Day 76 - Copacabana, Bolivia

Tuesday, 28 October 2014

This morning I headed straight to the local market for breakfast. It was a good thing I was hungry, because the local breakfast is really like lunch, I ordered chicken and what arrived was chicken in some sort of sauce, a salad, rice and French fries. And I was right, the food did taste better than in the touristic restaurants. After such a heavy breakfast I just had to have coffee, so I did.

Then I headed out to my first destination of the day, a place called Horca del Inca. This required climbing up a hill which is approximately 300 metres high. I am really no good with high altitude, it took me forever to climb up this small hill! And it is really the altitude and nothing else, because I never had any problems trekking in the Amazon jungle and walking everywhere in Argentina and Brazil. But I recall having similar problems when I was on the Amantani and Taquille Islands in Lake Titicaca, Peru.

Anyway, finally I arrived at my destination. The Horca del Inca is a place on the top of the hill where there are 2 large stones facing each other with a gap in between. The Incas placed another stone over both these 2 stones, and they used to either sit or stand on this stone to watch the movement of the sun and stars, mainly for agricultural purposes. This was an observatory and an important place for the Incas because they were very dependent on agriculture and crops, and sometimes they performed sacrifices and other ceremonial rites there in order to get good crops.

When the Spanish came to Bolivia, and they found out that this was an important place for the Incas, they hung many Incas at this same place, using the stone put over the 2 large stones as the place of hanging. Quite creepy but I didn't feel haunted because there were beautiful views of Lake Titicaca and the small city of Copacabana from up this hill. 

I found out later from my hotel reception that you are actually required to pay to go up Horca del Inca, but I did not see anyone guarding this place when I ascended and descended the hill, the so I guess it must have been my lucky day.

After I came down the hill, I saw a sign that said 'Asiento del Inca' or seat of the Incas and I followed the signboard to this place. This is a wide open space with rock formations at one side, with what appears to be seats. There were many of these rock seats, so I gathered that this must have been a meeting place for all the important Inca leaders to discuss important things, or perhaps to make important announcements to the public. Without a guide, it is difficult to know for sure. 

Anyway, when I arrived at this place, I found the gates locked, and there was a wire fence all around this place, and no one in sight except for another tourist. We had no idea how to get in, and then I discovered a hole in a part of the wire fence, and we used this way to crawl into the complex. Here we took all kinds of funny pictures, including one of me pretending to meditate on one of the Inca thrones. 

After this I was hungry again, I think due to the climb up Horca del Inca, so I headed back to the local market to eat. Just outside the market there was a lady selling 2 kinds of fruit juices in glasses, with pieces of the fruits in the glass. One juice was pineapple, but the other I did not recognize so I bought a glass. It is a fruit called durazno, it tastes nice but I had no idea what fruit that was. Then lunch, fried trout with salad and rice. 

Then I walked up this other hill called Calvario, where apparently the view of the sunset is amazing. There are 12 crosses along the way up this hill, and you are supposed to place a stone at the base of the cross and make a wish as you ascend. I made all sorts of wishes, including that I would have a helicopter to transport me to the top of the hill because I was really having great difficulties with the altitude. But of course. No helicopters for me. Good luck and wishes coming true just do not happen to me. And would you believe, from half way across town until I reached the peak, there was a black and white dog following me. I have a picture of this dog as proof.

Finally I reached the top, and they were right, whoever they are. The view of the sunset over Lake Titicaca is amazing. I waited until the sun completely set, then made my way back down. I always think going up is the most difficult part, but coming down, whilst easier on your lungs and legs, is always a lot trickier, especially when the walkway is made of uneven stones. When I reached town I was still feeling full so I just had a beer and then retired for the night.