Thursday, December 18, 2014

Island of the Sun.. Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia



Let me bring you to a place I've never heard of until I was planning for our trip..

The only thing I knew about Bolivia was the Uyuni Salt Flats..

And I am really glad I discovered.. Lake Titicaca!

Copacabana Town, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

It is the largest lake in South America in terms of volume, and at a surface elevation of 3,812 meters above sea level, is also the highest navigable body of water in the world.

It is 3 hours away by bus from La Paz.. and by its shore lies this touristy town of Copacabana..

Shopping at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Lined with souvenir shops..

Cafes in Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And street cafes..

Cathedral at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And just a little bit to the centre, holds this 16th century Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana.

Shopping at Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

As I was on my way to the jetty to take the boat to Isla del Sol, the largest island on Lake Titicaca, these barking stray dogs started following me..

I couldn't count them then, but in this picture, it shows around 13.. and yes, I was scared!

Pretending to ignore them, I walked on the side and continued calmly..

Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Until I got here! Phew! :)

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

I fell asleep in the boat.. maybe it was jet lag..

And after the 30 minute ride.. I woke up to this..

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

"Orlando, are we here? Is this Isla del Sol?"

"Yes, but this is only for lunch. We will eat traditional Bolivian food :)"



"Ok, let's go!"

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Hhmm.. nice view from up here!

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And the ambiance..

Restaurant, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Just perfect!! :)

Bolivian Food, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And surprisingly.. yes, I was surprised that I liked the food..

It consisted of fried chicken, salty cheese, big corn, beans, small fish, trout, fried egg and flour with something, potato, sweet potato, and another kind of potato.. hehe ;)

Most of them from their own farm..

Bolivian Child, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And this girl.. is the daughter of the restaurant owner..

After lunch, my husband was walking around taking pictures, and she came to him and stared at his camera.. fascinated.. and staring like that.. for about a minute or so..

Bolivian Child, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Then she came to me.. held my hand and stared at it.. and pulled me back to the restaurant.. 

Orlando, our tour guide, was calling us back to the boat, but she wouldn't let me go anymore..

Restaurant, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

She was so persistent.. and when I was finally able to remove her little hand from mine, she grabbed onto my scarf.. still determined not to let me go.. 

Orlando was already at the jetty, and kept calling us.. but I couldn't leave..

I kept saying "No.. No..," scared that my silk scarf would get ripped apart.. hehe :P

Finally, her father heard me, and made her let go of me..

Deep inside, though, I already wanted to stay with her for a little more while.. she made me happy..

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Moved on to another part of the island..

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

By the way, Lake Titicaca is shared by both Bolivia and Peru.. and we are currently at the Bolivian territory..

Bolivian Woman, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

That's my husband, taking pictures for me to share on this blog :P

And this is the local woman collecting entrance fees..

Bolivian Woman, Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And this.. was after Orlando convinced the woman to have a picture with me.. haha! :)

They usually didn't want to pose for a picture.. 

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

And what?!

"Orlando, are we climbing all these?!"

"Yes, just a few steps.."

Isla del Sol, Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

"Ok.."

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Donkey, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

You know.. It's so easy to make me happy.. 

Just show me some animals! hahaha! :D

Fountain, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

This fountain is the only place where they can get water in the island, and the donkeys help the people carry the load.

Donkeys, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Because the roads are not paved.. and there are no motor vehicles in the island..

Baby Alpaca, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

A Baby Alpaca!! Click on the link ;)

Hiking, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

"Orlando.. you said only a few steps?"

"Another 300.."

"Huh?! You are joking right?"

Farm, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

No, he wasn't joking.. but finally.. no more stairs.. and another baby alpaca!! :D

Baby Alpaca, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Plantation, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

And the reward from that hike..

Plantation, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Those terraces are plantations of potatoes, beans, and vegetables..

And these women are selling souvenirs..

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Inca Ruins, Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

Inca ruins.. a temple.. that has something to do with the Sun.. hehe!! 

Forgive me.. I only listened to the donkey stories! :P

Isla del Sol, Lago Titicaca, Bolivia

And as the sun has set.. it was time to leave the island of the sun :)




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