Lago Titicaca

We've just spent two weeks in the jungle, in Bolivia's Amazon basin. One, floating down the Mamore River near the town of Trinidad. The next, near Rurrenabaque, visiting Madidi National Park on the Beni River and an indigenous community there named San Miguel del Bala. The community decided to develop an eco-lodge after the park was created in 1996 and they were no longer allowed to fish or log commercially. But, we are overwhelmed by the photos to sort through and the stories to tell, so that blog will have to wait. My own perfectionist tendency means that we will have a jungle post, later.

But for now, we are winding our trip to a close. We have two nights left in South America. But, from here on out we are en route -- to La Paz today, to Santiago tomorrow, and then to Arizona and a mini-road trip back home from Rebecca's parents house.

We thought long and hard about where we wanted to spend our last days of this adventure. Our original plan had been to spend them on the beaches of Ecuador. But, Argentina and Bolivia captivated us and we never made it to Ecuador. Someplace beautiful was our main criteria. Also, someplace with good food and hot showers. We are ready to re-embrace our creature comforts.

We settled on Lake Titicaca. We are in the town of Copacabana on the Bolivian side of the Lake that borders Peru, 3.5 hours away from La Paz, in the Andes at 12,500 feet, on one of the biggest lakes in South America. They claim it is the biggest lake in South America "by water volume" but that's just about as dumb as Hawaii's claim that Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world ... when measured from the sea floor. But it is vast. I'm staring out on it right now and it looks like it must go on forever. It's 122 miles long and 35 miles wide, on average. It's actually two nearly separate lakes (upper and lower Lake Titicaca), connected by a very narrow straight.

Coming from La Paz, you must cross the Straight of Tiquina by boat. We were expecting some kind of ferry, but instead there are a hundred single car/bus/truck boat taxis. As you pull up to the edge, you drive onto a rather small, flatbed boat. Using long poles, the driver maneuvers the boat around to the other direction (the motor is on one side only) and off you go.

We intended to leave Rurrenabaque last week Sunday and have a full week here, but we ended up getting stuck in the town because of rain. They have only a dirt and grass runaway, so a full 24 hours of no rain must pass before planes can take-off and land.

(The Rurrenabaque airport. In one of the tiniest plane I have ever ridden in - 18 passengers. No door to the cockpit.)

When we finally made it out of Rurrenabaque on Wednesday, we decided to come straight up to Lake Titicaca from the La Paz airport. We also decided to spend our last nights here in style in a fancy hotel with a view of the lake from our bed!

(Sunset from our hotel room.)

(Two very relaxed travellers.)

(The town of Copacabana.)

(The traditional style of boat, made out of the reeds that grow around the lake. Now only used for tourists, since wood boats are far more practical for locals.)

(Inca ruins on Isla del Sol - island of the sun. In the early 1990s, a mysterious ancient village was discovered 25 feet under water, just off of Isla del Sol.)

(Little girl from the village of Challampapa on Isla del Sol.)

(Villagers unload supplies at the southern end of Isla del Sol.)

(Three girls in shiny pink skirts watch as villagers unload supplies at Isla del Sol.)

(Woman with stubborn donkey on Isla del Sol.)

(The slightly chaotic beach in the pueblo of Yumani on Isla del Sol. Supplies being unloaded, donkeys being corraled, tour boats arriving and departing.)

Lake Titicaca is magical. We hope to come here again and spend more time camping on the islands, exploring the thousands of different archeological sites, and soaking up the incredible beauty. In the mean time, we're heading back home truly happy though with a little sad mixed in over having this trip come to an end, calm with a little bit of anxiety about the major changes underfoot in our lives when we get home, and incredibly excited to see all of our friends and family and meet our nephew Augie who who was born in February.

-- Blake and Rebecca.