Today I got to “sleep in” a little, until 7:30, for an 8:30 ferry to Isla del Sol. I rushed to get a sandwich and catch the ferry. The ferry stopped at the middle of the island, where bathrooms and sandwiches were available – I guess they’ve got this figured out. The stop was also where they charged an entrance fee (B$15) for the island, the first of many. Unfortunately at this point it was also 10:30 already, when I was told we would arrive at the north side.
When we got to the destination it turned out there was a short tour included, except it was neither included nor all that short. The guide let us go at nearly 12:30 and asked for B$10 “for the information,” which, by the way, was in Spanish only. He spoke clearly but quickly and with an accent, his first language being Armará, and I found it difficult to understand his lecture.
The tour left me only 3 of the promised 5 hours to explore the island before the 3:30 ferry departure. The guide said it was only a 2.5 hour walk, but I was skeptical. Still, I went to explore to the north instead of heading immediately to the south, then took a side path to one of the towns to visit a museum housing the finds from Titicaca’s Atlantis. The views from the island were indeed spectacular, and it was well worth the visit. However, when I got to the first town the hike got a lot more intense than the relaxing stroll I expected.
A local man was trying to communicate to two non-Spanish-speaking travelers that they would not make it to their 3 o’clock ferry and that they should pay him (B$250!) to get them there in time. In recruiting me to translate he told me the same: it was another 2.5 hour walk, it was already 2 o’clock, and the last ferry was at 4. Since I hadn’t planned on staying on the island, it was time to forget the museum and run. Rushing over the hills past the gorgeous scenery and cute towns, I made it at 3:59. My ferry had left and I was instructed to buy another ticket from another company. The other two made it just in time as the boat departed a few minutes later. The rush made for an exciting day, but I should have followed the Lonely Planet’s advice to stay on the island – the ferries don’t give nearly enough time to explore in one day.
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Copyright 2015 CC-BY-SA
Costs
Cost today: $37.00