Mar 31 - Onwards to Peru

31 Mar Onwards to Peru

Heavy rain overnight but by the time we got up Sun Island was living up to its name and our weather luck looked to be holding. 

We walked down to the harbour using one of the original Inca trails, steep stone steps but still exactly as the Inca’s built them.

Sun Island is where the first Inca Sun King had landed and he settled here on top of the island before heading on to Cusco. For the Inca’s and their descendents the Quechua tribe this makes the island of huge significance.

There was a ceremonial site on top of the steep island where ceremonies for the Sun King and sacrifices were held.

The Inca trails are everywhere, over 40,000km were laid during the short 95 year Inca dynasty.

No slave labour was used. The Inca society worked on the basis of community and each person dedicated 3 months of their year to working for the Inca state in return for food & water supplies from the Inca food stores in time of drought or crop failure. The earliest form of welfare state !!

Each Inca trail has a natural water source and at even intervals on the trail is a tembo or rest stop where natural water faucets were available. This meant they did not have to carry water on journey, for example 10 – 15 day walks from Lake Titicaca to Cusco.

When we reached the first water stop which fell away into a stone pool, our guide told us this was regarded as the fountain of eternal youth, so Janette & Mandy leapt straight for a taster 

Cheaper than Creme de La Mer.......

quickly followed by Paul once he was told it had been rumoured to create hair growth !!

Maybe there is some truth in it......

Once we reached the bottom, we headed for our hydrofoil and set off back to Copacabana 
to be greeted by the Bolivian Armada - land locked country - who knew they had a navy !!

Wot no ships..........

from there it was a 10 min bus ride to the Bolivian/Peruvian land border half way across Lake Titicaca.

We went through Bolivian border control in minutes 

Bolivian Border Shed...

Farewell Bolivia.......what a stunning place

and then headed across on foot through no mans land to Peru to clear border & customs formalities there. 15 minutes later we were through & in Peru – a far cry from our Chile/Argentina land border crossing !!

Peru here we come !!........border ahead

From there a 2 hour bus ride to Puno where we overnight with a quick hotel stay & early start tomorrow.






So farewell Bolivia. 

What an epic part of our journey. It had the most dramatic, stunning scenery & the kindest people but so little infrastructure and such a long way to go to bring it anywhere near its closest neighbours of Chile & Peru.






Rustic, original & unspoiled is how best to describe it, significant challenges due to the extreme altitude and definitely not for the faint hearted or fussy. For travellers & adventurers of all ages it takes a lot of beating & we wouldn’t have missed it for the world. 

Best of the rest........

Sauce for the goose...........

The Reed boat is bigger than our ancient hydrofoil !!

One way to cross the border....