Lake Titicaca

On January 2, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America6 Comments

Whether visiting Peru or Bolivia, it is definitely worth taking the time to visit Lake Titicaca. The lake extends into both countries and has several islands with Incan ruins that are thousands of years old. Obviously, we visited from the Bolivian side of the lake and we visited both Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) as well as Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon), which were fascinating. There are several tour companies that will take you out to the islands via boat or hydrofoil and it is even possible to spend the night on Sun Island. Our trip out onto the lake started out a little choppy as a single rain cloud seemed to follow us out to the island. We even saw a waterspout at one point and had to take cover inside of the cabin of the boat. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, words that have two T’s, we decided to look back on our time on Lake Titicaca. We saw many interesting things during our time in Bolivia, but visiting the ruins on the lake was certainly one of the highlights of our time there.

Temple on Sun Island with Moon Island in the Distance on Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Do Animals Smile?

On October 12, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America5 Comments

Probably anyone who has ever had pets would agree that animals definitely show emotion, but do they smile? One look at animals will remove any doubt as to whether they actually do smile. They most certainly do smile and they do it quite often. This week’s Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge is the letter H with a topic of Happy. One of our favorite memories of visiting Sun Island on Lake Titicaca in Bolivia was of a llama that was curiously observing us as we walked among the ruins. The question isn’t really whether he was smiling, but what was he thinking of us? Did he just think we were strange looking creatures that didn’t belong on his island?

Walking in the Steps of the Incan Empire

On August 29, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Photo Challenge, South America9 Comments

During our trip to Bolivia, we truly enjoyed visiting Incan ruins such as Incallajta and Tiwanaku. We learn so much about the ancient civilizations of Rome and Egypt, but very little is taught in schools about the Inca and the empire that they created in South America. Its size and political systems rivaled any other empire of the early 16th century. While we were in the ruins of Incallajta, we walked the same paths that the guards walked around the ancient city as they protected it from rival tribes that lived in the forests. Since there were no other tourists at the site and it was just us and our guide walking the trails, it was especially awe-inspiring. We climbed to about 11,000 feet (about 3,350 meters) where we had a spectacular view of the entire complex. Join us on the trails of the ancient Inca and walk with us as we traverse the outer wall of the ancient city of Incallajta.