Lake Titicaca...hehe

Hello friends and family!

After four days, and a few good beers, the time came to get out of La Paz. Kim and I left for Lake Titicaca and the Isla del Sol which Incans said gave birth to the Sun! True to legend, the sun was shinning bright and hot. Our lips peeled and our necks burned -- but the sun rewarded our sacrifice with a deep blue sky, sparkling clear waters, and amazing views of the snow capped Andes. The whole island was beautifully simple. There were no cars, maybe one streetlight, and the Amaraya-speaking residents brought water to the top of the island via donkey! To get there, we took a little boat that probably doubled as a bathroom judging by the smell. After porting, an intimidating ancient-Incan staircase tested our hearts and legs as we already had sore nalgas from the bike ride and now really heavy packs. Eventually, after many breaks and offers to stay at lower hostels, we and some new English friends made it to the top of the island and found the most amzing room. It had a private deck and an amazing view of the lake and mountains, over which the sun rose ever morning -- well worth some tender calves.
On one of the days there, we took a boat to the Northern part. We relaxed on a white sandy beach, saw some cool ruins, and walked back to the south -- not as easy as it sounds. Five miles at 12,000 feet in the scourching sun and biting cool winds while walking on what seemed to be a trail that went prepetually up, was tough. Kim was a champ and never whined like everyone else on the trail. We had some great locally caught trout when we got back!
The next day it was time to leave the island, and Bolivia. We caught a better-smelling little boat back to the mainland and took naps on the cabin roof. We bused to Puno, Peru from there to see some floating islands. We didn´t really get to explore as much as we would´ve liked, but they were still really cool. Descentent from a group that wanted to escape Inca oppresion, the inhabitants built islands out of reeds. Now they have their own system of governement, president, voting system, school, etc... They used to sell their reed boats and fish to make money, but now they mostly survive off of tourism. We ate some of their fish in one of their reed huts with a squishy floor--definatly a unique experience. With that done, we caught a bus to Arequipa, one of my favorite cities, where we will have the next batch of adventures! Hasta luego mis amigos!