Lake Titicaca and the Island of the Sun

Let me tell you about my first night. We went to bed early, by 9 o'clock since the tourbus was picking us up at 7 the next morning. Our first mistake was the choice of hostal. The restaurant downstairs was noisy until late that night. The beds looked like hospitals beds and squeaked with every little movement you made. When I finally fell asleep, it didn't last long. I woke up every so often from the cold. At 1 AM, the city sounds were too much for my light sleeping. At 3 AM the sound of heels on a squeaky wooden floor woke me up. And they didn't just walk down the hallway once, but three or four times. Our conclusion the next morning, thanks for Alice's brilliant thinking: most likely a prostitute haha. At 5 AM the sounds of a city waking up for the next day, though you can hardly say the city went to sleep, and finally at 6 AM I gave up on sleeping more. Alice was up by that point too, but she 'had slept like a rock' all night. I have such bad luck. Well, you also have to take into account that we made a measly $15 for the room. We both agreed it was the worst hostel we stayed in and decided to never set foot in it again.

Residencial Marbella

After an awful night, the next two days made up for it. Three hours on a bus to Copacabana, passing over the Tiquina Straight and a quick boat ride to the Island of the Sun in the middle of Lake Titicaca. Not having brought our passports on this trip, we had to pass through the Tiquina Strait 'illegally' (nothing too uncommon or dangerous, just not the official way to do it). Because of the proximity to Perú, there are passport controls. And we all know that the police in any country are never the nicest people, so our guide decided that it would be better to avoid explaining our situation and just hide on the bus.

on our way to Copacabana

Tiquina Strait

little town on the shores of the lake

Lake Titicaca-- or Titikarka in aymara meaning "rock of the puma" or in quechua "grey puma". Obviously the puma was considered a sacred creature by the indigenous people.

Copacabana, from a distance

In Copacabana. The few hours we spent in the city our guide took us to the main plaza, Plaza 2nd of February, the day the Virgin of Copacabana arrived in the city. The cathedral dedicated to her was an interesting mix of renaissance and arabic architectural styles.

leaving Copacabana

on the boat

We finally landed on the Island of the Sun. Vicente, our guide for the two days, took us to visit the last standing Incan ruins, believed to be the first two-story temple constructed by the Incans. And then we were off to rest at the hotel.

trek to the ruins

the ruins and lake

view of next door from the hotel

The Island of the Moon is the other island frequently visited by tourists close to the Island of the Sun. It's also known as the Virgin Island. In the years the Incans inhabited the area, the king would choose the most beautiful women to be his wife, always virgins. He would send them to this island to learn to sew, cook, do pottery, etc. Then when it came time to make human sacrifices to the Gods, a virgin would be chosen, always a huge honor for her and her family.