The day after visiting the Islands of the Sun and Moon we were supposed to travel on to Tiawanaco, the actual spot of the birthplace of humanity on Lake Titicaca. The original plan was to continue driving around the Lake with a stop in La Paz but the Bolivian boarder guards would not give Raul a permit for the car to go any further than Copacabana. They said we could drive out of Bolivia and a short distance to the other Lake boarder and re-enter there to get to Tiawanaco, avoiding La Paz.
All seemed just fine until we got to the other boarder, a chaotic, dusty town with the unfortunate unavoidable urine and exhaust fumes permeating our senses. Ah, the joys of travelling! Once again there were major issues with the car and Raul was not given a permit to re-enter so we all piled into tricycles and were pedalled across the boarder where we re-packed ourselves into another van, with a Bolivian driver and his wife who would take us to Tiawanaco....we thought.
Next thing I know Cristian is asking me to come with him and explain to the guards that he was our guide as they were detaining him. In the police office with Roberto and Cristian my childhood days in Argentina came flooding back to me. Men in uniform, armed, with no sense of humour and wanting my passport which I was clutching onto for my life. My mother had drummed it into me, “Never ever hand over your passport when in a third world country!” Apparently, we had left Bolivia illegally (and re-entered it!) because we had not handed in our little green slips of paper. No one at the boarder had ever asked for anything, but apparently it was up to us to know that we had to do that. They were about to charge each one of us 300 Boliviano’s and were very serious about the huge illegal mess we were in. There is no such thing as a simple “misunderstanding”. Roberto was being as charming as he usually is, but he was met only with extreme defensiveness and threats.
I don’t know how many times I said, “Tranquilo, tranquilo...” (be calm) and finally we were told we could drive back to the other boarder and hand in our green slips and then come back and re-enter Bolivia, officially. This was a big favour from the boarder guards I think. So I calmly informed everyone that as much fun as we had tricycling in and re-packing everything we were going to do it all again! We had a discussion and felt that Tiawanaco was simply not flowing for us and as it was already midday we decided we had had enough of Bolivia’s boarder issues and decided to return to Puno.
But first we had to go back to the boarder from whence we came. It became clear immediately that we were making the right decision as we looked up to find a double rainbow completely circling the sun! It was amazing! Most of us had never seen this before. It uplifted our spirits greatly and we drove on until finding a place for lunch, more trout and fried cheese with ridiculous amounts of rice and potatoes.
Finally we made it back to Puno first stopping in a little town with four huge churches, one of which we entered to find a group of grieving widows praying at the altar. Then we continued on to the Temple of Fertility. There in the middle of a playing field sat an ancient walled structure with giant phalluses outside of it and within the walls 45 - 50 penis statues either pointing up or pointing down into the earth. Pointing up to fertilise the people and pointing into the Pachamama to fertilise the earth. There was also a church next to the field that maintained a penis on the very top instead of a cross, knowing that this was a fertility temple and even the Spaniards understood that!
After a very childish photo session and expected laughter in such an abundantly alive place, we each chose a phallus to sit on and feel the energy and manifest what each of us want to fertilise or birth in our lives. It was quite fascinating sitting on a giant stone penis because all the energy was coming up and into me in the usual swirling fashion I often experience.
Finally we went back to our hotel and had a wonderful group jacuzzi session and a swim in the perfectly heated pool that was the right depth for more watsu floating in the water. All of us like children “oohing and ahhing” at the coloured lights changing and reflecting through the bubbling water. Roberto had never been in a jacuzzi and he found the whole experience brilliant.
Later that evening Dawn and I ventured out to the labyrinth on the grounds and with intention ran through it to the centre crystal and then ran out of it again, giggling and panting with the altitude. What a great meditation. We had to really focus to not trip over the stones in the multi-directional maze within the circle. Excellent. Maintaining our child-like state we snuck back into the jacuzzi and were busted immediately, but permitted to stay anyway. Children are in flow, they don’t worry about the “should’s and shouldn’t’s”. They just do what seems natural in the moment.
The next day we intended to go back out on the Lake to Amantani but the boats are so slow and it would have been too long of a journey so we reverted to sacred retail therapy instead! The markets in Puno by the Lake are absolutely wonderful and we were joyfully distracted for hours! Lunch followed before finally making our way back to the hotel for a closing ceremony in the labyrinth.
With intention we walked through it all the way to the center and sat in a small circle sharing our feelings about the trip. It was very emotional and everyone was crying at some point. We have had such a profound journey together and everyone’s lives have changed so deeply. We have all connected at a soul level with such love and understanding it has been absolutely beautiful. Roberto and I have formed a powerful teaching connection and everyone has held space for everyone else.
Our farewell slideshow courtesy of Cristian followed, then dinner and our gift giving ceremony which was very lovely. We had plans to set off early in the morning to catch our flight to Juliaca but we discovered over dinner that there was another PARO (strike) and it would be a strong one so we set off for the airport at 11:30 that night and upon arriving in Juliaca and not being allowed to enter the airport, Carlos found a hostel nearby and we all dropped into bed by 1:30 am only to be out the door again by 6am.
The consistent flexibility, good humour and no drama of this group never ceases to amaze me. They are all patient, loving, sweet, funny and really really get this beautiful philosophy and practice of AYNI, reciprocity.
We are finally back in Cusco for one night and tomorrow we will be going with the Ayahuasca flow in the jungle, and I’ll be out of touch for a week as going with the flow of the jungle means no internet and serious hammock time. I think I can flow with that!
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