So lets see I left off last time with getting back to La Paz. So we spent another day or two there and then we were off for Cocacabana which is on the Bolivian part of Lake Titicaca. We had to take a smaller bus because at one point we had to get off and take a ferry across this straight while the bus had to be loaded on to this raft like barge and boated across and a full sized bus would have been too big. We reached Cocacabana at sun set and it was just beautiful. It is a small, pretty hippy, touristy town, but it is beautiful and had such clean air compared with La Paz. We got a hostel and just crashed the first night. The next day was glorious. It was clear and the lake is amazing, Anna never having been to the great lakes couldn't get over the fact that it was a lake not the ocean because it looks so big. There are all of these trout stands by the shores of the lake, that is the major fish they catch here, but as it turns out it is not a native species but was put there by westerners. The trout was fresh caught that day and amazingly delicious. And I am not even a big fish person. Then we walked down the beach. Anna was feeling a bit sick so she stayed on a pier and I ventured all the way around this big point until I could see into the next bay. Then I sat in a cave and just stared out at the lake. It is a truly wonderful place. It kinda feels spiritual, I know that sounds silly but it does. Finally I ventured back, picked up Anna and we headed into town. We hung out there for a bit then we climbed up the steep hill that shoots up on one side of Cocacabana. It is hard climbing up anything at this altitude and it took us some huffing and puffing and a bit of time. But at the top there is this long line of giant crosses and a plaza. We sat up there and watched the sun set over the lake and the Island of the sun which you can see from Cocacabana. It was great. All around this area are ancient terraced gardens which people still farm. They shape all of the steep hills into puzzles of fences and ridges. I was the last person on the hill and had to climb down the steep and jagged stairs in the dark. I made it down safety found Anna and we went to dinner. Then we hung out at this pretentious cafe that I (obviously) didn't really like then went to bed only to listen to a huge thunderstorm shake the sky, I love storms. We woak up to a clear day and we were off to the Island of the sun, which is supposed to be the birth place of the first Inca and the first in a number of energy points that lead to Cuzco (which also includes the two islands I visit later). It is about an hour and a half boat ride to get there. I wrapped myself up in all of my layers and sat up on top of the boat, out side for the whole trip. The boat takes up to the north end of the island and you spend a number of hours working your way to the south end where the boat picks you up again. It was a great day, we saw a number of ruins and the island itself is spectacular. We ended the trip with a beer in the last village on the south end of the island. All towns in this area are built on steep hills, because everything is a steep hill, and this village was no exception. It was a long and steep decent to the boats. And as we walked down there were all of these women hauling up cement or brick building blocks up in their cloth packs. They haul up every single block to build the houses. It is a lot of work. The women here are really really tough, they do everything, they are always carrying these huge loads and do all of the cooking, looking after the kids and make all of the handy crafts and they run all of the markets we have every been to. It is really impressive. Anyway Anna and I took the boat back just before sunset, had dinner and chilled out. We were pooped and I got way to much sun and had really silly burn lines around where my sunglasses had been.
The next day we checked out of our hostel, Anna found another because she was staying in Cocacabana because she still was not feeling well, then we went out for breakfast and then trout ( I eat way to much!) and then I got on a bus to Puno in Peru. The trip went fine until I got to the border and it turns out I had to pay some sort of fine that I still don't really understand because I couldn't understand what the border guard was saying but I think I over stayed my visa. I was lucky I had some money on my at all, barely enough. Then back on the bus and into puno. Puno is no Cocacabana, it is a work a day town, not pretty at all. And I guess in Peru people don't have to pay as much tax on an unfinished building so most of the new buildings are never finished completely so they don't have to pay the tax, but it leaves the town with a very unfinished look. Well I found a hotel, settled in and booked an Island tour for the next day.
Waking bright and early the next day (after some unexplained middle of the night yelling) I was ready to go. A mini bus came and picked me up and then a bunch of other people and we ended up at the docks and got onto a pretty nice boat and we were off. The first stop was about a half and hour out of Puno harbour (now remember this is all on Lake Titicaca as well) we went to these floating islands. Which are crazy and an incredible human invention, but oddly placed in sight of this grubby working town, but they have been there forever since Inca times. These islands are built on the floating roots of the reed that grow in the area. On top of the floating roots people place layer after layer of reeds, until you can build on it and it feel pretty sturdy although when wave pass under it you can feel the whole thing go up and down, kinda like a water bed. All of the houses, which are tiny one room places, are also built from reeds and they have reed boats as well. It was an amazing sight. So cool and our guide explained the whole history to us it was very interesting. These islands are about two meters thick and they float on more than 15 meters of water. And we got to go for a ride on one of the reed boats. After that we had a three hour trip out to the island that we were going to spend the night on. Now this island is a regular old rock island but it was amazingly beautiful. Of any small place (ie not big city) I have seen I would choose to live here. It was incredible! The island has about 4000 people on it and has not one car. All of the people there are basically subsistence farmers who work the islands hundreds of terraced gardens. When we got to the island we were assigned the families we were going to be staying with. Me and this Israeli couple stayed with this family, Maria and Martin who had two kids one was four and the other just a baby. They were very nice, and they made us lunch and dinner that day and breakfast the next. We ate pretty typical food which they grow there, mostly potatoes and quinoa. It was tasty. We also had this tea made out of this type of mint that grows there, I loved it I wish it grew at home.
I spoke more Spanish than the Israelis, although they mostly speak a native language on the island. But I tried to talk to the couple a bit, Maria turned out to be 29 which was crazy to see some one of a similar age but totally different life. She cooked over an open fire in a clay base in this little separate house that was the kitchen, the fire is in this tiny alcove that she has a seat so she sits there as she cuts up veggies, cooks and stokes the fire. It was great to stay with a family like that and really get to interact with them. I would have liked to get to know her better she was very a interesting impressive person. After lunch and resting for a bit we set off to climb to the top of one of the hills on the island where there was an old temple ie rock wall enclosure to the Earth father, on the opposite hill was a temple to the earth mother who is most revered in this area. We watched the sun set from the top of the hill and then went back for dinner. After dinner the family dressed us in traditional outfits and we went out to a party with a band and everything. I did a bit of dancing but it was hard at that altitude as well as with how tight Maria had tied on my skirt. Finally we wandered back with the moon showing us the way. It was perfectly quiet, no cars, no lights just animal noises. I fell asleep pretty quickly, I wanted to also because if I had to go pee they wanted me to use a chamber pot and I just wanted it to be morning so I could use the outhouse.
The morning brought a wonderful breakfast and a goodbye to the family and we were off for another island. Similar to the one we had just been on but smaller. I cannot emphasise enough how beautiful these places are, with everyone just walking everywhere and the noise of sheep in the air. The whole island is carved up into these ancient terraced gardens. We walked up for a while until we reached the main plaza where we hung out. Everyone here still wears the traditional cloths and all the woman are constantly pulling wool on these spools. We had a lunch of trout and then we did some more hiking and finally we were off for Puno, three hours away. Now I am back in Puno and I have booked my bus tomorrow, very early for Cuzco and I am excited. I have heard such great things about the city. So much history. Hope you are all well!
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