Isla Del Sol

For a few days, I was lucky to have the opportunity to hike around and explore La Isla Del Sol- and island in Lake Titicaca with three small indigenous communities, jaw-dropping views, dozens of trails and remnants of Incan Ruins. To say the least, I had a wonderful time on the island. 

On the first day, we took the local ferry from Copacabana to the northern community. After meeting a big group of travelers, we found a hostel on the beach for about three dollars and went on a hike to the top of a volcano on the island. We sat on a beach and watched as the children played in the sand. They all had little sticks with plastic bottles tied to the ends and dragged them through the water like boats. Pigs and sheep roamed along the shore, nibbling on bits of grass and napping in the sunshine.

We came back and had a lovely night with new friends from all over the world. At first, it seemed as though there wasn't electricity but when we were at the store buying some things, the lights flickered on at about 8:00 and the old woman in the store looked up at us with a big smile on her face, "La luz!" she exclaimed and started chuckling to herself. We sat at the end of a dock in the moonlight, drinking  cheap Bolivian wine and watching the bright stars overhead. In the distance a storm was approaching and we "oohed" and "ahhed" as the lightening illuminated the dark clouds.

The next day we packed our bags and hiked the trail across the island. We followed an elderly sheep herder for part of the trail and made friends with a dog who lead us the entire 9km to the southern community of Yumani. Once there we found another small, family-run hostel and walked around the small town. While crossing over farms and walking up Incan terraces, we gathered an entire pack of dogs and we named each one individually.

For our third day on the island, we ventured off the main trail and went to find some hidden beaches. We got off the trail and found a beautiful rocky beach on the shore of Lake Titicaca. It was absolutely stunning and we decided it was necessary to swim in the lake's clear blue water. Across the beach we spotted a boat coming and watched as a family disembarked and began to collect driftwood. We approached them and asked if they might be going back to Yumani. After they realized we actually had no money to contribute, we decided to help them collect firewood and eventually began the slow journey back, trolling in the crystal-clear water near the rocky shore. 

That night we met some other traveler friends and hiked to the top of a hill for a delicious dinner and sunset. We sat, played cards and talked as we waited two hours for the woman who owned the restaurant to cook us the most delicious meal. 

Our final day we sadly said goodbye to the magical paradise and took the ferry back to mainland Bolivia in the rain.

Going to the island felt like going back in time. The electricity was sparse, there were no roads, no internet, no cars and a very simple and pure lifestyle. In contrast to the very invasive tourism of the Floating Islands, La Isla Del Sol felt genuine; We were simply observing the islander's way of life from a distance.