An Island in the Sun

Hmmm.... not sure what to write here. I´ve spent the last few days Island hopping on Lake Titicaca. Its a pretty big lake, not sure how long exactly but you can´t see the mountains on the opposite side... and its pretty high. 3800m above sea level, arguably the highest significant lake in the world. (Bolivia seems to have the highest everything in the world).

It sits on the Peru/Bolivia border, and the locals crudely joke that the Bolivia got the Titty, and Peru got the Caca (Caca = shit in Spanish). That´s a little harsh, but it is very nice on the Bolivian side.

Anyhoot, on the Bolivian side is the Isle del Sol (Island of the Sun), which was a pretty important spot for the Inca and Tiawanaku mobs. It´s thought the Island was the birth place of the Sun and the Puma in Inca mythology. There´s a rock on the Island that looks a little like a puma eating a rabbit, or at least the Inca and Tiwanaku thought so (the rock is called Titicaca, and that´s what the lake is named after).

Can you see the Puma?

So the Tiwanaku built a bit of a temple in front of it, and after they died out the Inca added a bit more, including a still surviving sacrificial stone table where they used to sacrifice their virgins.

(What self respecting ancient civilisation didn´t sacrifice virgins?!?)

This REALLY called for a re-enactment.....

The Inca kept their virgins on the neighbouring Isle del Luna (Island of the Moon) and built a nice long road across the bigger Isle del Sol, I´m guessing so they could move their virgins around a little quicker....

What a whacky place huh?

Actually, the island is quite beautiful and very interesting, and very chilled... I´d definitely recommend anyone else visiting this part of the world go check it out.

Other random ruins are scattered around the Island....

I also spent a few days on the Peruvian side of the lake...

The main tourist attraction on this side is a small community (about 1000 people), called the Uros, who have lived on the lake on small floating islands made from reeds since the Inca times. The original reason for making the islands was to avoid the domineering Inca mob who were kinda running amok a while back... the community is completely hidden from the main land and apparently the Inca couldn´t see them living there.

Its a pretty weird place, the only community of its kind in the world. They also make their boats and houses out of reeds. The islands are kinda spongy to walk on, and you can tell they´re floating, they wobble a little. The reeds gradually rot away from the bottom, but they top them up regularly and can get around 30 years or so out of each island.

So, very interesting, but also VERY touristy. It was actually really disappointing for me in a way. It´s a incredible and unique place, but completely dominated by tourists. Its hard to see the islands for the gringos at times, and really made me feel like I was visiting a zoo or something. The sight of a bunch of fat gringo tourists sticking their huge cameras in the Uros´ faces, posing with the local children and squabbling over the price of some already dirt cheap souvenirs was pretty sickening.