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A Few Words About Bolivia

I am writing this entry in Cusco, having spent the last month travelling in Bolivia, as you know. Even with all of its faults i.e. immense poverty, terrible transport and a definite lack of tourist infrastructure, I loved Bolivia. Not only is the landscape unusual and whimsical, but the people are beautiful and warm.

I was shocked when other people told me that Bolivians don`t talk to gringos because this simply is not true. The problem that many Bolivians have in relating to the gringo is that we ( I do not include myself) generally talk to Bolivians in a condescending, patronising and irritating manner. No wander Bolivians are generally reserved and unfriendly towards us. It may help to understand that for many Bolivians, Quechwa or Aymara is their first language and not Spanish. If it appears that a Bolivian is slow in responding, it doesn´t help to shout in Spanish at them, less in English / French/ German because this doesn´t make them understand. They are not deaf or stupid, they are just shaking off the chains of colonialism. Another tip for the traveler in Bolivia is to accept it for what it is: a country getting to grips with its development. Bolivia has it`s own concept of time ( i.e. generally at least half and hour or later than our concept ) and if you can´t handle this then stay in Argentina or Chile. Bolivia is poor but it has spirit, colour and a passion for life that peek through the cage of imperialism. A smile will melt your heart and break down any barriers of communication that may exist.

Copacabana

Unfortunately, I didn´t have enough time in La Paz to visit many more places that I wanted to. I had to cut my time short and go to Copacabana which is on the shore of the highest lake in the world, Lake Titicaka. I had been looking forward to this from the start of my trip and I have to say that Copacabana left me slightly disappointed. It is tourist ville and rip off central. It`s one redeeming feature is the Church of the Virgin of Copacabana. The church itself is worth seeing for its ornate Andalusian architecture. There is also a mirador where you can see the sunset over the lake and visit the pilgrimage site at the top of the steepest mountain that ever existed, it seemed. The photos that I took are some of my favorites so far. The town is also the gateway to the Isla DeL Sol ( The Island of the Sun). This is the biggest island in the lake.

I visited this island with a guy that I met on the bus to the town. I realised what a mistake this was as soon as we got to the island. He persuade me to lug the twenty five kilos that is my backpack to the island and leave it in a hotel. We decided to walk the seven kilometers from the North to the South of the island and back the same day. Apparently, it was possible and in a moment of complete and utter stupidity, I forgot my most English attribute :Anglo-Saxon pragmatism. If you are reading this with a view to visiting the Isla Del Sol, for God`s sake , only bring the essentials with you for one night`s stay. When you get to the island, you have to drag yourself and your stuff up a backbreaking 254 steps to the main  hotels. Imagine how this feels at 4000 meters of  altitude, in the boiling sun ( it was 10 o`clock) with a backpack that felt like a dead body and which I now hate with an intense and never ending passion. I  hate it with all of my heart and soul.  I felt like I was about to die. I got to the hotel in on piece and on my own as the idiot that I was with left me stranded and zoomed up the mountain, occasionally shouting ´come on Francesca, we haven`t got all day´, from above. You can only imagine the swear words I was muttering in every language that I knew.

When we set off on the walk, I decided I needed to ditch my new found foe. I did so by tagging along with a group of Argentinian lawyers. Unfortunately, the guy was like a bad smell - he decided to tag along as well! 

The walk itself is beautiful and you see for the first time, the famous Incan platforms that were carved into the side of the mountain to promote agriculture. The lake also seems to go on forever and the country side resembles the Greek islands. It is quite uncanny.

Eventually, at about 2 pm we reached the South side of the island. Much to the protest of the guy, I decided to take a short cut to the village by following a river to the lake whilst he carried on taking the long way. The words ´I told you so, you plonk,´sprang to mind when he arrived an hour later complaining that there was no way we could back to the hotel before dark unless we got a boat back. This is what we did, much to my satisfaction.

What have I learnt ? to listen to myself and my instincts ! The island itself is very very pretty but lacking in any information. Nowhere is it explained why this island was significant and again, it is very hard to speak to the islanders themselves, mainly because the type of tourist that goes there is disrespectful and impatient. Or maybe that was my bad experience.

Puno, Los Uros, Taquiles, Amantani

Much more interesting is the Peruvian side of the lake. Here, i took a trip with a local agency to Los Uros, Amantani and Taquiles. This was fascinating. Los Uros are composed of 36 floating islands that were constructed by the Uro people mainly to escape Spanish slavery. You go with a guide who explains how the reeds of the lake are arranged and rearranged in order o construct the islands. Their culture is explained and you can talk to the island´s inhabitants who are extremely friendly and happy to meet you. The islands are pure engineering genius and have survived for centuries together with their people, culture and traditions. It is extraordinary to see, even if they have become mostly a tourist attraction.

I spent the night with a family on the island of Amantani where you sleep in their house, share their food and dance the night away in their traditional costume. The islanders speak Quechwa and so it was difficult to communicate with the mother of the family. The Father and the children spoke Spanish. I had befriended a man from Lima who had been drawn to me as I was the only one who spoke Spanish.  Together  with the pair of us, twelve people slept in three rooms including the kitchen. The family was composed of eight children aged from twenty to eight months. They live off the land and do so only to produce food for themselves. Life is tough at the best of times but the tourism that we bring helps them to sell their weavings and other products. I spoke at length in particular with the oldest daughter, a woman of twenty years old who had never had a boyfriend, had never worn make up and had no idea what the fashion was in Peru. She begged me to try my small stash of make up out on her. We were so different but our curiosity for each other brought us closer. I was also shocked to learn that the family could not afford to keep Delia, the oldest daughter at school, and her dream was to clean houses in Lima, even though she has an amazing talent for weaving hats. I felt such a tenderness towards her and towards the whole family. It was also saddening to hear that the family could not afford to take Arturo, one of the sons to a specialist clinic in Lima in order to egypt Arturo with a hearing aid. The family was incredibly poor but so welcoming and fed us so well even though it was obvious that they ate food of a lesser quality and refused to share the food that they had given us. Their pride and generosity were so humbling.

In the night, I was dressed in the traditional clothes of the community, as was Juan, my friend from Lima. We danced the traditional dances to Andean music and it felt like we were part of the community. This is most amazing part of the tour - the exchange of cultures and traditions.

Taquiles was very similar to Amantani in relation to the county side but much more touristy. The traditions of the people are also different. For example, their dress. All in all, you must visit these islands and spend the night with these families who welcome you like you are part of them.

This will be the last log entry before the Inca Trail on 30th March. I hope that you have been understanding why I feel that my choice of charity is important. Your last opportunity to donate through my website is on 30th March 2007. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far, I really appreciate it and I will be thinking about you on the way. If you would like to sponsor me, please do so at www.justgiving.com /ciccia