Day 2: Tiahuanaco Ruins and the Home Front
Day 2 started off with a tour of the La Paz bus terminal. Not quite sure why and I'm okay with the fact that the building is washed out due to sunshine in the photo. We came out pretty good looking though!
We then drove a couple of hours outside of the city of La Paz to Tiahuanaco. This is the village where Angel's mom was born and pastured her father's sheep until she was 12 years old and moved to the city to work. Unfortunately I didn't think to take pictures when Angel pointed out the adobe remains of the house where she was born or the house that they moved to later. Tiahuanaco is also the site of some famous Incan ruins. I believe there are 3 temples in all. In the photo above I am standing on top of a pyramid that has not yet been excavated and behind me is the great temple including the Gate of the Sun. You can probably tell by my face that climbing up at this altitude did not make me happy!
Before the entrance of the large temple is a small below ground temple. All throughout the walls, faces pop out.
Standing at the entrance of the large temple (where Bolivia's Vice President will be married this September) and pointing to a monolith that I forgot the name of.
Gate of the Sun. It is all blocked off so that you can't get to it. Supposedly if you walk through it (it might have to be at a certain time) you disappear and reappear in Peru. Ancient tela-port.
Inside the large temple by one of several monoliths.
There were also a couple of museums. The area is clearly still beginning to be organized and most things don't have labels. This does force you to pay a local guide who walks around with you to explain things while you assume he isn't just making it up or, like us, you just wander around and make up your own stories.
Inside one of the museums is this giant central room with lighting and absolutely nothing in the middle.
In another large temple that was a slight distance away from the other excavated areas.
There were giant 'H's all around... just waiting for a girl with a last name like mine.
Time for Angel to give me my camera back!
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