The 8500 square kilometer lake spread before us like an ocean; the deep blue waters showing it's astonishing depth of 284 meters, the ice-capped peaks of the Cordillera Real mountain range looming in the northeast. Straddling the border of Bolivia and Peru and set at 3800m/12,600ft. above sea level, it's known as the world's highest navigable lake, so we navigated it by a local wooden boat, a tortora reed boat, a catamaran cruiser and a hydrofoil. And it was once we were on the lake that we discovered the real draw...the historical, sacred and spiritual world that can only be experienced on Lake Titicaca.

We spent three nights on Isla del Sol, the island of the sun, which only has a few rural villages spread out amongst steep Incan agricultural terraces and ruins. We were fascinated by the history of the Incas, who claim to have originated at Lake Titicaca, where they say their creator god brought forth the sun and the moon. We also found out about the lesser known Tiwanaku civilization, who lived long before the Incas and before Christ. Nowadays, Lake Titicaca remains the heartland of the Aymara indigenous people, whose culture and language have survived domination of both the Incas and the Spanish. On Isla del Sol, we witnessed the Aymaran's traditional lifestyle based on fishing, llama herding and agriculture, plus the modern business of making and selling llama and alpaca handicrafts to tourists (Brad scored an Alpaca sweater!).

We were impressed by how Bolivia and the lake could be experienced in comfort through La Paz's reputable tour companies, and three companies were eager to show us how special their part of the world is.

We were first taken onto Lake Titicaca by Transturin, who specialize in catamaran cruises. From the catamaran's cushy lounge and open deck, we soaked up the unspoilt beauty of the lake, dining and even sleeping on the luxurious boat. At Transturin's IntiWata complex on the island, we walked amongst native crops and grazing llamas, visited a cavernous museum, then were welcomed with a hillside spiritual ceremony that touched some of us to tears. The Aymara people took us on one of their boats made from tortora reeds and then on a couple of their smaller wooden boats across a rough bay to hike up to the labyrinth of La Chincana ruins. After walking back to the village via an old Inca trail, we had dinner with the four other Aussies on our tour, and were entertained by local dancers and pan flute musicians before retiring in our on board cabins.

In another type of tour, we had the chance to be whisked across Lake Titicaca at high speeds on the hydrofoil boats of Crillon Tours. These unique boats raise up on skis to easily speed over the top of choppy waters, and were a thrill to ride. We visited Crillon's Andean Roots Eco-Village in the lakeside town of Huatajata to learn more about the lake's history, native animals, boats and rituals, then cruised over to the Isla de la Luna, the island of the moon, to visit the Virgin Temple ruins. On Isla del Sol, we went inside the Pilkokaina ruins to imagine what it was like to live in Incan times, hiked up to an old lighthouse to watch the sunset, had a trout lunch at Uma Kollu restaurant with a view, and let donkeys take us to Crillon's La Posada del Inca Ecolodge. Sitting at the top of a hill, the lodge was nearly in the clouds, blending into the natural surrounds, with our adobe tower room overlooking the terraced island and mesmerizing lake. The tranquility and natural beauty of Isla del Sol kept us there for a third night, and we stayed at the Magriturismo owned La Estancia Ecolodge on a secluded piece of land, where from our solar heated room, spacious dining room and grassy terraces we relaxed and contemplated the magnificent scenery.

Both tours took us to Copacabana, a little town on the edge of Lake Titicaca with a huge cathedral which is Bolivia's most important Catholic pilgrimage site. We watched people decorate their cars in colorful streamers outside the cathedral to be blessed by priests for future safety, then wandered Copacabana's quaint streets, drinking the warm purple corn drink called Api, and relishing our time in Bolivia. Just a few kilometers away was the Peruvian border, where we would continue our journey. Our time in Bolivia was short but very sweet and we left mystified by this remote and exotic country.

Travelers Tips:
**Remember your Spanish when turning on the taps in the sink and shower. C is NOT cold, it's caliente, which means hot. F is for frio, or cold. The shower will usually need to run a full five minutes before the hot water starts.

**Bolivians are not known to be big bargainers, but when checking into a hostel or shopping for handicrafts, a friendly discount can usually be had if you ask nicely and can make the seller smile. Brad says that if it's a woman, just tell her how beautiful she is and the cheaper price is guaranteed!