Trip Start Nov 24, 2005
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Trip End Nov 24, 2006


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Flag of Peru  ,
Tuesday, June 13, 2006

From the depths of the Amazon we flew back to La Paz after a long wait for our delayed flight. We spent a few days shopping and decided that it was time to move on. Our next stop was the small town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titikaka. The bus ride there was pretty uneventful until we were told to get off the bus and leave all our belongings behind. Being the savvy travelers that we are, we took our important stuff and were herded on to a little boat. Our bus was rolled onto a large barge with a tiny outboard motor and we slowly made our way to the other side of the lake. Once back on our bus it was a short ride to Copacabana, a nice town fully equipped to handle tourists. Here we were able to watch Australiaīs first world cup game with a bunch of rowdy Aussies and one elderly Japanese man who accepted defeat in a humble manner.
Copacabana wasnīt all about the soccer though. Incan legend says that the sun was born in Lake Titikaka which is 3,820 metres above sea level and apparently the highest navigable lake in the world 01. Lovely La Paz
01. Lovely La Paz
 . Whatever that means. I guess there are higher lakes that are not navigable for one reason or another. Anyway, we organised an overnight trip to Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun)with our new Aussie friends Andrew and Katrina. We spent the day hiking to the Rock of the Puma where the Inca believe their first Emperor rose from. We arrived at a rock but didnīt realise until a local sheep herder informed us that we were at the Rock of the Puma. It seems that everything apparently resembles either a puma or a condor or a snake which are the three revered creatures in Incan belief. Lake Titikaka itself is meant to be in the shape of a Puma eating a rabbit but one would need a fairly creative imagination to spot that one!! Anyway having seen the Rock we sat and rested in some beautiful old ruins nestled on a hill overlooking a beautiful lake beach and the amazingly blue waters of Lake Titikaka. After a while we headed to a small settlement where we negotiated (poorly) with a 10 year old to take us in his boat back to the side of the Island where we were staying so we could enjoy sunset beers. A necessity.
The next morning we woke to a noisy donkey outside our window and decided it was time to head back to Copacabana on the mainland. Shortly after we arrived back there we planned to head into Peru to a nearby town called Puno. Puno had little to offer other that the obligatory trip out to the reed islands on Lake Titikaka. We went out there with another new Aussie mate, Adam, who we met in Copacabana 02. San Pedro Prison
02. San Pedro Prison
 .
As was explained to us when we arrived at the reed islands, after a short boat ride, the people living here basically lasso various floating roots, pull them together, tie them up and lay reeds over the top to make a nice soft ground on which to build their houses. The floating town we visited had around 20 or so islands where people live. There was a school for the kids and the people live off the fish from the lake and make occasional trips into Puno for supplies. We were able to take a ride in a traditional reed boat constructed entirely of.....you guessed it....reeds. The reeds are used for pretty much everything from house construction to food. Amazingly some of the inhabitants of the reed houses had installed solar panels for power. Times are changing!
All in all an interesting experience was had. Next stop is Cusco (once the Capital of the Incan empire) and Machu Picchu...canīt wait.
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Comments

ryanislost
ryanislost on Aug 1, 2006 at 10:39AM

Who's the hairy guy?
Mates, love the stories and the pics!!! It takes me back to a time when I once did a trip similar to that one.... ahh the memories.
Sheik Ryan

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