El Lago de Titicaca

As the world continued to turn, Señor Hans decided to stand still for a while. It seemed even his near limitless energy capacity needs to be refilled once in a while.

And I must say, there could hardly be a better spot to do it then at the Titicaca lake, the very birthplace of the sun and the moon. A sixth floor hotel room in Copacabana with pristine lake views was all that was required for a relaxing and invigorating few days.

The lake itself is mesmerising. Once it has drawn your eyes, it is impossible to look away. The water is a deep blue, almost going to purple, changing during the day as the sun plays around with it. The lake seems to go into the infinite, the only thing you can see are the clouds forming over the lake or on the distant shores, preparing for their daily finale of thunder and lightning.

Many strange and wonderful creatures come to see this natural wonder: the Bolivians themselves who never see the sea and choose to peddle the water in little boats; the hippies that line Copacabana´s main street trying to sell their wares; the local pilgrims coming to see the holy virgin, to climb the holy hill and then throw their plastic bottles all over it; the fashionably correct gringos and of course the not so fashionably correct gringos (like Señor Hans).

To top it off I met Mathilde and Rachel, two strange and wonderful maidens of France, and the three of us set out for La Isla del Sol, the sacred and peaceful Inca island in the lake. We walked the length and breadth of the island showing off our interesting habits, like sneezing, standing cross-legged or taking pictures of every llama in sight. The volatility of the lake didn´t disappoint us as we had to run for cover in the evening ahead of the dark hail storm, our little hotel protecting us from the wrath of the Incas.

The next morning I regrettedly said adieu to my lovely companions and went on to La Paz. And a peculiar ferry service had to be overwon to get there, requiring the people to leave the bus and take a separate boat ... but look for yourself ... and my backpack was still on the bus !