Bolivia: Lake Titicaca. Copacabana and Sun Island

Sometimes plans don´t work out as expected. Sometimes places are way more impressive than we expect them to be. Both things happened yesterday when I had the chance to (briefly) visit Lake Titicaca and, especially, the Sun Island. What was meant to be a two days tour spending a night on the island turned out to be a quick one day visit due to yet another threat of transport strike and road blockades. A shame, really, as what I found there was by far the most beautiful spot I´ve found since I started travelling in Bolivia.

Coming from a busy, chaotic and polluted city like La Paz to a small peaceful island surrounded by the highest lake in the world (at 3800m above sea level), where no cars or roads have yet found their way there, was like love at first sight.

I can´t even begin to describe the inner peace I found when, after ascending an Inca staircase dating back to the 15th century AD, I could contemplate a magnificient view of the lake (sea-like), the small sister Moon Island, and the Andean snowed peaks in the far horizon. Not a single artificial noise. Just the sound of the flocks of sweet and friendly donkeys that populate the island among a few llamas, sheeps and dogs (and some other tourists and the few local indigenous people, of course). From the moment I set foot there I thought I would love to spend at least a whole month here, with the minimum company, some bottles of wine, books and a guitar. The island has pretty much everything: astonishing scenery, water views, mountains, a lovely and warm climate during the day (quite freezing during the night, I´ve heard - nothing that cannot be solved with the "good company", who is probably reading this by now, the bottles of wine and a bonfire) and especially peace at its max. I cannot think of a better place to escape to.

As you can imagine, the hour and a half visit was an extremely short one, considering the five hours that takes to get there from La Paz via bus, boat, bus and boat again each way (it is necessary to cross the strait of Tiquina by boat before arriving to Copacabana) and the magnificent impression the island instantly created in me. Feeling dissapointed and fairly melancholic, we left in the evening to come back to La Paz, under the protection of completely clear night skies and infinite stars that made the trip back a memorable one.


Tonight is the Aymara new year celebration that will mark the beginning og their year 5519,  and there will be celebrations at 80 sacred sites in Bolivia, being the main one the ruins of Tiwanaku. It is said that even Evo Morales will be present. I guess they won´t count with my presence, as I will be taking it easy while remembering the beauty of yesterday´s scenery and preparing for a trek to Condori tomorrow. Besides, I had my dose of stress caused by crowds during the Gran Poder celebration on Saturday (some pics for you below) which, by the way, was definitely an interesting event. Judge by yourselves.