Lake Titicaca, Bolivia/Peru

During a three week tour of South America in 2002, Vee and I saw the famous Lake Titicaca, which is a huge expanse of water covering more than 3,000 sq miles (8,000 sq km) with more than 30 islands, divided - roughly east and west - between Bolivia and Peru respectively. What struck us immediately was the colour of the water - it was just so blue or azure. However, the water is always freezing cold because the lake is located at 12,700 feet (3,810 metres) which makes it the world's highest navigable lake.



Lake Titicaca - so blue

In fact, Lake Titicaca is not one lake but two, the main lake and a smaller one on the south side called Lago de Huinaimarca. Both the larger and the smaller lakes are divided east-west between Bolivia and Peru respectively but, at the point where the two lakes join (where the land almost touches), the international boundary dips to bring both sides of the interconnecting 'mouth' inside Bolivia.

We crossed the lake at this point, called San Pedro on the east and Tiquina on the west. The crossing takes a mere ten minutes, but it is the excuse for land-locked Bolivia to have navy in order to carry out the 'onerous' checks. Another fun feature of the crossing is that, whereas the passengers travel by motor launch, the bus with the luggage floats serenely behind on a raft.

From Tiquina, it is only a short ride to the picturesque port of Copacabana (this is actually the original one and the beach in Rio is named after it). From here, we took the opportunity for a three and a half hour boat ride out to the largest island in the lake called Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). This island - which today still has some 3,000 inhabitants - has a special historical significance, since Inca folklore holds that this was the birthplace of the original Inca who took his powers from the sun. From the Isla del Sol, one could easily see the much smaller Isla de la Luna (Island of the Moon).








Languid llama and little lady on Lake Titicaca's Isla del Sol


Over in Peru, we spent the night at the Isla Esteves Hotel which is on the outskirts of Puno on a promontory jutting into the western side of Lake Titicaca. Next morning, from a mooring just outside the hotel, we took a motor launch to Isla de los Uros, the reed islands. We had never heard of these islands before but, amazing as it seems, they are made of local reeds which are strong enough to sustain small communities. The reeds are replaced every two-three months to keep the islands afloat. There are around 40 such islands and between them they are home to some 1,000 people. We took the motor launch to an island called Tribuna Kollas and, even though it was very small, it had a school and a museum on it. We then took a reed boat over to a second island called San Migel.




A young resident of one of Lake Titicaca's floating reed islands
tries to make a sale to Vee

Iguassu Falls, Brazil/Argentina

During a three-week trip to South America in 2001, Vee and I spent about 24 hours at the sensational Iguassu Falls. Iguassu means Great Waters in Guaraní (which is the language spoken by many in Paraguay). After 800 miles gathering anger across Brazil, the Falls are located at conjunction of Brazil (north), Argentina (south) and Paraguay (east), with the actual cataracts shared by Brazil and Argentina.

Vee and I had both seen Niagara Falls twice and had been incredibly impressed, but Iguassu Falls are just so much more awe-inspiring. First, they are quite simply bigger, being twice as wide and taller by 20 metres. They are more than 2 km across and more than 70 metres high with a total of 275 individual cataracts. Second, the area is not just about the water - impressive though that is - it is a sub-tropical reservoir of an amazing diversity of fauna and flora. There are about 350 types of birds and 2,000 species of plants in the National Park. Thirdly - and wonderfully for tourists - there is an incredible system of walkways that enables one to feel a very part of the Falls and almost enter into them. From this network of concrete walkways, we had stunning views of the Falls and many opportunities to see exotically-decorated butterflies. The final section of these walkways on the Brazilian side of the Falls takes one above some of the water flows which is very wet and very exciting. Everywhere there were bright rainbows that seemed to follow you as you moved.





The mist from the mighty Iguassu Falls creates a welcoming rainbow



Down at the river, we donned bright orange life jackets and boarded a bi-motor rubber dinghy for a ride up to the Falls themselves. This is not the experience at Niagara Falls where around a hundred people board the "Maid of the Mist" wearing plastic macs because of the spray. This is much more personal - about 20 people speed into the very heart of the Falls and are totally drenched.


After staying overnight on the Brazilian side of the Falls, next morning we drove over the bridge into Argentina, a very easy and informal process. As on the Brazilian side, the Argentinean side has a system of walkways that give visitors wonderful views. There is a lower walkway of 1,100 km and a higher walkway of 1,000 km.

The Argentinean walkways, though, are made of metal grills and run much closer to the water. Down every slope, round every corner, and up every ramp we witnessed another glorious view, another fascinating vista, another inspiring scene, so we took photographs endlessly. It was pointed out to us where Roland Joffé did his location shooting for the film "The Mission" I could hear in my head the film's haunting theme "On Earth As It Is In Heaven" written by Ennio Morricone. On the Argentinean side, it is easier to see a variety of wildlife from the walkways and we observed a toucan with a magnificently coloured beak, a lizard and lots of swifts, jays, vultures and other birds.

The highlight of the morning in Argentina, though, was the visit to the most violent and fearsome of the Falls' 275 cataracts known as Garganta del Diablo (Devil's Throat). This involves a short drive round to the edge of the Falls, a short boat ride out to a flimsy bridge, and then a precarious walk the length of the bridge (it was swept away in the floods of 1983 and 1992). At this point, one is standing on a platform looking into the very throat of the Devil and the power of the water is mesmerising. One's ears are pounded by the roar of the cataract and one's eyes are caught by the swifts darting into the spray.



Staring into the Devil's Throat
on the Argentinean side of Iguassu Falls

It is not a matter of the Brazilian or the Argentinean side being better; they complement each other - the Brazilian views being the more panoramic and the Argentinean being more intimate - and you simply have to see both.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Magical and mysterious Ha Long Bay

The night before my visit to Ha Long Bay was spent in a hospital in the city of Hai Phong nursing a black eye and other bruising after passing out in my hotel. I discharged myself as soon as dawn broke and before being checked by a doctor because I had no intention of missing the group's tour of Ha Long Bay.

The name Ha Long means 'descending dragon' and the legend is that the bay was cut from the rocks as an enormous beast thrashed its way to the depths. It covers around 1,500 square metres with 2,969 rocky limestone islands (980 of them with names and 20 of them inhabited). The bay in the Gulf of Tonkin is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some 400 tourist boats plough the waters but, so immense is the bay, that one's own trip still feels very personal. The weather that morning was quite misty, but the experience was nevertheless magical and mysterious.