Bolivia Expedition Dispatch
June 13, 2011 – The Team Visits the Sun Island
Today our team had a busy day visiting Isla del Sol or Sun Island which is located in the southern part of Lake Titicaca. The island has no motor vehicles or paved roads and is inhabited by approximately 800 familes who are primarily farmers, but they also fish and provide services to tourists to increase their income. The island is covered in ruins that primarily date back to the Inca period around the 15th century, but the island has been inhabited since approximately 3000BC. The Incans believe that the sun was born here hence the name.
View from our bedrooms in Cobacabana
The team decided to stay on top of the boat to see the views and take photos. Bart, Jared, Lucas and Nathan.
Bart, Richard and Leila arriving on Isla de Sol, the Sun Island. It sure lived up to its sunny name today!
Ryan made a new friend.
Lucas, Ryan and Jared
Left: Saint Antonio is the guest of honor at this celebration.
Right: We found another party and this time Bart was there to enjoy it with us.
The group found a good spot to watch the festival.
Our new friend is the star of the show and dances in out front.
We sat down next to the band which was hard on the ears!
Beautiful dancing!
The dancers and dancing were so photogenic.
Then came the masked dancers.
They were equally as photogenic, but not as beautiful.
Team photo on Isla de Sol
The Connolly Clan
After the party, we kept walking and Teodoro taught us about the rituals of the Island. For example, a llama is killed once a year in September to ensure a good growing season.
We stopped for lunch in a beautiful location and experienced the local cuisine. The food arrived wrapped in fabric.
Nothing like a good siesta after the lunch
We left Sun Island with great memories and now we are ready to move to the mountains!