Lake Titicaca
Trip Start
Apr 09, 2006
1
129
148
Trip End
Jun 09, 2007
Copacabana,
Bolivia
Sunday, April 8, 2007
I've had that stupid song in my head for days.
I arrived at fabled Lake Titicaca on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. I wanted to travel on Friday, but Copacabana is a prime pilgrimage point for Catholics on Good Friday and was told transportation and accommodation were nada. One more night in La Paz would be fine with me as I enjoyed the city...not to mention I ran into the triathlon tour crew from Tupiza and had plenty of amigos to drink with to celebrate the resurrection.
On my way to their hostel to meet for a drink, I ran into a true spectacle - a huge parade. The first group was led by a number of men carrying a glass coffin on their shoulders with a statue of Christ lying inside. The men with the honor of carrying this display were wearing KKK-styled uniforms (point-y, hooded hats included) except they were deep red in color. The platform was covered in flowers and everyone in the crowd dutifully crossed themselves many times or even genuflected each time they caught a glimpse. Following the "coffin" was a full military band, followed by half of the Bolivian armed forces and finally huge numbers of regular folks. This was repeated at least three more times (maybe the next group was led by a statue of the Virgin Mary but the overall procession was the same). It was nearly like watching some native tribe in Papua New Guinea performing a ceremony to ask the Gods for more rain on National Geographic. No...that's harsh. It was actually great to see the contrast in traditions with those I experienced in SE Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere.
As a side note...huge numbers of the Bolivian armed forces (who knew they had an air force??) appeared to have physical disabilities. I know Bolivia hasn't been involved in a major armed conflict since 1935, so what's up? They appeared to be congenital problems, but I really couldn't tell through the uniforms. ?ż?ż
So, I finally arrived at Lake Titicaca on Saturday morning. At 3820m, the lake is "among the world's highest navigable lakes"...whatever that means. I guess someone has found a higher body of water that's technically classified as a lake that is not navigable. The lake straddles the Bolivia-Peru border and appears as a small bit of Greece in the midst of the antiplano. Mostly treeless, very dry and rocky with strong sun and surrounded by the blue waters of Titicaca, one could easily be on a Greek Isle in summer. The last hour or so before arriving the scene remained unchanged - miles upon miles of treeless, rolling hills and small mountains were covered in ancient terraced fields, only a few of which were used today. Unlike Southeast Asia, the vertical sections of these were stone retaining walls rather than just bare earth. I can't imagine the labor-hours spent over generations to create such a feat.
Before arriving, I was stoked at spending some time at the lake. According to ancient legend, this is where the Inca believed the sun was born; they believed their first emperor rose from he rock called Titicaca, or Rock of the Puma, on the northern tip of Isla del Sol. What I found upon arrival was a bit disappointing. I really only had one full day to see Isla del Sol (explained below), so I arranged a transportation-only, full-day tour. Hopped on a boat at 8:15AM for the two-hour journey to the northern tip of the island. Loooong, sloooow, hoooott boat. Arrived and hiked up to the first ruin site, the Temple of the Sun, to find a few rock walls...not much. I then hiked all the way to the south end of the island where I would be picked up by another boat and saw...well...not much. Nice, but nothing to really write home about. I guess, once again, my expectations were just too high.
SO, why did I only have one day in Titicaca (not that I ended up wanting longer)? As previously confessed, I left my ATM card in a machine in Uyuni. No biggee - I had a spare. Several days later I went to use said spare card to withdraw cash in La Paz and the machine took it "for security reasons". KEPT IT. So, after e-mails to home and family and bank I have a new card on the way which should be delivered to me in Arequipa, Perú on Tuesday via DHL.
I'm composing this entry on Tuesday morning at 8AM local time and the DHL tracking number shows that my package left Miami late Saturday night....not going to make it today. I have cash, so it's really not a big deal, but how do you think a Logistics Consultant feels about a major international carrier missing a delivery? FUCKERS!
So, I'm off to Perú. Excited? Yes...but I will miss Bolivia. It was a refreshing change like Laos was - less tourist-y with wonderful people who aren't yet jaded by foreign tourists throwing cash around. THUMBS UP Bolivia!
