Bolivia, Lake Titicaca, Isla de Sol

Click here to view all Isla de Sol photos
According to legend, Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) was the birthplace of the Incas. The story goes that creator god, Viracocha's children sprung from this small island on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca and went forth to found the Inca civilisation. Not much seems to have changed here since Inca times. Reed boats still float on the water, an original Inca stairway rises up from the pier to the island's peak, there are no cars or roads, and people still tend to the land using traditional techniques and wearing traditional dress. The major difference is the tourism, which the islanders have embraced with welcome arms. People jostle to sell you trinkets, accommodation or a photo of their llama, while kids as young as 3 or 4 are offered by parents as guides to the island. 'Don't talk to strangers' doesn't apply out here, instead the children seem to the ones doing most the work, which is sad but part of their culture. The other means of income is the vast expanse of Lake Titicaca. At an elevation of 3820m, Lake Titicaca is one of the world's highest navigable bodies of water and landlocked Bolivia's answer to an ocean. The lake is famous for its huge trout and the world's largest frogs. The name Titicaca means Grey Puma in Inca language, and if you look at a map of the lake, squint your eyes and use a hefty dose of imagination, it kind of looks like a leaping Puma - or at least did to the perhaps cactus-drugged person who named it. [Clare]