Arriving to Copacabana

Last Saturday I arrived to Copacabana after travelling for about three hours. I was going to buy a ticket to go to Sun Island when I saw a group of people from the communities. I wanted to know what it was, so I went to the place of the meeting. At that moment, they were starting a ceremony to inaugurate a Touristic Information Center from the community. I saw that this office also includes a shop to sell handcrafts made by women and men from Moon Island and two communities from Sun Island, Challa and Challapampa. According to the information I received, members of the communities participated in workshops and due to that they received their certificates too.

Election Day in the neighborhood

Last Sunday, it was developed a meeting at August 16th. neighborhood. As it happens every year, this time it was elected the new Directory which will lead the neighborhood during 2009. Among the candidates we elected the President, Vicepresident and the Secretaries. It was a bit difficult to elect them, because some neighbors didn´t want to accept the nomination because to be a member of the directory means to spend a lot of time doing administrative procedures in the official channels.

Surviving on El Alto streets

El Alto is said to be the youngest city in Bolivia. Its inhabitants are mostly young people, lots of children and adolescents. Many of the families are leaded only by mothers. So, sometimes there is no other possibility than to sit on one of the streests or stairs and sell something or ask for money.

From inside the mountain

I found this place on the way to Challa, a town in the central part of Sun Island. Water coming out from inside the mountain is something uncommon.

Children of the Sun Island

I found these children when walking on one of the main streets of Yumani in the Sun Island.

Women´s life in rural area

Last Monday I arrived to Sun Island in Titicaca Lake. I stayed in Yumani which is in the south part of the island. Although I had planned to go walking to the northern part of the island I couldn´t because Monday night it rained until next day.

I share two pictures of activities in the island, the first one a woman guiding the sheep and carrying firewood on her back, the second one a young woman working in the land in order to prepare it to sow. In the middle of a storm I departed from the island Wednesday morning sharing the boat with about 23 inhabitants from the island.