Isla Del Sol
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2008
1
20
91
Trip End
Ongoing
Where I stayed
not worth a mention
Isla Del Sol, Bolivia
Saturday, June 14, 2008
We booked everything through Isla Del Sol Tours which is located beside the Ambassador in Copacabana but realised about 24 hours later that we´d been taken for a ride in terms of prices.
The ferry to the Island of the Sun took about two hours and we were greeted by islanders trying to lure us to their hostels/hotels/B&B´s. We were pre-booked into Hostel Isla del Sol and "Johnny" who was about 10 said he´d bring us there, after we plagued him for answers as to why he wasn´t in school.
"School is over today", he said. Hmmm. Thought we were going to collapse before we got to the Hostel. The amount of steps we´d to climb was not funny. Isla del Sol (or the Island of the Sun) is the legendary Inca creation site and the birthplace of the sun in Inca mythology.
So, our 25 minute walk was like a pre-Inca trail. We all looked at each other panting wondering how we would ever trek to Matchu Pitchu in a week´s time.
After checking in and admiring the view, we took a walk (more panting) and eventually got something to eat that evening (pizzeria).
Johnny told us that a festival celebrating St. Anthony was on that night. On our way back from the restaurant we ended up following a marching band and dancing women to the church grounds, where music (three brass bands thank you very much!) and dancing continued all night. We gave up after about an hour and went to bed - wrecked from a combination of exercise and altitude.
One of the bands (all men) stayed up all night outside our Hostel and drank beer until 8am. Then at 9am (as the women and children tended to the sheep and llamas) they went back down to the church grounds and struck up again. Admittedly there was dodgy note playing - but we´ll put that down to lack of sleep!
Took the 11am boat back to Copacabana. I´ve never experienced sea sickness like it before. Head between the legs as Michael distributed plastic bags to the sick passengers!
