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Yes, there is actually a place called Titicaca. I'm not sure where the inspiration for the name came from, but needless to say it has been a source of endless amusement for our group. When I was in Peru two years ago I regretted not having made the trip down to Titicaca, which sits on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Aside from its immense size and gorgeous views, the most impressive aspects of the lake have to do with its past and current cultural context. This was one of the most holy places for the Incas back in the day, and they settled here before continuing on to Machu Picchu.
We left La Paz on an early Saturday morning for the 3 hour ride to the lake. This was my first time seeing the city from above in the daylight and it was beautiful. We drove through the slums and later small villages and arrived at our first stop on the shore of the lake where men greeted us with baby Llamas on leashes who offered to take our photos with the fluffy creatures. This was way too exciting for us.
Then we were led to a small boat on which we crossed the first stretch of the lake while our bus was transported on a very unstable looking ferry.
We arrived at Copacabana - a small tourist town where we had lunch and walked around. The atmosphere already felt so different from the big city.
Next was an hour and a half long boat ride to the island where we would be staying the night- Isla Del Sol. A few of us rode on the top of the boat and enjoyed the incredible scenery.
We arrived at the island whose shore was unexpectedly filled with livestock - donkeys, cows, llamas… We then started the climb up a flight of stairs, struggling to breath due to the altitude change. At the top was a small pool of water fed by a pipe, which our guide told us was the Incas' believed fountain of youth so naturally we all had to touch the water.
We continued up the island, passing by indigenous women (called Cholitas) selling alpaca-wear and jewelry. Finally, out of breath, we arrived at our hostel that had an incredible view of the lake! We dropped off our stuff, took tons of pictures, and climbed up to the tallest peak of the island in time for sunset. The top provided a 360 view of the island and lake, which was absolutely stunning and impossible to capture in words or photos.
That night we had a campfire and an opportunity to get to know each other away from our hectic lives in La Paz.
The next morning we hiked up the hill again to watch sunrise - again, amazing!
We were far less fortunate with the weather this day, and made our way out of the hostel in hail and rain. We walked to the Incan ruins - temple of the sun. Although, not very big, it was neat to walk into what is still such a holy place for the decedents of those who built it, including our guide.
We then took a boat back to Cochabamba, had lunch, checked out the huge local church, and began our journey home.
These first trips really bonded the 13 of us and let us take a break from the intense first week here.We look forward to many more!
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