Tiahuanaco, Sorata, and Lake Titicaca - Bolivia

Feliz Semana Santa...or Happy Easter! For this holiday period, we find ourselves in Lake Titicaca - along with the majority of La Paz residents who escape to the seaside (well, lake) for a 4 day break. The timing was not something we had planned, but its been entertaining in many ways. Arriving here on Good Friday was an adventure in itself as we scrambled along the roads with thousands of other vehicles crammed with as many people as there is physical space. With only milimetres spare, drivers would barge on through, and the dual lane road became just one direction with every leaving the city. Intially coming the other way, we were literally run off the road in our bus (which is really a van with seats in it which somehow can fit up to 18 or so people), and got directed on a detour through peoples fields and paddocks kicking up a storm of dust and rocks along the way. The second bus trip enroute to Lake Titicaca was better and we overtook everyone before arriving at the lake where we had to get off the bus so it could get carried over on a barge with the hundreds of other holiday-goers cars. We got on the people barge and then only just found our bus on the other side. A close call.

Lake Titicaca is a place where Catholic pilgrams flock to so on Good Friday evening, there was a candle parade through the town. Cars here get blessed here everyday, not just Easter, so there are cars everywhere sprouting colourful flower decorations. People camp out anywhere and bring their pets along for the holiday season too, including monkeys and llamas. The lake is filled with paddle boats, row boats and kayaks, and so we thought we would holiday with the Bolivians and hopped in a lovely swan paddle boat for some fun this afternoon. Tommorrow we are heading across to the Isla del Sol for the day and night.

Before arriving here, we spent 3 nights in Sorata which is a zen like town surrounded by lush green mountains of plantations and farming families. Great hiking, and we did a full day hike to a place called Gruta San Pedro. It was a huge cave with a biug underground lake and small bats that live inside.

Another day trip in the past week was a venture out of La Paz toTiahuanaco which is Bolivias most significant archaelogical site. A civilisation thought to have risen about 600BC and is older than the Incas. The site is still very much being excated, and it was great to see a work in progress with local people carefully sifting though the site which already has uncovered large and well preserved pyramids and ceremonial grounds.

We are heading to Peru in 2 days so will write next from there.