Lake Titicaca I - Bolivia

Lago Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake is shared between Bolivia and Peru. Both sides are worth visiting, I start with the Bolivian side. Copacabana is the ideal departure point for visiting the islands on the lake. Isla del Sol, the Island of the sun, is only a two hour boat ride away. How pleasant to feel the wind in my hair (?!). It is quite cold though, but I decide to stay outside to take in all the beauty of the scenery. We arrive in the small port on the northern side of the island, the least touristy one. A young boy invites me to his hostel. Actually, I think it’s the hostel with the most beautiful view of the island. I can see both sides of the bay, and it is cheap. Armed with my torch I set off for the Inca ruins and the sunset over the whole thing. How beautiful! Even more beautiful is the full moon rising on the other side, the full moon… In the evening I meet up with Anna and Mag, my new friends from England. We set a plan for tomorrow: walk to the south side of the island. Luckily I left my heavy backpack in Copacabana, the walk is not that easy, it goes up and down a lot. The people here are much more used to the altitude and walking with heavy loads. On the track we meet some women with mules and we follow each other almost all the way to the south. If you go the same way, be prepared to pay several tourist tickets, one in the north, one for the trail and one to enter the south.

photos Isla del Sol

We check in to a nice hostel for the night and ask around for internet, which there is only at one place that opens later. Vladimir, another guest, offers to take us but he needs a translator because he is going to a shaman in the evening, who only speaks Aymara, the local language of the island. He has found a person who speaks Aymara and Spanish, but he himself only understands English. Sure, we will go with him, at least for the experience. The Shaman is one little dried up raisin with a few teeth in his mouth. His specialty is to heal little diseases with grinded rocks and plants, which he heats up so they produce a special smoke. Then he rubs the “patient” everywhere and says some words in Aymara. Vladimir is now healed, but still wants to know his future. Unfortunately, our shaman doesn’t have coca leaves, so he cannot do it right now. We need to come back tomorrow at 8 o’clock. Sure thing, we will be there! This time our host lady comes with us, the other translator is busy elsewhere. The Shaman has bought coca leaves so the future telling can start. He puts all the whole leaves in a cloth together with 4 coins, mumbles a few words, asks the “patient”to blow on the package and holds it over his head. What will the future be like? Health? Work? Love? All seems good for those who do it, although too vague to really mean anything. I personally prefer to see for myself what happens. After this refreshing start to the day, we take the boat back to Copacabana where Anna and I climb a hill to see the city from above.

photos Copacabana