Passing the border from Peru to Bolivia seemed like a time warp; that nothing had really changed in the last hundred years and that things still proceeded as they always had. It finally sunk in that I was thousands of miles away from home and in a totally different part of the world. A part that was timeless and still was connected to the traditional ways of living.
I travelled from the border of Peru to Tiwanaku and what I found there was more than I bargained for. The drive was beautiful, scenic but mostly for how the people lived. Still immersed in agriculture and traditional dress. They practiced the same methods of growing food and the housing was simplistic and minimal.
After a couple hours we arrived in Tiwanaku, the ancient city, with a very peculiar culture. Tiwanaku was surrounded by a dry landscape, circled around with mountains and clear blue skies. It was dry and almost desert like. Yet, it is said that it once was covered by a large body of water.
Large perfectly cut stones resting all over, sporadically placed. The archaeologists have only unearthed about 20% of the site.
One can only imagine what treasures are still waiting to be found. From alien carved faces, large portal doors and magnificent stone work. I was amazed, I felt I was standing in an ancient city that had been covered in a sand storm. The stone work was the most detailed I have ever seen and the energy was like a completely different time. As well, the steps were so large, that they had to build stairs beside them so we could walk up. So apparently these ancient people were very tall!!!
There were also rooms for meditation.
The religion they practised worshipped the feminine as well as the masculine because there were Patchamama statues and sun gate temples.
It was fascinating and one could spend hours marvelling at the ancient clues that were scattered all over the area.
Puma Punko was another site that was fascinating. How they had cut the stones so precisely, modern science still cannot explain. Even just trying thinking of what the site was used for and why they needed these stones allows the imagination to run wild.
Leaving Tiwanako and Puma Punko I felt I had witnessed a part of our human history that has long been forgotten. Yet, the day was not complete as we still had one more major site to explore. On the way back, we crossed the border effortlessly and made our way to a site near Puno called Amara Muru. It was mystical and I have never felt so much energy at any other place. The site is pre-pre Inca, they do not know who built it and it feels like a portal into another world. The energy is like static and I felt like the material world would dissipate in front of me.
It was a great experience and one I will have to reflect on to fully understand everything I saw and felt. I recommend if you are interested in doing this to book with a tour guide for they can tell you things you wouldn’t have been able to gather from just going alone. Also, it makes it a lot easier at the border crossing because it can be confusing.
It was a great experience, and I will definitely travel to Bolivia for a longer amount of time in the future! So many adventures and discoveries to be had.
