Visit to Bolivia

Our last big travel day included in the tour - getting from Puno to La Paz - turned out differently than every other one of Marcos's Peru/Bolivia tours, and he's done more of them than anyone else.

A few days earlier, Marcos had hinted that there might be a logistical issue with the trip, but not to worry, he was working on an alternative routing. Once he got the details confirmed, he told us what was going on. Thursday was the Feast of Corpus Christi, a national holiday in Peru just as it is in many largely Catholic cities and/or states; Saturday would be June 21, the Winter Solstice, and a holiday for the Quechua and Aymara people, so somebody had to come up with a reason for a three-day holiday. Apparently some groups in Juli, where we were to pick up our hydrofoil ride, had decided to stage a protest to do with mining, which is very big in southern Peru. It wasn't necessarily a sure thing that they'd disrupt our bus ride, but it never hurts to have a Plan B. So Marcos had come up with one. It was later proven to be a good idea, as the road was in fact blocked for a couple of hours.

Rather than a bus ride to Juli and then taking the hydrofoil around part of the lake to Sun Island, Bolivia,  and then on to Huatajata where we would meet the bus to La Paz, Marcos had arranged for us to take a hydrofoil ALL THE WAY from Puno. Even the locals don't usually do this, so we had an extra special trip.

So we climbed aboard a boat similar to the one we had toured on yesterday and chugged slowly across the end of the bay, not even reaching Puno. We rafted onto the hydrofoil (our luggage was all stored and tarped on top) and everyone transferred boats. Then we set out, past the totora reeds and into the main part of the lake. The trip to Sun Island took about 2 hours even though we were travelling at 25 knots or so, a little choppy but not too bad, much like Lake Simcoe on a nice summer day.

Sun Island is the largest island in Lake Titicaca, located in the Bolivian side. It is said that Sun Island is THE origin of the Inca, the place from where Inti, the Sun, sent his son Manco Capac, and his daughter Mama Ocllo, to create a kingdom to rule the people. They eventually settled in Cusco and established the Inca empire with Manco Capac as the first Inca.

On the water

Looks sort of like the islands in Georgian Bay

No, those are NOT clouds. That's a mountain
range in Bolivia

View from our lunch spot

Our hydrofoil

After yet another climb (we were getting really good use of those walking sticks) we were rewarded with an outdoor lunch.

Pasta Potato Veggie Soup - delicious!

Main course, including white corn, potato,
trout and a quinoa pancake

With some of our fellow travelers

We weren't bereft of wildlife here, either. Two of the locals -

These two are owned by the people who have the house/restaurant
where we had lunch. Some of the very few cats
we saw on this trip

As well, we caught a glimpse of the world's biggest hummingbird. We had heard that the largest one is about 5 inches from head to tail and couldn't quite fathom one that size. We were all enjoying dessert when all of a sudden, Marcos jumped to his feet and started pointing and shouting, 'There it is! The biggest hummingbird!!' Apparently the colourful tops of our walking sticks had attracted it, but not long enough for anyone to be able to get a picture. It certainly was huge!

Once back on the hydrofoil we had another 90 minutes before we reached Huatajata and another brief stop to visit the Limachi family. Not exactly a household name, unless you happen to belong to the Heyerdahl household - as in Thor Heyerdahl who sailed the Kon-Tiki and the Ra II across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the 1970s. The boats were built by the Limachi family, right here on Lake Titicaca. They have a replica of the Ra II in their small museum.

One of the Msrs. Limachi paddling out to meet us

The Ra II. Hard to imagine this boat sailing all the way
across Lake Titicaca, never mind an ocean!

Part of the herd. We still have trouble telling
the llamas from the alpacas!

Then we were on the way to La Paz. On the way we learned about the history and economy of Bolivia and how it has been changing in the past ten or so years. Despite the improvements being made, over 70% of the economy is of the black market kind, since many people live in rural areas and trade locally, not so much avoiding taxes as living outside of the organized economy of the big cities.

Rural living in Bolivia

A small 'storefront' in one of the outlying towns

We were in for yet another surprise when we arrived at La Paz, or should we say to El Alto, the 'suburb' where the airport is located. This is what La Paz looks like from there:

Yes, that is a cable car, and yes, the city looks really, really far down in that valley. Some believe that the valley is actually the crater of an extinct volcano, and it is really easy to agree with that assessment. From where we were standing, downtown La Paz was about 2,000 feet below us. The cable cars are a recent innovation, cutting travel time from areas like El Alto to downtown from an hour and a half to 8 minutes! There are two more cable car lines being built to further reduce traffic congestion from other areas. And they could certainly use the help!!

After settling in with the first night in our hotel, on Saturday we headed out for a city tour.

The Bolivian State Building

The cathedral. They had just been celebrating the
anniversary of the Bolivian Police with a service inside.
Don't think we could have been any safer!

In the plaza (Gustavo said, if you don't like
pigeons, don't go there), a woman and
her daughter feeding the birds

Some of the colonial architecture

The House of the Green Cross. People used to
think they saw ghosts and spirits in this little
square at midnight. The Green Cross that is
lit up at 12:00 is meant to keep the bad spirits away
so people can celebrate happily all night.

Should we use knitting needles or a crochet hook???
We have no idea how they keep track of
all of these wires!

We next visited the Witches' Market, so called because many of the stall and shop-owners were women who sold herbal and natural remedies for all sorts of ailments, and so were, of course, called witches. Nowadays there are still some weird things being sold but many shops sell regular products, textile and knitwear and souvenirs.

Herbs, teas and natural remedies

Across the way, icons and statues

Blankets, scarves, water bottle holders
and even guitar cases!

We stumbled into this little courtyard
where we bought a couple of small
souvenirs

Our final daytime excursion visit - and the one where we finally relinquished those walking sticks! - was to the Valley of the Moon, an area still within the valley of La Paz.

Yes, he is standing up there on one foot! There
are crazy people everywhere!

We even caught a glimpse of the world's highest golf course. The best photo we could get was a bit of fairway through the trees. At this elevation, even Monica could hit a 300 yard drive, and Larry could hit straight!

Finally, we had an impromptu concert by our local guide Gustavo and the fellow who had been playing the panpipe up on that pedestal when we arrived (who has very impressive balance!)

Our farewell dinner included a private tour of the Museum at the Church of San Francisco and dinner at a local restaurant nearby. We couldn't resist closing the blog with a wonderful photo of our fearless leader, Marcos, in some authentic conquistador gear:

Some final observations on this amazing adventure: There are sites in these countries that have to be seen to really be understood, and Machu Picchu is one of them. Even after reading a number of books we weren't prepared for the real thing. The environment in general is so completely different than what we sea-level dwellers are used to that we never really got used to it. Of course, having colds certainly didn't help much, but the thin air and the extreme dryness started to affect almost everyone on the tour by the last few days. Physiological issues notwithstanding, we visited places that we didn't know existed, and discovered ways of life that have been perpetuated for hundreds of years by people who are quite content to live with the land, not just on it, using up its resources. The genuine welcome and friendliness of all of these people is something we will not forget.

This has been a once in a lifetime trip, and we hope you have enjoyed following our progress.

Lake Titicaca - Yes, It Does Exist!

Don't pay any attention to the dates on these posts; from Cusco onward are being done from home, since we finally have the time, and the breath, to finish them.

Getting from Cusco to Puno on Lake Titicaca entailed a 10-hour train trip aboard the Andean Explorer, owned by the Orient Express company. It is a very comfortable train, with most of the tables set up for either 2 or 4 people, and a few singles. The seats are reminiscent of parlor armchairs, the service is excellent and the food is - well, the food is pretty good but not spectacular. The scenery is the best thing about it, as we traveled out of the big city and into the altiplano, or high plain.

The plain was created when the Andes Mountains split into two sections, the western and the eastern. The plain, and Lake Titicaca, sit in the area between the two.

 

Alan and Margaret and the interior of the train

 

Tour director Marcos and one of the train
staff at our brief stop at La Raya,
elevation 4,319 m or 14,037 feet

 

A herd of llamas we passed on the way

 

Marcos had warned us that the train has no heating or cooling system, so it could be very cold or very hot, depending on the weather. So, of course, everyone put on all their layers, just in case. Which meant that it was warm and stuffy since there were practically no clouds in the sky. Although there was entertainment and an observation car on the train, we were somewhat listless with our colds, so we stayed in our seats most of the time and had some really good conversation with Alan and Margaret.

It was already dark by the time we reached Puno, or should we say our special stop outside of Puno. Our hotel, the Libertador, was on an island (the access road is the bridge), and the train tracks passed right by this island. Tauck had managed to arrange with the Andean Explorer to make a special 10 minute stop to let us off, but not our luggage. That had to make the return trip from Puno via some local help once the train ended its journey.

Because we had no idea of the surroundings in the darkness, it was with some surprise that we opened our drapes in the morning to see the beginnings of the sunrise:

Sunrise over the Bay of Puno, Lake Titicaca

Today would be a day to explore Lake Titicaca and find out about some of the people who have lived there for many generations. The lake is at 12,507 feet above sea level, and is known as the highest commercially navigable lake in the world. It has a surface area of 3,141 square miles and is 922 feet deep at its deepest point. It is only about 60% the size of Lake Ontario but when you're on it, it seems quite large. The interesting thing about the lake is that it is a closed system. It has 17 rivers that feed it, and one that runs out of it, but that river doesn't go anywhere. So that takes care of any myths that it is the source of the Amazon. The Amazon actually doesn't have a particular source; it just has a whole bunch of rivers in the basin that flow together and eventually feed the river.

You could see from the sunrise photo that there are lots of reeds in the lake; well, actually in the Bay of Puno, and rather than being a pain, they have been the lifeblood of the Uros people since the 1200s. The Uros live on floating islands made entirely from these tortora reeds, an absolutely fascinating process. They are fairly well integrated into the society in nearby Puno but still maintain their original customs.

Tortora reeds

So how do you build an island? Like this:

Choose a good-sized section of reed growing in 6-7 feet of water

Mark the section and then start cutting off the roots just above the lakebed using a pole with a blade attached at a 90° angle

Float the reed section into deeper water so new roots can't reach down to the bottom

Using stakes and heavy rope, tie multiple sections together until your island is the size you want

Using larger stakes and more rope, anchor your island to the lakebed to keep it from moving

Once in place, cut more tortora reed and place it in layers, crosswise to each other, on top of your reed base

When the layers are deep enough, build up special areas that will be the base of your house and any other buildings you want

Find a large flat stone to be the base for your cooking area

Build your house from reeds - either in the traditional round or modern square shape

And while you're at it, build a boat from the reeds as well (although many people have standard fishing boats with motors for convenience)

And what will all of this look like?

 

Isn't it amazing what you can do with a bunch of reeds if you know how? Of course, there is a down side to all this: Don't argue with your neighbour or he can cut you adrift. And be careful of fighting with your spouse, or you'll find your island cut neatly in half - and you floating away.

Demonstrating how a floating island is built.

The finished island, complete with traditional house, modern
house, cooking area and boats.

Larry standing on (or is that in?) the reed base. One author described
the feeling as being on top of a mattress on the water.
It certainly take some getting used to!

One of the rather elaborate boats

 

We had a really nice visit with the family who lives on this island, and were, of course, also given a chance to purchase some of their handmade items. They have discovered that the tourist trade can be quite lucrative, and since they live in a rather unique way, they don't lack for visitors.

Although most Uros are fishermen, they do also hunt duck, flamingo and heron that live among the reeds, so they need some firepower to shoot them. Here's Larry holding one of their rifles:

Looks a bit like a conquistador's musket,
doesn't it? Maybe they got the idea
from Quechua who brought Spanish
arms from Cusco.

There had been a little girl from the family wandering around among us while we were learning about the Uros methods, but we could never get a good photo of her. Once we got back in the boat to leave, though, the best opportunity came up. Here she is with her mother and a young brother or sister:

 

 

One of the other family members waved us off as we left.

Everyone commented that, although most of us had come on the trip basically for Machu Picchu, meeting the Uros family was a huge unexpected highlight.

Our next stop was just as special - Taquile Island. This island has been designated a Unesco World Heritage Site because of the way of life the inhabitants are perpetuating. On this island, along with farming and raising cattle, the men knit and the women weave. And more intricate hand-made knitting and weaving is hard to find. The residents were also providing our lunch.

Some of the farming terraces on Taquile Island

A typical homestead

We were greeted with dancing and music by
the islanders

Here are some examples of the knitting and weaving they do:

You can see the man's woven belt. The one they are holding
is a calendar. There is a specific image for each month
of the year

Some of the intricacies of the ladies' weaving

 

The lunch they prepared for us was one of the best meals we had on the whole trip - not to say that hotel and restaurant food wasn't good, but doesn't homemade always taste better?

Delicious vegetable soup and homemade bread

 

 

Rice, potato, a popular tuber called Oca, and freshly
cooked rainbow trout from the lake

What's one of our blogs without flowers? Here are few we found around our 'dining room':

Roses on the wall

California poppies

The Peruvian national flower - the Kantuta

 

Once we returned to the hotel - the boat ride back was over an hour - we had our free time for the day, which we used doing what? The blog, of course!