Bolivia

I will update this in December...

You have no idea the headaches of computers in Bolivia...

Updated yesterday and lost the whole thing…

Went this morning typed it all again but did not have time to edit... many errors...

Came back this evening to edit and found that the entire page was just gone....

What an unbelievable nightmare and causing me to spend many hours in stupid internet cafes...

December 4

Still in Oruro but in a better frame of mind to type again...

Ok.. back to the beginning Loren and I travelled to Bolivia via Puno, Peru and the border crossing was pretty straightforward with the exception of having to actually walk across the border. We took a very posh tourist bus which showed movies and also served us food and drinks!! Without a doubt the best bus I have taken in Peru and this was good for Loren because the altitude was killing her and we were going higher.

Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 4,000 metres above sea level. However, there really are no boats on the lake because of the altitude and the lake is quite cold so swimming was out of the question. Otherwise, Lake Titicaca may have become a huge tourist mecca because it is absolutely beautiful and reminded me of the Greek Islands. Because of the altitude the sky is exceptionally blue and the colors of the lake are deep azures and greens- stunning. We took the bus to Copacabana, a little, dusty town on the Bolivian side of the lake. There was not much to do there besides lie in hammocks and watch the sunset on the lake.

We took a boat to one of the islands, Isla Del Sol, and learned about the origins of the aboriginal people in South America. It is believed by the people that the sun and all people originated from the sacred rock on the island that resembles a puma. Our guide was passionate and informative and I found the whole story fascinating. Isla Del Sol is part of a cosmic triangle with two other sacred places: Tiahunaco, Bolivia and Chichan Itza, Mexico, both of which I will visit on this trip. We then hiked for four hours to the southern part of the island and the 360-degree views of the lake were outstanding. The island itself is desolate and dry, so it was very hot hiking, but very beautiful. The next day we took a bus to La Paz, even higher in altitude.

La Paz is a bustling, dirty city and is built in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The main street runs down the center and all the side streets go up from there so even just shopping and walking left us breathless. It must take years to finally feel like your heart is not going to jump out of your chest when you walk at high altitude. Loren and I did a last bit of shopping in the witch's market and bought some good luck charms, statues, and amulets. What we did not buy were the dried llama fetuses which apparently bring good luck when buried under the threshold of a new home. They were gruesome looking and I do not think they would have made it through American customs!! Loren left the following day very early and it was sad because I will not see her until June!!!