From Copacabana, we took an hour plus boat ride out into Lake Titicaca in a steady rain. But before we arrived at the Isla del Sol, the rain stopped and the sun came out. The Island of the Sun is located in the Bolivian portion of the lake. Archeological evidence suggests that it has been inhabited since the third millennium BC. It features over 80 Inca ruins, agricultural terraces, ancient ruins, and a rich cultural heritage. The island is only about 5.5 square miles.

Our guide said that, according to Andean legend, gods rose from the waters of the lake to found the Incan Empire. I was quite amazed to think that the Incan empire started on an island in the middle of Lake Titicaca, but hey, when gods are involved, who knows what to expect.

Our first stop on the island was to see the Temple of the Sun. Our guide called it the Pilko Kaina archeological site. It's an Incan site including the palace-like temple dedicated to the sun god, Inti. You can see the temple of the sun as we approached the island and again, after we climbed up to the temple level. You might also notice that the hillsides around the temple were once extensively terraced.

Our guide said that the temple of the sun had 173 gold statues and idols installed in it, from quite small to human-size. The Spaniards eventually arrived here and stole all the golden statues and idols, melted them down, and sent the gold back to the King of Spain. Too bad for the Spaniards, I discovered that they left the most valuable one, right in place. Actually, it appears to have slipped down a bit.

We left the temple on our boat and made the short trip to Yumani, one of the two largest villages on the island. The Island of the Sun has no vehicles of any kind. It has boats and footpaths for the roughly 800 families that live on the island. At Yumani, we discovered that they do have some help with transportation.

We ate lunch at the Yumani Restaurant. We had an "Apphapi" lunch, which means a native sharing meal. It was fresh trout, chicken, two types of potatoes corn, fava beans, quinoa fritters, homemade cheese, condiments, drinks, and an orange for dessert.