Storyline: Buenos Aires to Lima Nov 2017
Our last stop in Bolivia was in Copacabana, a small town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The road took us through El Alto and west on the altiplano with high mountains looming in the distance. We stopped a few times to take photos.
The road ended at the straits of Tiquina, where we boarded a small taxi-boat and our van was transported on a small barge. The straits actually divide Lake Titicaca into two bodies of water – Lago Grande and Lago Pequeño. Spectacular views. The lake is so blue and so vast that one can easily take it as sea. We are at about 3,800m above sea level. The skies are also so unbelievably blue, as everywhere else we went in Bolivia.
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world. It lies between Bolivia and Peru, and Copacabana is the main town on the Bolivian shores.
We checked into our lovely hotel with exceptional views of the lake. Next up was a boat trip to Isla del Sol, which Alex will cover below. I opted not to join them on this trip, having being in the van for a few hours and somewhat affected by my motion sickness.
I walked through the town, found a row of restaurants on the lake shore and had lunch in one of them. Every restaurant here, and later on in Puno, would offer rainbow trout from the lake. Our guide told us that the species was introduced to the lake from Canada in the 1930s, and is farmed extensively there. My trout was simply delicious.
Next day we’d visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, who is the patron saint of Bolivia. This site is an important centre for religious festivals and ceremonies. One such ceremony is the blessing of the automobiles (Bendición de Movilidades). We had already observed that the traffic in La Paz, some 150km by road from Copacabana, is horrendous. Yet, we wondered, why do there seem to be so few collisions? Here’s why, we were told. When a Bolivian gets a new (or new to them) car, they drive to Copacabana, decorate the car with flowers and line up (this happens daily) to have their car blessed by a priest, and by an Aymara shaman. The blessings provide protection to the car and occupants. We saw a few decorated cars being prepared for the ceremony.
Most of you have probably never heard of the Bolivian town Copacabana, however you likely know of the famous Copacabana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The story we were told was that Spanish Bolivian families were returning from a voyage to their homeland when their ship was caught up in storm. Fearing they’d die, they prayed to the Lady of Copacabana for salvation. The ship went aground on the Brazilian beach and the families were saved. In thanks, they erected a chapel in the name of their saint, and the area was subsequently named after her. Another version of the story that we found online goes as follows: “…a group of Brazilian fishermen…were caught in a terrible storm. Just minutes from death, they were suddenly saved by an apparition of the Virgin of Copacabana. The story held such reverence throughout the continent that Rio de Janeiro’s most famous beach was eventually given the statue’s name.”
Here we also observed, or rather were told about, the local “colectivo”, where every family has to participate in communal maintenance activities. Outsider land owners who aren’t resident have found that when they don’t participate in these communal activities, they are shunned. Thus, when in their vacation home, they discover that local stores, restaurants, repair shops etc. won’t serve them. The outsider is isolated, unwelcome and soon finds that it’s best to move on.
Alex:
Most people who find themselves in Copacabana go there for the purpose of visiting the sacred Inca Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). The first half of the trip is across open water, after which we followed the terraced shoreline on our left with views of snow-capped mountains in the distance across the lake to our right.
We stopped for lunch at Tacana, which was a private residence with some tourist facilities. Lunch was a serve-yourself selection of local foods, including giant-kernel corn, potatoes, chicken and smelt-like fried fish. As we ate, we watched the changing light on the mountains far across the lake. Paradise!
Our next and last stop on the island was at Puerto Sur which is the main harbour on the south end of the island and gateway to the village of Yumani. One can ascend the Inca Stairs to the village, but we didn’t have much time.
This is also where the replica reed boat departs for tours. These reed boats were once the main form of transportation on the lake and became the inspiration for Thor Heyerdahl’s Kon-Tiki raft, aboard which he and his crew travelled across the Pacific Ocean to Polynesia. It was fascinating to see the replica depart. One could spend a few days exploring the island, but alas we had only a couple of hours to enjoy it.
Late in the afternoon we were driven to the border with Peru. Exiting Bolivia and entering Peru was different from the entering Bolivia.
For one, we were allowed to take photos, and our Bolivian driver was able to cross into Peru and transfer our luggage to the Peruvian van.
And so, it was time to say good bye to this lovely surreal country named Bolivia. We will miss it. (And as mentioned in the previous posts, we are glad we visited then; this trip wouldn’t be possible today)
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