The Floating Lake

Fifteen of us went to Lake Titicaca over the weekend thanks to Andrea and Brandon’s awesome planning. We rode a bus for several hours on Saturday morning and then crossed the lake on a boat to Isla del Sol. The lake and island are high, high up, about 4500 meters I would guess. They call it the floating lake. The lake is surrounded by mountains capped with snow and the moon rises at 4 in the afternoon. The sun is strong and the sky is absolutely cloudless, a harsh cold wind stirs the dusty heat enveloping the Incan ruins scattered along the slopes of the mountain. We hiked up to our lodge and spent the night recovering from the trip. The greatest part of the weekend was sitting under the stars, wrapped in blankets and talking until dinner time. The night sky was a clean, pure black and the stars hung low, burning bright over our heads. The immense quiet was broken only by laughter and voices in conversation. The night was freezing cold but by early morning the sun had baked the dry air completely. Up in these mountains, the breathtaking beauty is preserved by harsh extremes, a great place to see but an inhospitable home for visitors.