We arrived on the shores of Isla del Sol at the Escalera y Fuente del Inca, or the Inca Staircase and Fountain, a series of Inca stonework directing a natural spring through a series of water gardens. The fountain is still a main water source for the islanders, and I saw many people filling up huge jugs at the fountain. On my way out the next day, I saw a boy coming up the hill leading a donkey and a llama weighed down with water jugs.
Life on Isla del Sol is simple, pastoral...I felt myself immediately gone back in time. There are no cars or roads on the island, and no logical city plans, so the result is a maze of dirt paths and cluttered houses and pastures and gardens guarded by rock walls. I climbed halfway up the hill to the town of Yumani, then for some reason felt compelled to continue northward for 40 more minutes of exploration. Along the way, I saw many different kinds of farm animals, and Bolivians herding sheep, donkeys and llama or tending their plots of land. Almost the entire area surrounding Yumani is terraced, which, in contrast to the deep blue of the lake and the distant Andes peaks, made for more spectacular scenery.
Looking towards the Escalera and Fuente.
The Andes in the distance.
Isla del Sol terracing.
Farm animals!
This is the greatest donkey I ever met.
My stomach soon led me to abandon my wanderings in search of lodging and sustenance. Returning toward Yumani, I began to ascend again, puffing and sweating. I was heading towards a promising looking hostel, when I encountered a young boy who tried to persuade me to come to his family's hostel. Since I really didn't have any plans, I impulsively decided to follow the kid, and ended up trailing him to the top of the hill. I ended up being really glad I did, because the view from the top of the ridge was incredible. You could see down both sides of the island. I dumped my stuff in the room and went out for another simple trout lunch.The view to the west of my hostel.
After lunch, I set out walking again to the nearby ruins of the Inca palace of Pilko Kaina. Isla del Sol is important to many of the pre-Colombian indigenous groups, including the Inca, as the site of their creation myth. According to legend, the sun was born on the island, and the sun's wife, the moon, was born on nearby Isla de la Luna. When you see the beauty of these places in person, the legends almost seem plausible. The walk was pleasant and I was given further opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the island. The palace itself was really cool. The Inca were masters of trapezoidal architecture, so their doors, windows, and walls slightly slant upward. I really enjoyed exploring the palace, which was deserted, and marveling at the antiquity of the structure I was standing in. Most of the doorways were really small, and I had to stoop and sometimes nearly crawl to get into some of the rooms.
The site as seen from my retreat.
After all my hiking around the island, I was exhausted, and decided to go to bed early with the intention of getting up early the next day to hike three hours to the north of the island to view a more extensive ruins site. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, I suffered an incredible low bloodsugar, which resulted in me devouring a package of crackers. This ended up being a fatal incident, since I spilled cracker crumbs all over the floor. I awoke later to an unsettling rustle, turned on my flashlight and found myself looking into the beady eyes of a very frightened mouse. It scurried under the door, and that was the end of my good night's sleep. In addition, I woke up with a very high bloodsugar, crabby and feeling a little hung over and dehydrated from the high. That put an abrupt end to my plans for hiking to the north. I could have taken a boat, but after my skirmish with the mouse, I was kind of over Isla del Sol and ready to head back to Copa. There were still more sites to see there, and I figured I would see enough ruins in Peru that I could deal without the sites awaiting me in the north. On the boat back, I sat with an American couple (Americans are rare in Bolivia!) probably about 5-10 years younger than my parents, and we talked the whole way. They ended up treating me to breakfast! A nice breakfast at a nice hotel. This fueled me a bit for my final day in Copa. 
Saying goodbye to the Fuente del Inca.
After lunch, I set out walking again to the nearby ruins of the Inca palace of Pilko Kaina. Isla del Sol is important to many of the pre-Colombian indigenous groups, including the Inca, as the site of their creation myth. According to legend, the sun was born on the island, and the sun's wife, the moon, was born on nearby Isla de la Luna. When you see the beauty of these places in person, the legends almost seem plausible. The walk was pleasant and I was given further opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the island. The palace itself was really cool. The Inca were masters of trapezoidal architecture, so their doors, windows, and walls slightly slant upward. I really enjoyed exploring the palace, which was deserted, and marveling at the antiquity of the structure I was standing in. Most of the doorways were really small, and I had to stoop and sometimes nearly crawl to get into some of the rooms.My path to the ruins.
The site as seen from my retreat.
After all my hiking around the island, I was exhausted, and decided to go to bed early with the intention of getting up early the next day to hike three hours to the north of the island to view a more extensive ruins site. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, I suffered an incredible low bloodsugar, which resulted in me devouring a package of crackers. This ended up being a fatal incident, since I spilled cracker crumbs all over the floor. I awoke later to an unsettling rustle, turned on my flashlight and found myself looking into the beady eyes of a very frightened mouse. It scurried under the door, and that was the end of my good night's sleep. In addition, I woke up with a very high bloodsugar, crabby and feeling a little hung over and dehydrated from the high. That put an abrupt end to my plans for hiking to the north. I could have taken a boat, but after my skirmish with the mouse, I was kind of over Isla del Sol and ready to head back to Copa. There were still more sites to see there, and I figured I would see enough ruins in Peru that I could deal without the sites awaiting me in the north. On the boat back, I sat with an American couple (Americans are rare in Bolivia!) probably about 5-10 years younger than my parents, and we talked the whole way. They ended up treating me to breakfast! A nice breakfast at a nice hotel. This fueled me a bit for my final day in Copa. Walking to the docks.
Saying goodbye to the Fuente del Inca.
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