Tiny Beautiful Places

I accepted the small clay mug of red wine from Luis, the owner of Hostal Inti Kala and stared out at the water far below, watching as the storm blew in creating a beautiful ripple effect across the lake. The locals were quickly herding donkeys and llamas back to their homes for the night, easily traversing the steep rocky slopes. I was thankful for the heavy colourful wool blanket around my shoulders keeping me warm and protecting me from the icy wind. Hostal Inti Kala is a stone guest house, perched on the top of the 3810m high Isle De Sol or Sun Island, which is located on the southern shores of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. A few hours before I had landed on the island from a very windy, rough and slow boat trip out from Copacabana. The sun was shining, the lake crystal clear and choppy, so at times I wondered if the little blue and white fishing boat was going to make it. It had a faded grey canopy, worn and covered in small holes. Angelo, the fisherman taking us out there laughed jovially and continuously pointed out his favourite fishing spots and talked about the history of the area. According to Inca legend, the god who created the universe, arose from Lake Titicaca and created the Sun, near where Isla Del Sol is situated. Finally, the boat docked at Yumani and I started the climb up the thousand steps, towards the little guest house which perched at the top of the island. At altitude, it was a slow and often breathless walk, passing guest houses, small restaurants, shops and llamas. Above me, the trees had started to swing with the increasing wind and the sky was now streaked with wispy grey cirrus clouds. A little girl with braids was walking with her family ahead and she turned to give me a shy smile as she hid behind her mother’s brightly coloured skirts, her dark eyes dancing cheekily as the wind whipped up small puffs of dirt around our feet. Cholas walked their heavily laden brown donkeys down the hill past us as we neared the top of the steps. The lake below was now awash with whitecaps, the sky above me had darkened and the clouds had become thick and dark. The wind welcomed me with an icy, cold burst. The guest house was at the end of the path and we were welcomed by Luis and Maria with a warm smile, a firm handshake and some sweet biscuits. The view, the storm, the warm blanket and hearing Luis’s stories about the history of the island and the Inca ruins nearby that I was going to visit tomorrow was a fitting finish to a glorious day!