From Copacabana, lake Titicaca
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Chantal
10 April 2015 | Bolivia, Copacabana
Hola!
This time an update from Copacabana next to lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world, around 3800m. Its quite cold here and the room doesnt have hearing so I am in bed in my thermo underwear with my just bought alpaca woolen socks, my alpaca woolen scarf which I bought in Ecuador and a woolen hat. The bed feels cold... J
ust had dinner and a bottle of red wine with Cristina. A German girl I met at the airport in La Paz after my Amazone week, and who I just met in the street here. Nice!
This morning, after a bad night of sleep because of my cough, I left la Paz around 7:30 by tourist bus, to arrive here around 13 o' clock. Halfway the trip you have to get out of the bus and go on a small boat to cross a part of the lake. The bus went on another boat. After checking in at the hotel, I had lunch at a really nice restaurant here. A bit uphill with lake view and in the sun!
Yesterday it was cold and rainy innLa Paz and Tiahuanacu and this morning it also rained in La Paz. So happy! Had a nice quinoa salad.
Then hiked steep up hill to shrine of the Virgen of Copacabana. On its way we're the 14 stations of the crucifixion of Jesus. On my way up I saw a kolibri and on my way down another one :-) lucky sign.
Uphill I bought a red candle (love) and a purple candle (happiness) and left them in a small niche with other computed candles. In front of the crosses there were also local offerings like: sea shells, a crab, an urchin, bushes et cetera. A beautiful view on the lake from above and on the town. On the backside of the hill there were some local offerings off bushes, stones, flowers et cetera. I sat here for a while alone, overlooking the immense and beautiful lake and it was so quiet and peaceful. Amazing!
When I hiked up the hill, I hardly saw anybody, but after returning from my quiet spot, many people were up now. Down the upper part of the hill was a mirador, view point and from there you could also climb another hill (Santa Barbara) on the otherside: with a white cross on top. This hill is used by locals for offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth).
When I went up, a ritual was ongoing; there was a fire and the shaman was praying in Aymara (I guess) for a young guy, since I heard the Spanish word trabajo a couple of times, I suppose it was a ritual for him to find a good job. Il the parents and grandmother (?) of the guy were also there. They had to walk around the fire in circles with bells and the shaman threw alcohol and confetti on them. Interesting to watch.
I went downhill again and had a look in the huge (especially for this little town) cathedral. Then walked another hill (yes, had my excercise today and that with altitude!) to visit the so called Horca del Inca. A kind of stone gate on a flat carved mountain top of which people think it was used for astronomical purposes. A nice view from above. Walking back to my hotel for a little rest I run into Cristina and we decided to meet for dinner now.
This hotel is located close to the "beach"/shore of lake Titicaca. A bunch of drunk people are singing and playing guitar now. Really loud! The music is nice but the drunk singing is a bit too much! Hope this won't go on the whole night...
Yesterday I went to the archaeological site of Tiahuanacu. Nice! And the day before I spent in la Paz. Will write about that in a separate post. Tomorrow morning I will go by boat to the Isla del Sol.
Love,
Chantal
This time an update from Copacabana next to lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world, around 3800m. Its quite cold here and the room doesnt have hearing so I am in bed in my thermo underwear with my just bought alpaca woolen socks, my alpaca woolen scarf which I bought in Ecuador and a woolen hat. The bed feels cold... J
ust had dinner and a bottle of red wine with Cristina. A German girl I met at the airport in La Paz after my Amazone week, and who I just met in the street here. Nice!
This morning, after a bad night of sleep because of my cough, I left la Paz around 7:30 by tourist bus, to arrive here around 13 o' clock. Halfway the trip you have to get out of the bus and go on a small boat to cross a part of the lake. The bus went on another boat. After checking in at the hotel, I had lunch at a really nice restaurant here. A bit uphill with lake view and in the sun!
Yesterday it was cold and rainy innLa Paz and Tiahuanacu and this morning it also rained in La Paz. So happy! Had a nice quinoa salad.
Then hiked steep up hill to shrine of the Virgen of Copacabana. On its way we're the 14 stations of the crucifixion of Jesus. On my way up I saw a kolibri and on my way down another one :-) lucky sign.
Uphill I bought a red candle (love) and a purple candle (happiness) and left them in a small niche with other computed candles. In front of the crosses there were also local offerings like: sea shells, a crab, an urchin, bushes et cetera. A beautiful view on the lake from above and on the town. On the backside of the hill there were some local offerings off bushes, stones, flowers et cetera. I sat here for a while alone, overlooking the immense and beautiful lake and it was so quiet and peaceful. Amazing!
When I hiked up the hill, I hardly saw anybody, but after returning from my quiet spot, many people were up now. Down the upper part of the hill was a mirador, view point and from there you could also climb another hill (Santa Barbara) on the otherside: with a white cross on top. This hill is used by locals for offerings to Pachamama (Mother Earth).
When I went up, a ritual was ongoing; there was a fire and the shaman was praying in Aymara (I guess) for a young guy, since I heard the Spanish word trabajo a couple of times, I suppose it was a ritual for him to find a good job. Il the parents and grandmother (?) of the guy were also there. They had to walk around the fire in circles with bells and the shaman threw alcohol and confetti on them. Interesting to watch.
I went downhill again and had a look in the huge (especially for this little town) cathedral. Then walked another hill (yes, had my excercise today and that with altitude!) to visit the so called Horca del Inca. A kind of stone gate on a flat carved mountain top of which people think it was used for astronomical purposes. A nice view from above. Walking back to my hotel for a little rest I run into Cristina and we decided to meet for dinner now.
This hotel is located close to the "beach"/shore of lake Titicaca. A bunch of drunk people are singing and playing guitar now. Really loud! The music is nice but the drunk singing is a bit too much! Hope this won't go on the whole night...
Yesterday I went to the archaeological site of Tiahuanacu. Nice! And the day before I spent in la Paz. Will write about that in a separate post. Tomorrow morning I will go by boat to the Isla del Sol.
Love,
Chantal
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