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| Lovely spot with Bolivian mountains in the background |
Our last stop before leaving Bolivia was to revisit Lake Titicaca and stay a night on Isla del Sol, the Sun Island. Isla del Sol is an island just off the coast from the touristy town of Copacabana. The island has always held significance for the people of this region – most notably the Incas, who trace the beginnings of their civilisation to this island where the Sun and the Moon were born.
The island is very rugged with small stone walls subdividing the gardens and fields from each other. They remind me of the Aron Island on the west coast of Ireland.
A large number of stone steps lead steeply up the hill side from the boat landing on the south side of the island.There are no cars or motorbikes on the island with donkeys used to transport things around. With the lack of cars and electricity only recently introduced and not overly used, the island has a unique tranquil feel.
We stayed in a basic but very cheap hostel right on the top of the island overlooking the snow capped Cordillera Real mountain range. The sun rises is best viewed from this part of the island and the Incas built a Sun Temple which aligns with the highest mountain peek and the rising sun. Within the temple you can still see where locals making offerings and burn coco leaves for Pacha Mama.
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| Impressive sun set |
The island is very narrow so from the ridge line you can see the sun setting on the west with the colours reflected back on the clouds and mountains of the east.
We had dinner in a great restaurant ran by a local chef where there was no electricity only gas cookers and candlelight. Trout fresh from the lake was the speciality along with a hot wine called ‘k’aj’ which means ‘hit’ in Amara but I believe the stuff the locals drink has a much higher alcohol content.
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| Matt carrying my bag along the Inca road like the gentleman he is. |
The next morning we got a boat to the North of the island and followed the old Inca Trail along the ridge line from the North of the island to the South. The Spanish never came to Isla del Sol and most of the Inca ruins remain in relatively good condition. The Inca road itself is impressive and is the only way for locals and tourists alike to get across the island other than by boat.
While in the past I imagine the people’s lives were fairly subsistent tourism has brought a lot of wealth to the island and the houses looked to be made of better quality material than many other rural communities.
After a well deserved lunch in a locally run pizzeria we headed for the boat back to the mainland and from there onto Peru.
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| Our friend Bert taking a well deserved rest. Impressive Cordillera Real mountain range in the background. |