Isla del Sol in Lake Titikaka: a spiritual experience

18-19 September

+ Not far from La Paz, it is perhaps the most impressive and mystical lake of all SouthAmerica. Shared by Peru and Bolivia, it is also the highest navigable lake in the world. At 3800m above the sea level, the Lake Titikaka (in Quechua or Aymara "the grey puma's rock") was believed is where the Inca civilisation was born and was the most important location in for the Inca religion. The Sun, their most venerable God, was born in the lake, from Isla del Sol. The Moon did the same, but from Isla de la Luna. The Lake had previously been (for more than 1000 years) the "Mecca" for the Tiwanaku civilisation.

+ On Isla del Sol, the largest in the lake, around 500 Aymara and Quechua speaking indigenous people live from agriculture and tourism. There is no current water and electricity works only a few hours a day. The highest point is 4068m and the views are marvellous. Many Inca ruins are spread around the island, as for instance, Templo del Sol (the one we visited).

+ The best way to visit the island is by taking a boat from Copacabana, the largest town at the shore of the lake on the Bolivian side. Copabana is a cute town with plenty of hippies, nice restaurants and cheapest hotels in the world!! We paid 5€ for a room with 2 double beds, private bathroom (with hot shower!), cable TV and cool view to the lake... beat that!! To get to Copacabana we crosssed the Altiplano for couple of hours.
 

On the way through the Altiplano from La Paz 

 

Copacabana

On the boat: The views are awasome but the wind... hellish!

The Inca boats

 

+ The arrival is at Escalera del Inca (The Inca's stairs). At such altitude is diffiicult to breath and any slightest effort sucks all your energy. When we arrived carrying our heavy backpacks and saw those infinite steps we wanted to cry :(  Those stairs, contructed by the Incas, feel like 'what the hell am I doing here?'!! Thanks God, there were boys carring Kinga's luggage (like the famous Sherpas in the Himalaya).

Our Sherpa

Donkeys carrying the water and food supplies to the villages located on the top of the Island

+ After an exhausting half-hour-climb to the town on the top, the views are incredible. It is honestly difficult to describe. The combination of colours from the clear blue sky, the deep blue cold water, the (very strong) Sun and the yellowish land mixed in an almost divine scenery. There was no doubt for us why Incas and previous civilizations chose this place as their holy island. When you were standing on top of the island and looked around, you felt some sort of energy running through you that just made you happy! (And the feeling wasn't from the coca leafs we were chewing; that just kept us breathing :) )

+ After a hard day, we deserved a break. What better than to share a bottle of wine with the locals and theirs donkeys at their shop's terrace with a mystical sunset. By the way, the bottle of Bolivian wine =3€.

.

Our "humble" guest house and the view from the room window

(the hostel was run by the village community)

On our way to visit the Templo del Sol

 
+ As you may have already wonder, what could we do on an island where there is nothing to do (besides walking)??