At the bolivian and peruvian border.
A cholita (traditional bolivian woman), marching in a procession.
The Isla del Sol
The Isla del Sol
On the boat, on our way to the Isla del Sol
Traditional constructions on the Isla del Sol
Going from the southern part to the north in order to see the sunset on the lake Titicaca
The beautiful sunset
On our way back with flashlights
We are very close to the border with Peru, the Bolivia side so far does not seem much different but it is for sure cheaper! :-) On the island of the sun we are staying in an amazing room, with a 180 degree view of the eastern portion of the lake. From left to right, the small village of Yumani to the snowy mountains of the Cordillera Royale over the lake and ending with a view of the terraced farms in the south.
The view from our room
Just amazing! And we only paid 80 bolivianos which is equal to about 12 dollars :-) This morning we even got to watch the sunrise from our room :D
We are also very surprised about the food. Pizza seems to be peruvian and bolivian national food....It is everywhere! So here, on the islands, we have two options, fresh fish , old rice, fries and steamed carrots or pizza.
After we came back from Machu Picchu (18 July), we stayed in Cusco for one and a half weeks longer. Partially it was because we wanted to take some spanish classes for one more week but also because I got very sick and had to stay in bed for 4 days straight. For us Cusco is not associated with too many good memories...we were very happy to leave this town!
In the center of Cusco, the Independence day at the main square- the Plaza de Armas
Traditional women coming from the country side every day and making money by
letting tourists take a picture with them and their dressed goats.
A day excursion in the sacred valley.
Here in the Salineras, where the natural, very salted water creates salt pools
filled with water and after a while, only salt.
People working at their pools
Ollataytambo, the only town in the sacred valley that kept its Inca architecture.
On the left, Inca's ruins and on the right a traditional boot selling handcrafts.
In the center of the amazing village.
We liked it a lot!
The traditional Peruvian drink: Inca Kola!
The only soda that coca cola could not beat.
The traditional Peruvian drink: Inca Kola!
The only soda that coca cola could not beat.
To help me get a little bit better, from Cusco we decided to go to Arequipa, the second biggest city of Peru located much closer to the sea and therefore having a much warmer weather. It was perfect. We liked Arequipa a lot because it has a very nice and old downtown, where we watched the election of Miss Arequipa. What a great show! From Arequipa many people decide to go to the Canon de Colca, a place we decided to skip as it was not recommended by the back packers we met along the way. It is the second deepest canon in the World but supposedly it also looks like a valley and is surrounded by bare mountains. The only thing that seemed interesting in the canon de Colca was to see the magnificent Condors, which are sacred animals of the Incas. But the 10 hour drive didnt deem worth the fuss. We are going to try to see those pretty birds in Bolivia.
Instead though we went to visit the Santa Catalina convent in the middle of the city where for 400 years nuns lived completely isolated from the outside world and not permitted to leave the 2000 square meter of the convent. It was like a city within a city. Girls would enter at the age of 12 and were segregated by social class. Depending on their status, they would have worse or nicer cells sometimes including servants. It was very interesting to see this unique place.
The entrance to the Santa Catalina convent, where the nuns could onlt talk to each other while working (sawing)
Inside of a private apartment, the kitchen
The central fountain where the nuns where meeting on Sundays
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