We woke unhealthily early this morning to travel out by boat to the Uros Islands, which are based on Lago de Titicaca, and hour from Puno. These floating, unsecured islands were originally made by a group of local Uros people trying to escape the Spanish pillage during the conquest in the C16th.
However, they are now occupied by a group of PEruvians who remain seperate and detached from the rest of the Peruvian mainland and society by choice. The Islands, which are handmade using water reeds, are approximately two metres deep, can feature communities of over 100 people, and can float around huge Lake Titicaca (150km by 70km) at will! The houses on the islands are also make from the lake´s reeds, as are the handicrafts which you can buy on the island. As there is little to do, days are spent fishing, cooking, socialising, and making amazing crafts and tapestries from the lake´s resources. VERY occasionally, these islanders visit the mainland for food supplies etc.
Following this amazing visit, we boarded a mini-bus for the Bolivian border. On the way, we stopped at a huge cattle-trading market, which supposedly supplies all the cattle for western Bolivia and Peru. I have never seen so many livestock in one place at one time! A couple of cows, however, had obviously decided to make a run for it, and we passed them walking along about 5 km further up the highway!
During the drive, we also passed an incredible number of combi vans crammed full of locals, likely travelling to and from the border for trade etc. Not only were they sandwiched inside the vehicles, but some were also perched on the roofs!
After a reasonably smooth border crossing, and a thorough checking of our bags for marijuana, we arrived in Copacabana. This Bolivian town, set on Lake Titicaca on the bolivian side, is the closest Ive seen to ´The Med´in South America. It caters for two things: Tourists, and....pilgrimmages! Apparently, the town is the home of the Virgin Mary, the ´Virgin of Copacabana´. I am not sure why exactly, yet the Bolivians obviously know, as they travel from all across the country to visit the little town. However, it is not only they who come to be blessed. They also have ceremonies where they decorate their cars in flowers, and a local priest comes and very solemnly blesses the cars! This includes saying a quiet prayer whilst touching the car, then dousing it with ´holy water´. However, the craziness does not end there. Locals also buy miniature toy objects from stalls which represent what they desire to have, and then put them in a holy shrine at home, and pray to them! Such toys include plastic money (for wealth), plastic taxis (for those who want to drive a taxi), plastic doll-houses (for those who want their own home, and tiny tiends (shops) made of paper and plastic, featuring even miniature groceries on their shelves (for those who want to own a store)! There were many more such cheap kitschy trinkets, including tiny suitcases with foreign money, miniature passports, mini visas etc (for those who want to travel) - Mum actually bought one of those for amusement value. I contemplated buying a miniature imitation university diploma, as I wish to study on my return to Australia. I couldnt, however, bring myself to do so with a straight face, and did not wish to offend the locals, who take this custom VERY seriously!
Another method of praying for something at Copacabana is by entering the Catacombs next to the church, which feature a small kitschy shrine to the virgin mary. You then light a candle, and, using the melted wax, paint a picture of what you want on the walls, whilst praying. Therefore, the catacomb walls are COVERED in wax images of houses, taxis, pregnant women etc. - Absolutely fascinating, as I have seen nothing like it before! Given my non-Bolivian-Catholic beliefs however, I had great difficulty taking the whole town and its strange rituals seriously. To Bolivians, however, including our well-educated tour guide, such sacred rituals are key to their quasi-Catholic faith.
That day, we also visited by boat, the Isla Del Sol, named so by the Incas who settled here for a brief period. The Island, which is inhabited by 3,000 people, divided between three small towns, was fascinating. Ancient traditions and the pace of life remains as it did 300 years ago, and old women with donkeys and huge packs full of grains and mais still cart their produce up the islands steep hills to trade. We were also lucky enough to witness a huge fiesta on the island, which involved locals dancing joyously in elaborate animal costumes to traditional music. It was a Sunday, and practically the whole island population was there! When we asked what the festival celebrated, we were a little surprised by the answer. This year, six students had passed their final year at school, as opposed to four the year before, and this was cause for an absolutelyt mamoth, expensive and breathaking festival! I was impressed to see, however, that education is valued.
Nevertheless, this does not prevent teachers, and all other professionals and workers in Bolivia, from striking over the most trivial thing. Bolivians are highly politically active, and have seen 6 presidents in the last 6 years, due to civil unrest. Our guide told us that High school consists of 202 school days. Whilst it is supposed to finish in early November, the school year finishes anywhere up to late December, depending how many teacher strikes there are in any given year. That means a possible of 1 1/2 months worth of strikes!!!!!!
After a fascinating and eye-opening day, we enjoyed a buffet dinner at our lovely hotel, Rosario Del Lago.
