At the start of the (Inca) world
Trip Start
Dec 30, 2007
1
33
50
Trip End
Jun 22, 2008
Copacabana,
Copacabana,
Bolivia
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Everyone crosses into Peru via Lake Titicaca. Like true lemmings we followed the crowd. Having proved how tough we are by taking the bus both ways from Rurrenabaque, we arrived in La Paz a 6am, and got the first bus we could to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.
The trip is pretty, and covers a good portion of the road we had already traveled several times - on the way to and from Sorata and Tiwanaku. A ferry crossing is required, which separates the passengers from the buses. The buses are driven onto flat rafts (barges is too kind a word) and slowly make their way across - one bus per raft floating across the lake. The rafts sit so low in the water that it is a very curious sight. Even worse is that they get the rafts moving by poling them out of the shallows
Chincana ruins
. It can't be easy to move a bus that way. Engines take over later on. Copacabana
We were pretty tired when we got in, but found enough energy for a quick tour of town and a short hike up to a hill to watch the sunset over the lake and behind Peru. The hill is some sort of memorial site with many crosses, and possibly some graves and the view over the lake and the town is superb. It was beautiful, but we were shocked by how hard the walk was. Three weeks of altitude acclimatisation appeared to have disappeared while we were in the oxygen rich jungle.
We still needed to eat our way through some of the excess food acquired in Sorata and the Amazon, so we wanted a hostel with kitchen access. We found one easily, but the kitchen was locked and they couldn't locate the key. The next morning it was open but out of gas. The situation hadn't improved when we returned three day's later.
Isla del Sol
The Lonely Planet had sold us on a three day hike: one day along the shore of the lake and then two circumnavigating (on foot) Isla del Sol, while taking in some archaeological sites along the way
Cordillea real, above Isla de la Luna
. So, armed with our trusty guide book, we set off the next morning. Whether it is the book, or us, that is to blame, I don't know. It is without doubt a bad combination. We took the short cut recommended. At least we thought we did. It was the only trail visible. It was a very nice walk, but it ended at the foot of a cliff, with water on one side and cliffs on the other three. Three others were similarly stranded, but one managed to wave down a passing fisherman who gave us a lift back to the main path. We asked if this was the first time. He said that tourists are always getting stuck. The highlight of day one came shortly out of town, where the road is muddy and full of rubbish and the frogs are so thick on the ground that crushing them is a real fear.
We got to the island all right. Here the book says 'take the very faint fork to the left'. There is no fork. Rather than get lost in the gathering dark, we pitched our tent by the shore of the lake and I went scouting. I concluded that, lacking any other feature, we must be meant to head for the cairn at the top of the hill, reinforced by seeing a tent some way further on. And I had beautiful views of the snowy Cordillera Real catching the last of the sun to the east, while shafts broke through the clouds to spotlight parts of the island
Sherpherdess in town of Challa
. So we hiked, sans trail, to the top of the hill the next morning and followed the ridge line. This approach did not perfectly match the description in the book, but nothing else did either, and at least this way we had lovely views in all directions. We were disappointed (but not totally surprised) to find ourselves in the township of Yumami. It wasn't where we were supposed to be. But the trail could be resumed from here and by lunch time we had reached the archaeological site Chincana, a stone labyrinth of rooms pre-dating the Incas (although the site was very sacred to them too, for they believed that the first Inca was born here from the sun). The hike provided beautiful views of the lake, and we camped on the beach. Unfortunately the Cordillera Real was under cloud.
From the Chincana it was a short walk to the correct camp site on the beach. No one tried to make us pay here, which was a relief. A couple of people had tried that on the night before, only giving up when I said that we needed a receipt. They had promised to return the next morning with one but hadn't.
Day three was meant to be a nice walk along the eastern shore of the lake, reaching Yumami at the end. This started off all right and it was a very nice walk through villages (including one spirited soccer game) with many donkeys and sheep about. But there were many paths and locals directed us to the one that took us back up the ridge and so we again arrived at Yumani contrary to intention and earlier than expected. So, we had missed the path on every single day. Obviously we had been wise to hire that guide in Sorata. Our error also meant that we had a lot of time to kill, as the first boats did not head back to Copacabana until 3.30. (In fact, our boat didn't leave until 4.00 as they waited for a tourist who had evidently got lost (imagine!).) We spent the time reading and looking at the old Inca site - terracing, a stairway and a fountain. I finally relented and bought an alpaca scarf. Very dashing it is. (I also heard the same spiel given to group after group of day-trippers - the fountain has three holes for the three Inca commandments - don't lie, don't steal and don't be lazy.)
One of the nice things about this island is that it is clearly still an active community functioning independently of tourism. The island rises as a single steep ridge from the lake, and it has been intensely terraced for agriculture. Much livestock may be seen, generally roaming free but supervised (in Sorata we had seen many animals left to browse but tethered, often by rope attached to one leg). As we passed through towns we saw little girls leading the sheep out to pasture, and donkeys corralled behind stone walls. Almost all architecture is dry stone wall here, as seems to be the case throughout the Andean region.
And that was the final adventure in Bolivia. The next day we left for Peru.
