Day 255 - Lake Titicaca

We checked out of Hotel Italia this morning and returned a travel brochure Mrs. Rector lent us.

After saying goodbye, we headed to the Altiplano and followed Lake Titicaca on the East side to Copacabana, which was an exciting stretch. We visited a small village on the way where Indio women were weaving rugs from Llama wool.

It was striking that the land on this lakeside was more developed with fertile soil. We noticed fields of potatoes, onions, beans, rice, and corn.

A little further, we passed a village where a festivity was happening. We were curious about what they were celebrating and watched for a while. Seeing those Indio folks in their typical outfits with felt hats was nice. Live music was playing: drums, charango, and flutes. The men were standing around in small groups drinking Chicha. The women sat on the ground, tending to their children and preparing food. Some were dressed in full Indio costumes adorned with gold-colored necklaces. We sensed that they didn’t like to be photographed. But Heinz captured a few shots with his telephoto lens through the window. It is still a mystery what they were celebrating.

Near Tiquina, we were fortunate to observe an Uro tribesman building a reed boat (used for fishing). We admired his unique skills.

Then we crossed Lake Titicaca on a primitive barge with a modern Evinrude engine. The crossing took 15 minutes and was situated at the narrowest part of the lake.

Then we continued Route #2 with never-ending curves over the mountains to Copacabana. A bad-looking storm with low-hanging, black clouds was approaching just before we reached the city in total darkness.

We spent a rainy night on the central Plaza near the Police Station.

Stats: Miles 112, Expenses $6.40Read more