1992 Bolivia

HIGHLIGHT: Lake Titicaca is immense and clear and blue and cold. From Copacabana on its western shores I went by boat with a group of Brits to visit the Island of the Sun – the “birthplace” of the sun and the original Incas. The island is covered in ancient Inca terraces and a couple of Inca ruins – not quite as spectacular as the surrounding scenery, but lovely nonetheless. Across the lake, snowcapped peaks. On the island stone walls around mustard and green fields. A long white beach where an Indian woman washed her sheep under the blue sky. And the wonderful company of some wonderful people.

From Huatajata on its eastern shores I went by boat with a British couple to visit the tiny island of Suruqui. It was here that Thor Heyerdahl found master boat-builders to construct the totoro reed boat for one of his expeditions (not quite sure which one as all the information we received was in Spanish and I haven’t been to the library yet to find out more). We met the son of one of the builders who was designing a new reed boat for an expedition (with Heyerdahl’s navigator I think he said) later this year.