Bolivia and Isla del Sol
Are you all ready for country number 2?
We crossed what must have been the most exercise intensive border crossing of our lives while coming into Bolivia . We got off the bus (in Peru) and changed our money, we walked across the boarder amongst what might have been a funeral parade, we had our passports stamped and one building and our papers taken at another (in Bolivia ). Finally back on the bus! Copacabana here we come!
Copacabana was all it was expected to be and more…more? Well, more tourists than we have ever seen in one place, a strange assemblage of white hippies selling jewellery on the side of the road, and washrooms with the sanitary calibre of a KFC processing plant! No worries we are on the boat to Isla del Sol in no time.
We decide to take it easy that night but the following morning we were off to do the circuit of the island. This, people have told us should take a day we were faster then that right…
The island was fascinating. We leisurely walked passed an interesting diversity of flora typical of this semi arid environment. Every once and a while we got the treat of walking though a ¨forest¨ of what we thing was eucalyptus…indigenous…we don’t know? At the top of the island we got ourselves a small taste of Inca ruins and a look at the stone table the Inca would perform sacrifices on. And, luckily for us, there was a Bolivian man there happy to perform a blessing or two for us! We come to a small village half way down the island and stop for lunch (4pm) and contemplate soliciting the fishermen for some time with them on their boats. By 5 we realise that we might want to start our way back to our hostel…Who would guess it get dark so early on the highest navigable lake on earth? We picked up the pace a bit, unfortunately so because we are moving through a number of fascinating small villages. We see husband and wife ploughing their fields using only simple hand held and hand made metal and wooden tools. We share the narrow stone walkway with a heard of sheep, pigs, donkeys and excited adolescents. We walk along side a man that walks half the island’s length daily for work. Finally, in the dark and after one dead-end into some farmer’s ¨pig/lama/donkey/outhouse stone walled corner¨, we get to the hostel and to BED! Ok after a hot soup and story swapping with some fellow tourists!
Alex, stay away from homemade pop'sick'les and thank you both for that groovy scarf.
Love you both and be safe. (Comment this)
-avi- (Comment this)
Marraine xxxxx (Comment this)
Pour ma part je me serais contenter de le regarder pas de le manger mais j'imagine que dans ce coin de planète la, tu as pas le choix tu prend ce qu'il y a... Bravo.
Lachez pas !!
Claude. (Comment this)