am going to miss the supreme care and cheapness of developing world barbers.As I was returning to meet Mary for dinner, I noticed tons of people lining up at the card/flower shops and around the block outside of every cake store. I found out it was Mother's Day, Bolivian-style, on a Tuesday. The bakers of La Paz were certainly happy on this day! I called my folks, as they were leaving for Italy to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary (Congrats Folks!) and to wish my Mom another Happy Mother's Day. Mary and I returned to Eli's diner for a lovely last cheesesteak before returning to the Loki to pack our bags as we were leaving Bolivia the following morning.
Reflections on My Beloved Bolivia
Bolivia is my favorite country, thus far, in South America. It is tough to travel through. My body and head got destroyed on bus trips on its outrageously bad roads, particularly the one to Rurrenabaque. I got sick too many times to count.
Boat Ride to Isla del Sol 4
Most of my time was spent at altitude, providing for constantly cold and sleepless nights. However, this is the stuff real travel is made from. I also climbed a 6,000m peak and in the same week saw squirrel monkeys jumping trees along a flooded river in the warm jungles. I was afforded the opportunity to drive through the largest salt flat in the world and blew up dynamite. And everything is cheap, India cheap. The country is incredibly rich in culture. Its people are tough, hard working people that have lived for thousands of years in the most inhospitable of conditions. There is a constant struggle between the richer Bolivians of European-descent and the poorer Andean peoples. It is South America in a nutshell. I was fortunate to have visited the country for a second time; In only a couple of years since my first visit, I have seen the explosion in tourism in Bolivia. It is fully on the backpacker's circuit and is increasingly becoming a tourist destination for all. Tourism combined with the exploitation of its natural resources in the east are the two main growth engines and exports of the country. Farming, small plot, and the local economy are also main parts of the economy though there has been the typical developing country wave of migration to urban areas. Given the poor standard of living of most of its people, the country has nowhere to go but up.
However, the big question is whether the continued growth in tourism, mining and natural gas will truly trickle down to the mostly indigenous and poor population. There are signs of sustainable economic development that does incorporate all, preserve culture and the environment. Evo, despite nationalizing utilities and resources industries to the detriment of heir efficient production, has hugely helped the underserved campesino and raised awareness and the standard of living of the Andean peoples. However, there are also signs that only a select few are profiting. Time will tell, but Bolivia will be an interesting country to observe in the coming decades.
