Lago (Lake) Titicaca

This weekend, Tanya (the other CFHI student) and I spent the weekend at Lago (Lake) Titicaca!  It’s 190 km x 80 km, and the highest altitude lake in the world.  It took about 4 hours to get there by bus and boat, and then another 1.5 hrs by boat to get to Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). 

The lake itself is gorgeous!  Pristine blue waters bordered by terraced mountains that still grow barley and quinoa as they did centuries ago.  The terraces flourished with harvests probably 1500 years ago, each standing over 1 m high and thoughtfully constructed with layers of stones, clay, gravel, soil, and top soil.  The terraces run in parallel lines and water-filled ditches used to run between them providing irrigation during dry seasons.  Today, the beachside city of Copacobana and the islands including Isla del Sol, are still home to Aymaran people, who may be descendants of the Incans. 

The funny story is that I decided to bring FOUR liters of water in addition to all kinds of extra clothes for rainy weather.  This resulted in a backpack and bag of about 35 lbs.  I didn’t realize we were going to do a lot of hiking and given the altitude and my almost keeling over in respiratory distress our poor tour guide hauled my bag all the way up the mountain to our hotel for us!  Needless to say I thanked him profusely and tipped him well.  

We hiked up to the Temple of the Sun, saying hola to several donkeys, pigs, and sheep along the way.  After about half an hour we arrived at the weather-beaten rectangular complex of sandstone that during Inca times was believed to be the place where the god Viracocha created the sun.  It was a major ceremonial complex and place of worship then.   The whole area was such a peaceful break from the bustle of La Paz.  It actually reminds me of the Shire in Lord of the Rings, with small hedges separating thatch-roofed houses, sheep, donkeys, and pigs trotting about, clothes blowing in the breeze, rolling hillsides.

The hotel had a beautiful lakeside view (well, pretty much anywhere you put a hotel on the island it will have a lakeside view).  There was no heat or hot water… but the food was excellent- we had delicious trout (Trucha)  for lunch and dinner.  Fishermen catch trout easily from the lake so restaurants serve it up everywhere.  In the morning we hiked back down to the edge of the island and took a boat back to the Copacabana, the city on the edge of the lake.