March 2, 2018
On the border of Peru and Bolivia is Lake Titicaca, a navigable lake at the highest elevation of the world. On the Bolivian side, you access the lake through the town of Copacabana. An hour and a half boat ride will bring you to Isla del Sol or Island of the Sun. The roads are steep there and no cars are polluting the air. I initially planned for a day trip and then bus-ride to my next destination later that day. With bus schedule only allowed an hour on the island, I changed my plan and stayed a night there. During the 1st evening, I hiked around the island, passing a few small Inca ruins along the way. The view from the island was wonderful from all sides albeit a bit windy at the top. Although it was cloudy, the sunset was still beautiful.
March 3, 2018
The next day, I walked over to the side of the island where mostly locals live. I sat atop of a rock for the whole morning, watching locals tend to their animals and plant, their daily routines. The calmness and serene environment made a perfect morning. Suddenly, a llama was running around the fields alone and a few steps behind was a local woman. The llama put up quite a chase but in the end, got caught by his owner who didn’t seem too pleased about the situation. Also, because the island has many steep climbs, donkeys, which I had not seen for the duration of my travels, were everywhere. On the docking area, there seemed to be as many donkeys as there were people, bringing products either back from the city or heading to the city.
If more time allowed, it would have been nice to visit Isla de la Luna, another boat ride away. The calm felt on the island is like no other place, especially well appreciated after spending the few days in La Paz.