Friday, March 11th -Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

We were up just before 7 this morning and dressed and ready to go to breakfast by 7:30.  We were only taking our day backpacks with us so other luggage was left at the hotel when we left at 8:15 to walk down to the lakeshore to catch our boat to the Isle de Sol or Sun Island in Lake Titicaca.  The boat had an upper open area and a lower enclose area and we opted for the back row of the enclosed area as it was warmer.  The back row was in case one of us, probably me, needed more fresh air than what was available inside.

The ride to Sun Island was to be 1.5 hours and there were several boats leaving at the same time so it kind of looked like a convoy or race across the lake.  The lake itself was relatively calm as there was no wind.  The sun was shining and hot, and there were lots of fluffy white clouds in the sky and only a few dark storm clouds so it looked like a perfect day to explore the island, much better than yesterday which was cool, cloudy and rainy at times.

The scenery along the way was fantastic.  For the first while after leaving Copacabana there were no islands close but in the distance wee could see a lot of the shore line including parts that were in Peru.  As we approached Sun Island the coastline was beautiful.  The water was a beautiful shade of blue.  There were sea gulls, many with black faces, and coots around the shoreline which was rocky in most places.   Some of the rocks went high up on the hillside and other times they were just along the shoreline.  In many places there were terraces up the hillsides and there were crops planted resulting in various shades of green all over the hillside.  There were eucalyptus trees in various places and rock walls and dividers along the way.

There were individual homes on the hillsides as well as several communities.  We first stopped in the south of the island at Yumani to let some people off who were just visiting that point.  Then we moved northward and made several stops at small communities, one was Challa but I don't know the others, along the way to drop off locals and supplies.  Eventually we made it to the north part of the island which was where we were getting off in Challapampa.    From here Randy and Gillian and our guide Luisa were going to walk back to the southern town of Yumani where we were staying for the night.  That was to be a 12 km 3-4 hour hike up and down the hillside on rough trails so I decided to not even try it.  I was going to do the one walk at the north end and then go back to the boat and take it to the southern town of Yumani - a much better alternative for me.

At the north point they bought a sandwich for their lunch and I had a banana for 1 Boliviano (20 cents).  We used the facilities and set off on our first tour.  There are archeological ruins on the island as this is one of the first places where the Incas lived and some of the ruins still exist.  The path we were walking on was in fact part of the original Inca Trail.  The Labyrinth are located in the area and that was our first destination.  Well it was supposed to be.  After walking for over an hour I decided I was going to turn around and go back down or I was going to miss my boat.  The others continued on and saw the ruins and did their hike but I had to give up on the ruins as well.  However, the views along the walk way as far as I went were fantastic.  I have to admit that I was trying to get to the ruins as fast as possible so on the way up I was only looking at the path and where I had to step to get up to the sight.  On the way down I had a bit more time so relax and enjoy the views which were absolutely spectacular.  Of course I had to stop to do that since the walking was still hard!

We started on one side of the island, walked across a narrow peninsula to a beautiful bay and then across another peninsula to the other side of the island.  The water was clear and clean and a lovely shade of blue.  The hills were green and fresh with crops and wildflowers along the way.  This is the rainy season so there everything looked very green and there were many tiny streams running down the side of the hillside and across the path.  There were donkeys, pigs, chickens and sheep in the pastures as well as some of the people looking after them both young and old.  There were stone walls between fields and along the terraces, and a few houses along the route but more so closer to the town.  

The path was a mix of small cobblestones and larger rocks and in places there were stone walls along both sides of the path.  Sometimes it was level and sometimes it was quite steep.  Sometimes there were stone stairs to climb, some of which I found just a bit too high for my liking, but basically the trail was doable.  Of course you are at an elevation of over 4,000 metres so breathing is difficult for everyone.  Even the locals who quite literally run up and down the trail dozens of times a day do huff and puff a bit, which is nice to hear since I'm really huffing.  

This island is considered by many to be the original home of the early or pre Incas.  The terraces on the hillsides and the paths that we were walking along are from that period.  Well, they were originally.  Some parts of them have been washed out or worn away and have since been replaced but you can still say you are walking on part of the original Inca Trail, which is pretty amazing.  The ruins, that I didn't make it to, were also from the Incas and they were small but quite spectacular from what I hear.  I later found out that the route to the ruins was 4 km so I probably made it 3 km before turning around so a 6 km trek up and down the hillsides isn't bad for me.

Back in at the town there was a lovely beach and there were lots of people camping there.  Apparently the town doesn't charge anything for people to camp there so it's quite a popular place.  Although small, the town has lots of small shops mainly to serve the tourists who all need food and drink.  Water and pop and other drinks were definitely more expensive than on the mainland.  Everything has to be brought over by boat and then carried by donkey to its final destination so it is expensive.

I went down to the boat dock and relaxed for a while before it was time for my boat to leave.  No one is in a real rush so I wasn't too surprised when we were almost a half hour late in leaving.  I was going to sit up top for this short journey but when I got on the boat and saw how rickety the stairs were to get up top I figured I should just sit in the back row again and take pictures from there.  The scenery was the same as on the way up but just in the opposite direction.  The only real change was that the snow-covered Andes mountains were now visible and absolutely beautiful on the one side of the lake.

When I arrived at the dock at the north end I saw Lily and Albert waving at me from a restaurant so I went up to join them.  I had also met them on the path back down from the ruins.  They were on a different boat so slightly ahead of me on each stage.  They were having their lunch but since I was waiting for Randy and Gillian to finish their hike before having lunch, I just had a Sprite.  Eventually they were on their way again with their guide and I started up the trail to find our hostel for the night.  The starting point was clear as it was a wide stairway between two Inca statues so I knew I was on the right track.  Most of the town is up above and this is the main route for those who are walking.  The donkeys carrying the goods up to the village use a longer but more level path to get to the top.  Part way up I was thinking that maybe I should have been using that route too.  The stairs were uneven and straight up so it took a lot of stops to make it to the top.  However, everyone else was having to stop a lot too so I didn't feel too bad.  We just all kept stopping in different places and passed each other frequently as we moved on.  There were beautiful flowers on both sides of the path: daisy-like flowers in all kinds of colours, pink gladioli and a lot of others I couldn't identify but certainly appreciated, if only as an excuse for a break to catch my breath on the way up. 

At the end of these stairs there was a small crowd around a water source.  There were three taps that came from three streams and supposedly each stream tasted different.  Personally I didn't try it but once again Lily and Albert were there and they said they tried all three but couldn't tell any difference.  As we were pretty sure we were not going to see each other again we said our final goodbyes.  They were on their way back to La Paz and to home.  Now there is only Charles left with us from our tour group and we leave him tomorrow when we leave the island and move on and he spends a couple of days relaxing and enjoying the hikes around the island.

I continued my trek up the hillside.  I was no longer on stairs but on a rock path.  There were still lots of people and some animals - mainly donkeys.  There were more locals in this stretch and fewer tourists but there were still some of us all looking for our accommodation I think.  I made it to the church, a small stone structure but very nice and set in a lovely stone-fenced courtyard.  At that point I had two choices so I decided I should ask a local.  I showed them the piece of paper that Luisa had given me and they pointed me further up the hill.  Luckily it wasn't too far until I saw the sign for Hostelleria Las Islas.  When I looked up and said, "I made it", the two people standing there said "Luisa's guest " and I said yes and was shown to my room.

Everything is on a hillside here so our room which faces the lake has a beautiful view of the lake, the islands, the mainland on the other side and the incredible snow-capped Andes mountains.  I had just pulled out my camera to take a picture from our large picture window when someone came to tell my friend was here, and I looked out the window to see Charles on the deck below.  It turns out his hotel, which he booked separately, is right next door.   He and I bought a drink (beer for him, water for me) and we sat on the deck and relaxed and enjoyed the view while we waited for the others to appear.  About an hour later I looked up and recognized Gillian coming along a path so I whistled, yelled and waved and she saw us.  They arrived shortly thereafter so we spent even more time enjoying the view and talking about the island.

The trek was apparently 12 km long with a lot of up and down over rough passages.  The views were incredible, as expected, but I think the walk was a bit more challenging and longer than they had expected.  That of course made me very glad that I had not joined them as they are both better hikers than I am.  I didn't think I'd be able to make it  in the time frame that had been discussed - 3 hours.  In the end, they took longer than that too - more like 5 hours.  I would probably still be out walking at dark if I had tried it.   However, they did assure me that they had lots of rest and picture stops and a long lunch break sitting on a rock overlooking the lake.

We took a break around 5:30 to get cleaned up and then got back together to have dinner at 6:30.  Lunch was included with our tour and since we never had time for lunch, this dinner became our lunch and was paid for by the guide, which was a real bonus.  They always have a soup to start and it is always delicious.  I had the trout for the main course and it too was delicious.  I think I've had it about six times in the last week and it has always been good.  We managed to stay in the restaurant until after 8:00 and then we went to our rooms.  Some of us were asleep pretty quickly after such a busy and wonderful day.  I think I stayed awake until 9:30.  They have no heat in any of the rooms in Bolivia so you have many heavy blankets piled on your bed.  It was pretty nice to snuggle down under the covers and go to sleep.  Well, actually it was too hot so I had to remove one of the doubled blankets but then it was fine and I slept very well.