Even though it’s Cinco de Mayo in Mexico (and the U.S.), it’s just an ordinary Tuesday here in La Paz. We set off again in our van to explore some of the most important archeological ruins in Bolivia; the ceremonial city of Tiwanaku, and the Pumapunku temple complex. Both sites are about a two-hour drive out of La Paz, which again took us through the sprawling mass of Los Altos.
When we first arrived at the Tiwanaku site, we toured the Lytic Museum and the Ceramic Museum, which together contain the remaining artifacts of the ancient Aymara culture which pre-dated the Incans back to about 600 B.C. Then we toured the actual site of the city complex if Tiwanaku which was home to about 70,000 people at it height. The city is marvelously designed, and featured not only beautifully carved stone monoliths, but also a very sophisticated underground aqueduct system. Yes, Jim was very intrigued!!!!!
We then drove a short distance to the Pumapunku complex, and walked around photographing the site. I’m trying to keep the number of stone photos to a minimum, but really, this is what it was all about.An interesting aside is that we actually saw wild guinea pigs living in the ruins at this site. They proved to be elusive little puppies, so no photos of them!
Then followed our ride back to the city of La Paz. The highlight of the day for Jim was that rather than fighting rush hour traffic back into the city, our guide, Pedro, gave us a ride on the newly installed cable car (teleférico) system which was just completed about a year ago. Currently, they only have two lines; the red line, which roughly runs from the top of the altiplano near the airport to the bottom center of the city and back up the opposite side; and the green line, which runs across the city from the Killi Killi lookout area, all the way to the far lower end of the city. The wild thing is that the cable cars go right over countless homes, rich and poor alike.
Tomorrow, we fly to Bogotá to begin our tour of Colombia. Stay tuned, dear Reader; it promises to be very interesting.
This morning we rose to catch the sunrise on Lake Titicaca, only to find that because it was rising behind us, it wasn’t really lighting us the snow-capped Andes. Oh, well, the day still got off to a great start as we boarded a small boat to go out to the Island of the Sun, about an hour’s drive from Copacabana. Not too surprisingly, the town of Copacabana was completely quiet after the festivities of the day before. However, it was also very clean, even down by the lake where the revelers were still going strong last night even as we went to sleep. The day was bright and clear and while crisp, not bone-numbingly cold as we had expected for a fall day at 12,800 feet. This makes Lake Titicaca the highest navigable lake in the world. According to both Incan and Aymara legend, the main gods in their religions, the Sun God (representing men) and the Moon Goddess (representing women), were born in and arose from Lake Titicaca to rule the heavens and the people on Earth.
Copacabana shoreline
The Island of the Sun is the largest island in Lake Titcaca, and there is a fairly large population of indigenous people living on the island (about 4,000), where they have lived for centuries farming the island using the ancient terraced slopes dating back to pre-Incan times. There are no cars on the island, and the farming is still done using mostly burros. There are hiking trails all over the island, and it seems to be a favorite spot for young backpackers from all over the world. However, it is not really touristic, as so few people visit each year.
Stairway to H___________?
When we landed, we started hiking up the slope using the stone stairs first built in pre-Columbian times. What is it with the people and their stone stairways to the sky?!!!!! However, with the lure of a killer view over the lake and to the Andes beyond, we started huffing our way up the stairs. Suffice it to say that at this altitude (particularly lugging my camera gear) and using my tripod as a walking stick, we were winded after about 25 steps. There were only about 500 left to go.
In the end, as I’m sure you will agree, it was worth it! We gazed out over the lake and caught our breath while we watched women in traditional attire harvest their skinny plots of land.
After we climbed back down the hill, we boarded the boat again, which took us to another spot on the Sun Island, where we briefly explored the ruins of an Incan palace on the shore of the island called Pilko Kaina (which means where hummingbirds rest). Like most Incan sites, the Spaniards completely pillaged the palace, but the people managed to save some pieces by taking them out on the lake and throwing them overboard. Some of the pieces still remain there, and the Bolivian government monitors all diving and dredging operations in the lake very closely to make sure no further pilferage takes place.
The ruins of Pilko Kaina
We finished our visit to the Island of the Sun by having a traditional Bolivian lunch hosted by a local family, which consisted mainly of boiled corn, potatoes, and fava beans, with some fried chicken and fish and some local cheese. It was probably the best meal we had in Bolivia!
Then we returned to Copacabana, and began the long drive back to La Paz. We arrived just in time to see the moon rising over the rim of the mountains surrounding the city. After an early dinner, we turned in quickly, because there is more to explore tomorrow.
Today (May 3rd), we departed early for our drive to the town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Although it’s only about 100 miles from La Paz to Copacabana, it takes about four hours to get there, including a short ferry crossing.
But first, we had to navigate through the the rapidly expanding twin city to La Paz, Los Altos. Sitting atop the flatlands (altiplano) above La Paz, Los Altos was recently recognized as the most rapidly expanding city in the world. It certainly seems to be true, as everywhere you look, building is going on. Unfortunately, the traffic problems have been commensurate with the building boom, and we had to inch along through Los Altos even at 8:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning of a holiday weekend.
Los AltosBuilding Boom
Once out of Los Altos, we drove through the very high plains watching the local farmers harvesting their crops (mostly quinoa, fava beans, oats and potatoes), while others herded their sheep, cows and the occasional llama.
About two hours out of town, we drove through a local community holding a parade to celebrate the religious holiday. Everyone was dressed in their Sunday best, and dancing /marching as they progressed to the community church. It was quite the sight!
Our next stop was on the shores of Lake Titicaca for us to meet the master reed boat maker, who became Thor Heyerdahl ‘s friend, and oversaw the building of several of his expeditionary reed boats. He and his daughters showed us how the boats are made, and shared amazing photographs from all the expeditions he has been part of, and the honors bestowed on him by his own and other governments.
First sight of Lake Titicaca
Balsa Wood Boats made of Totora reeds
Paulino Esteban
As we drove onward towards the ferry, we crossed over a pass at 14,100 feet, and we about 5 miles from the Peruvian border. Perú also shares the shore of Lake Titicaca, which, at over 3800 square miles, is easy to understand. We boarded a tiny ferry in the little town of Taquina, while our bus went by separate ferry. Thankfully, we weren’t headed in the opposite direction, because the line of holiday traffic heading back to La Paz stretched nearly a mile!
Taquina Strait
Shortly thereafter, we arrived in the town of Copacabana. This was apparently the first town in Latin America to bear this name, with even the iconic beach in Rio having copied the name. Our hotel, the Rosario del Lago is absolutely charming, and all the rooms look out on the bay on the lake. This holiday weekend, the shoreline is packed with holiday revelers, with many of them doing various sports out on the lake, despite the fact that it is a glacial lake at about 13,500 feet elevation!
Hotel Rosario del Lago
After lunch, we walked into town. Everywhere we went, we could hear the sounds of various bands, many aided by copious amounts of cerveza. Our destination was the Basilica of Our Lady Copacabana. I have to confess, dear readers, that after four months in heavily Catholic countries, my capacity to fully appreciate another church was probably at an all-time low. Nonetheless, as we approached the Basilica, there was something new. Outside the church was a whole line of stands set up to bless cars. This consisted of decorating the vehicles with flowers and other decorations, and anointing the cars and trucks with beer and champagne while they were blessed by the resident priest. Even I had to admit it was pretty cool!
The Blessing of the CarsBasilica of Copacabana
The Aymara native who carved the Madonna of Candelaria
As we went Inside the church, though, I was pleased to see a somewhat austere sanctuary (relative to most of the other South American churches we have seen).
However, the coolest part of the Basilica was its separate chapel for the Madonna of Candelaria completely devoted to various famous Madonnas (patronas) and generally, to the power and importance of women. Churches from all over the world have sent representative replicas of their iconic Madonnas, and there is a general acceptance that the chapel honors not only the Catholic worship of the Madonna, but also the indigenous worship of the Earth Mother (Pachamama).
Because it was a saint’s day today, everyone in town was dressed in their Sunday best, and their were dancing bands all over town. We also saw the entrance to the 14 stages of the cross which go up the local hill behind town. Then we walked along the shore of the lake and enjoyed the setting sun.
As many of you know, Jim and I landed in La Paz in the wee hours of April 30th, and did not do much of anything except try to catch our breath, and toast the local glacier, Illimani. At over 11,000 feet (with an airport at over 12,000 feet), just breathing is a major accomplishment. Add 24 hours of travel, and I’d say we had a good first day!
Sunset over La PazSunset over Mount Illimani in La Paz
On Friday, May 1st (happy birthday, Meredith!!!), we joined up with our tour group in the afternoon , and did a walking tour around the downtown area of La Paz. Some cool architecture, but we’re still dragging our butts around. More tomorrow! Okay, here’s the real scoop on La Paz … besides the elevation; a very interesting city, which exists at all different levels (social, economic and altitude-wise).
Just for starters, the city of La Paz encompasses an elevation differential of over 3,000 feet. We started our day with a drive up to the look out point at Killi Killi, from which you could see the vastness which is La Paz. Sadly, much of the urban forest has been lost in the last 40 years to rapid population growth. To its credit, though, the government seems to realize the value of preserving its eco-system (or repairing the ravages of the past), and has committed to planting 10 million trees per year. We don’t know what the score is on that, but we see evidence of a lot of planting efforts in and around the city.
Next, we went to the main plaza in La Paz, where the government offices sit right next door to the main cathedral, San Franciscito.
The plaza was lovely, with great restored colonial architecture, and we squatted for about a half hour waiting for the appearance of the President, Evo Morales. The cool thing is that anyone can come out to watch him, and security is pretty light. The bad thing is that like most of South America, things seem to happen on their own time schedule. In short, we never got to see him. Given his avowed dislike of Americans, this may not have been a bad thing.
Next we went on a driving tour of different neighborhoods in La Paz. Rich or poor, there’s a ton of building activity going on in La Paz, which the people all seem to view positively. Unlike most of the world, the majority of the poorer population seem to live on the highest points in the city (with the best views) while the wealthy folks live at the lowest elevations. Like Lima, one of the richest neighborhoods in town was called Miraflores.
From there, we drove to a fabulous geological formation called Valle de La Luna (Valley of the Moon). This is an other-worldly formation of sandstone formations that all look like fingers pointing at the sky. Needless to say, this was an important spiritual site for the indigenous population. Sadly, much of this area has been sacrificed to development, but the remaining area was designated a national heritage site and is now protected.
Following lunch, we went back to the market area of La Paz, where we saw what is know as the “Witches Market” where indigenous charms and spiritual aids are sold along with herbal remedies. Seeing this, we could not help but compare the spiritual practices here with those of Peru and also the Candomblé in Brazil.
Calle de Las Brujas (Witches Alley)
This area also offers some great examples of the better Bolivian handicrafts, which, like Perú, focus heavily on woven arts made from alpaca wool and silver.
After returning to our hotel, we dragged ourselves up a couple of streets to a local Italian restaurant, Pronto, and then got ready to leave for our expedition to Lake Titicaca tomorrow.
Ever since I saw the Jacques Cousteau special on this high Andean lake, I’ve been curious to see it. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
Vaya con Gringos 