“The origin of the
[Inca] empire…[tells of] a time of darkness and a great flood sent to the world
by the creator Wiracocha. Taking pity on
the earth, Wiracocha stood on an island in [Lake] Titicaca and flung into the
sky the sun, moon, and all the stars.
Then he ordered these heavenly bodies to populate the land. The Sun, lord of the universe, dispatched his
son Manco Capac, and the Moon gave her daughter Mama Occlo to be his
bride. Together they emerged from the
waters of Titicaca, from the islands of the Sun and the Moon, and bearing a
golden staff, began a great odyssey.
Their instructions were to search the world, probing the earth with
their staff, until they found a place that would accept it. There they were to establish their kingdom.
“For years they wandered, escorted each day by wild geese,
each night by condor. Finally, at the base of a mountain known as Wanakauri,
the ground swallowed the staff and a rainbow rose in the sky. Manco Capac called upon the local people to
abandon their nakedness, their diet of wild seeds, their wretched lives to
follow him into the valley where the imperial capital of Cusco would be built.
Manco Capac, son of the Sun, became the first Inca, taking his coya, or queen, his sister, the daughter
of the Moon. Thus from its mythological
inception the empire was inspired by the gods, the Inca, his family, and all
his offspring were known to be divine.” (David, Wade. 1996. One River)
We had run out of time to head south, as Claire and I were
hoping to make it to Cusco in less than a week.
We took the overnight bus north from Cochabamba to La Paz, where we
spent one night at a discount hotel 8 blocks from the bus station. While in La Paz, we walked around the markets
and stalls and took in the sights of a clean and beautiful city. La Paz is
situated in an uneven mountain valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains of
varying slopes, heights, and geographies. The houses of La Paz are built
ambitiously at all angles and all heights, climbing the slopes which surround the
city with what appears to be increasing desperation the further the eye climbs.
In the backstreets we found the ‘market of the witches’ where we found for sale
all kinds of traditional medicines from herbs to llama fetuses. We walked south almost half the city, and
made a visit to our new friend Pablo, who shared with us spectacular views of
the mountainous city and his collection of paintings he was creating to make
his living. We had a wonderful dinner at his apartment, and spoke with a few
Frenchmen that his roommate was entertaining.
By 9 o’clock, Claire and I were exhausted from the night bus the
previous evening (and the fact that it was our usual bedtime).
The next morning we took a bus to Copacabana – a once-small
town on the edge of Lake Titicaca, grown larger and brighter on account of the
tourists who visit there. It was from
this town, where we would spend only one night, that we would take a boat to
visit the Island of the Sun and hopefully the Island of the Moon. Not only are these islands the mythological
birthplace of the Incan Empire, they are rumored to be the new center of
Kundalini Energy for the Earth. While in
Copacabana, we ran into an old acquaintance from Hawaii, named Molly Jane, whom
we had met in Cusco. She had just returned
from the islands, and over a meal of freshly cooked trout and enough rice to
feed a family, she gave us some pointers and we talked about our travels.
We headed to the islands the next day prepared with more
accurate information, and thus, our tent.
We bought tickets directly to the Island of the Moon, which is
significantly less visited, and also much smaller. The boat accommodated about 50 tourists, most
of whom (including us) sat on benches fastened to the roof, where the lake and
the sky competed for the truest shade of blue.
Our route took us directly past the Island of the Sun after about 1.5
hours, where we dropped all but 2 customers.
Then came the haggling and debate, for although we had paid the tour
company to take us to the Island of the Moon, the driver was subcontracted, and
didn’t want to drive the hour-long trip for so few people. After finding a few more interested parties,
and firmly but kindly insisting that the Moon was our destination, we set off.
When we arrived, the ‘Capitan’ told us we had 40 minutes to
see the island, and then we would leave.
I don’t know how the rest of the passengers saw the place in such a
short time, but we were lucky to have more time. We walked past the Temple of the Virgins,
which we would explore later with fewer tourists around, and walked to the peak
of the island. The view was
breathtaking, as was the altitude.
Against the backdrop of the island, which included mostly high-savannah
shrubs and a few groves of eucalyptus trees, sits the massive lake of Titicaca,
with snow-capped glaciers overlooking the scene. We headed to the back of the island, where we
found the ‘town’ - about 15 families, all with houses closely gathered, and
some sheep and llamas roaming about. We
spoke with a kind woman, who sold us a few supplies and let us know that her
son could rent us blankets. We inquired
with the son about blankets, and he let us know it would be no problem, and
that there was a beautiful camping spot on the south side of the island where
we could pitch the tent.
We also inquired about some trout meat, as one of the main
activities of the village (which has a population of about 80) is raising trout
in submerged mesh cages for sale to the mainland. He asked us to return in the evening, and
promised to take us out and show us his operation. After setting up camp and gathering enough
wood for what was sure to be a cold night (temperatures reached about 40 F (5 C)) we returned. We found the man’s wife, who was there with
her young son sifting, drying, and preparing the trout food. We learned the trout food was actually small,
pulverized ocean fish shipped from Peru and then mixed with wheat and other
carbohydrates. The trout, originally
introduced in 1939, thrive in both captivity and wild in the lake, but have
preyed to extinction many of the local species, few of which grew bigger than a
human hand. Since that time, trout have
grown in demand in many markets throughout Bolivia and Peru.
The woman and her child took us on a rowboat 10 meters offshore,
where we dropped the dried food into the cages and watch the swirl and bubble
of activity as the trout surfaced and ravished the offerings with the sound and
appearance of boiling pasta. Then, as we
reached the last cage housing the largest trout, the women dipped a net in and
pulled out three trout with such ease that a passing thought of the futility of
my fly fishing efforts passed through my mind.
We thanked her for the experience, during which we chatted about her
family, their history, the town, and the tranquility of life on the Island of
the Moon. The family, as the community,
is heavily rooted in traditional Inca and Aymara beliefs, including the worship
of Pachamama – who represents the divine mother nature.
We headed back to camp, and made it just in time to see the
sun color the sky and the peaks of the distant mountains as it took its leave
from the day. We spent the night roasting trout over a fragrant fire of
eucalyptus wood, drinking eucalyptus tea, and enjoying freshly boiled Quinoa.
When we awoke, the sun was rising directly over the peaks of the highest
mountains, and we stayed snuggled in the warmth of the tent.
By midday, the relentless sun was bearing down, and it was
warm enough to take a dip in the icy waters of the lake to refresh. We spent most of the day relaxing, basking,
taking in the energy of the place and the peacefulness of the waves lapping
against the shore. We decided to spend
another night, and the morning provided us the opportunity to buy some wild
fish, caught in gill nets. We chatted
more with the people on the island, most of whom married others from villages
on the nearest shore, and nearly all of whom reported that their lives of
fishing, tending livestock, and cultivating left them happy and satisfied.
The next morning, we took our leave. Paying a small contribution for the blankets,
food and fish, we thanked our hosts and headed back to the front of the
Island. There, we investigated the
Temple of the Virgins. It was here the
Aymara culture (which predated the Incas) built a temple which housed prized
Virgin girls, who would come here to practice worship of the Sun.
From there, we caught a boat ride back to the Island of the
Sun. After another unpleasant encounter with the same boat captain (the only
unpleasant Bolivian we met in our travels) we arranged to be returned to shore
the same day. We had the opportunity to
soak up the energy of the lake and the islands so sacred to the Incas, and as
we passed towards the Island of the Sun, it was a truly magnificent
experience. The Island of the Sun was
much bigger, with numerous heritage sites, ruins, Eucalyptus forests – and,
consequentially – tourists. We enjoyed
our time as we climbed along the infamous ‘fountain of youth’ and took in the
beautiful Inca Gardens. Still, after
seeing a few hours of what the island had to offer, we were excited that we had
chosen to spend most of our time in the relative isolation of the Island of the
Moon.
After the boat ride to Copacabana, we hopped on another night
bus towards Cusco. There, at the heart
of the Inca Empire, we would finish our whirlwind trip of Peru and Bolivia, and
return to Ecuador.
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