Idols in the form of crosses high on a mountain outside of La Paz. Remains of many small sacrifices can be seen, including of alcohol, cigarettes, food, and small animals. Altitude: >14,000 ft.
Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. The Island of the Sun and the Island of the Moon can be seen out in the lake. In Andean folklore this is where the first man and woman came from.
This is how the buses get across Lake Titicaca - by ferry. Not very secure ones at that. The passengers recently refused to get off the bus while crossing and the whole thing tipped over in the lake.
This is the home of a master builder of reed boats on Lake Titicaca. He helped build a couple of large ones that actually crossed oceans.
This is a typical busy market day in a small town. Hundreds of trucks arrive with their produce to sell and park anywhere they can find space.
And if a truck tire gives out on the trip, not to worry - just wrap a piece of old car tire around the weak area. I think they get away with this sort of thing because of the slow speeds.
Houses made of adobe with no reinforcement are sure victims in earthquakes, such as here in Aiquile where the Benders live. Fortunately, their own house was farther from the epicenter and didn't sustain much damage.
Another scene from the Aiquile quake in May 1999. This was part of a centuries old cathedral that had to be demolished after the quake. Over 200 people died in the earthquake, most when their adobe houses and tile roofs fell in on them. New houses that are being built are now reinforced with concrete and have sheet metal roofs.
High and dry country on the backside of Mt. Tunari near Cochabamba. Our Landcruiser is in mid-upper photo. That's as far as we could drive to a village, then we walked two more hours.
High above the Cochabamba valley at close to 13,000 ft.
A high lake, on Mt. Tunari. Some of these lakes are stocked with trout which is quite an expensive delicacy in the cities.
Inca ruins near Cochabamba. This is thought to be an ancient fortress overlooking and controlling all traffic through the Cochabamba valley. Niches in the inner walls are said to have been for various images of Inca gods.
When the land slides it often takes the roads, too. This particular landslide cut off our access to the city of Sucre from our first house there.
A house of rock and thatch, very common in the highland areas.
