Isla del Ice, Hail and Wind

Yes exactly what you read - for the first time in many of years (thousands they tell us) , the Island of the Sun - Isla del Sol - was visited by 2 very important personas, who with them brought the wind... the ice... the hail... and the no-electricity!

It all started on a sunny day in Copacabana... Bolivia, at 4000+ meters on the shores of lake Titicaca. Michael and Mor, our 2 heroes, set sail on a good ferry to the Island of the Sun. The lake was calm, the sun was warm, and the captains were sober. All seemed good as our brave adventures set foot at the ¨Escaleras del Inca¨ (the Inca steps - all 1000 of them - thank goodness for the raising of the lake that covered 700 of them!).

.............. to make a looooooooong story short - that night the island was hailing, crazy wind and amazingly cold. Then one of them had a cold the next day... but on day three they conquered the island! Yes, after a three hour hike to the north they found the Sacred Rock of the Incas from whence the first Inca sprung, and they sailed back to Copacabana. But the sea gods were not done with our interepid heroes...

After an hour of smooth sailing the skies began to darken... the lake began to swell... and a torrent of rain and wind assaulted the vessel of our dynamic duo. The engines of the boat sputtered as the captains turned the twin outboard motors of the ship into the nearest port. The brave passengers disembarked on a small stone outcropping and began to hike. Ten minutes in the rain and the mud, ladden with their muchillas (backpacks) they trod. Soon they came upon a road where a van was awaiting them. The whole boat piled in. The windows fogged, and the vehicle groaned under the heavy burden of so many passengers. Slowly they scraped their way back toward Copacabana.

An hour and a half boat ride had now turned into a three hour adventure. A stranded group of Bolivianos began singing the theme to La Isla Del Giligan. But finally the van arrived in town, just a block away from the famed cathedral that had blessed it on some Sunday. (Yes they get their cars blessed by the priest on Saundays!).

Our heroes departed in search of warm showers... cold, wet, muddy, but in good spirits eager to tell the tail of their wondrous adventure.