Let me bring you to a place I've never heard of until I was planning for our trip..
The only thing I knew about Bolivia was the Uyuni Salt Flats..
And I am really glad I discovered.. Lake Titicaca!
It is the largest lake in South America in terms of volume, and at a surface elevation of 3,812 meters above sea level, is also the highest navigable body of water in the world.
It is 3 hours away by bus from La Paz.. and by its shore lies this touristy town of Copacabana..
Lined with souvenir shops..
And street cafes..
And just a little bit to the centre, holds this 16th century Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana.
As I was on my way to the jetty to take the boat to Isla del Sol, the largest island on Lake Titicaca, these barking stray dogs started following me..
I couldn't count them then, but in this picture, it shows around 13.. and yes, I was scared!
Pretending to ignore them, I walked on the side and continued calmly..
Until I got here! Phew! :)
I fell asleep in the boat.. maybe it was jet lag..
And after the 30 minute ride.. I woke up to this..
"Orlando, are we here? Is this Isla del Sol?"
"Yes, but this is only for lunch. We will eat traditional Bolivian food :)"
"Ok, let's go!"
Hhmm.. nice view from up here!
And the ambiance..
Just perfect!! :)
And surprisingly.. yes, I was surprised that I liked the food..
It consisted of fried chicken, salty cheese, big corn, beans, small fish, trout, fried egg and flour with something, potato, sweet potato, and another kind of potato.. hehe ;)
Most of them from their own farm..
And this girl.. is the daughter of the restaurant owner..
After lunch, my husband was walking around taking pictures, and she came to him and stared at his camera.. fascinated.. and staring like that.. for about a minute or so..
Then she came to me.. held my hand and stared at it.. and pulled me back to the restaurant..
Orlando, our tour guide, was calling us back to the boat, but she wouldn't let me go anymore..
She was so persistent.. and when I was finally able to remove her little hand from mine, she grabbed onto my scarf.. still determined not to let me go..
Orlando was already at the jetty, and kept calling us.. but I couldn't leave..
I kept saying "No.. No..," scared that my silk scarf would get ripped apart.. hehe :P
Finally, her father heard me, and made her let go of me..
Deep inside, though, I already wanted to stay with her for a little more while.. she made me happy..
Moved on to another part of the island..
By the way, Lake Titicaca is shared by both Bolivia and Peru.. and we are currently at the Bolivian territory..
That's my husband, taking pictures for me to share on this blog :P
And this is the local woman collecting entrance fees..
And this.. was after Orlando convinced the woman to have a picture with me.. haha! :)
They usually didn't want to pose for a picture..
And what?!
"Orlando, are we climbing all these?!"
"Yes, just a few steps.."
"Ok.."
You know.. It's so easy to make me happy..
Just show me some animals! hahaha! :D
This fountain is the only place where they can get water in the island, and the donkeys help the people carry the load.
Because the roads are not paved.. and there are no motor vehicles in the island..
A Baby Alpaca!! Click on the link ;)
"Orlando.. you said only a few steps?"
"Another 300.."
"Huh?! You are joking right?"
No, he wasn't joking.. but finally.. no more stairs.. and another baby alpaca!! :D
And the reward from that hike..
Those terraces are plantations of potatoes, beans, and vegetables..
And these women are selling souvenirs..
Inca ruins.. a temple.. that has something to do with the Sun.. hehe!!
Forgive me.. I only listened to the donkey stories! :P
And as the sun has set.. it was time to leave the island of the sun :)
Related Stories: My Playground.. Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
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