Island in the Sun

As Lake Titicaca came into view, my lungs sort of got caught up in my throat, and I had to remind myself what it was to breathe. Listen, ruins are really cool, but I can't compare them in my mind to a place with such historical significance and staying power as Lake Titicaca. And it's possible I'm biased. I've always favored lakes over oceans, and most things for that matter. Man, is Lake Titicaca an ocean of a lake. It's the largest freshwater lake in South America, and, according the the UNESCO World Heritage site, "Titicaca is less than one of twenty ancient lakes on earth." And you can't help but just stare at it.

I mean, for real... look at that.

We hopped on a ferry that took us over a part of the lake and then continued on to Copacabana, a small town with a sunset to die for.

The view from our ferry.

The next morning we headed with Grace, our tour guide, to Isla del Sol. This is said to be the birth place of the Inca culture, where the civilization began before heading toward Cusco, the belly button of the earth.

No big deal, just a cow chillin' on the beach.

Gettin' some hydration going.

The island is picturesque, surrounded and lined with terraced hills, remnants of ancient agriculture systems that are still used today. If you didn't know better, you'd guess you were on a deserted island somewhere at sea. But, if you look hard, you can see the Bolivian mountains far in the distance.

Almost too beautiful to stand, right?

Laura and I wanted to say we swam like some of the boys, but it was so cold.

We started our hike over the island, a task both my legs and lungs were not prepared for. The views were indescribable, and I wish I would have taken time to enjoy them more, but I was too busy hating everything (especially the hills) to care about beauty.

Our view from the ancient labyrinth where we ate lunch.

Sacred table (where later someone was selling handicrafts.... so...)

Ryan and Laura were both kind enough to plod along with me on our traverse over the island. We ended up missing our boat back to the mainland, but thankfully we weren't the only ones. The other stragglers and we were able to convince one of the locals to take us back for a small fee.

Just the first in a seemingly endless series of hills.

Laura and I conquering the island and catching up with Ryan.

Although the day was a little stressful and a lot tiring, Isla del Sol and Copacabana are places I won't be able to forget for a long time. We made it back to shore in the knick of time to catch our bus and head to Peru.

Noah and his friends went ahead of us to get our things. Strong guys.