Overcoming Denial with a Birthday Gift
At times, the speed of life serves as a helpful tool, aiding in the prolonging of denial. But then, denial eventually over stays its welcome, gradually dragging one down until no rushing momentum can delay the inevitable facing of fact. I (we) had reached just such a precipice. No matter how many exhaustive day trips we tried to cram in between our "Death Road" experience in La Paz and today, doing personal business with Ken's death needed direct individual exposure. While hiking on Isla del Sol we almost literally bumped into a couple who had been on the biking trip with us. Instead of taking the "refund option" they decided to accept a re-booking. For their efforts, they did finish biking down the "World's Most Dangerous Road" right past the scene of eight more deaths. Maybe we needed this reminder to "do business" with our emotional connection to the experience. Either way Lipika and I were both craving a vacation from our vacation. Unfortunately, the room in which we were staying was booked for tonight, but while eating breakfast the hotel manager offered us a bungalow for the same rate. Taking a walk down the trail, the welcoming vista and contemplative setting made this decision a "no brainer".
This was exactly what was needed: beautiful stained glass windows, outdoor hammocks, ...
... harbor views from the second floor, ...
... an efficiency kitchen for many rounds of hot tea, ...
... and a super cool hand-hewn hot shower (complete with live plants).
Outside on the lawn, there was a view of possibly the most interesting architectural house in Copacabana. (I wonder if it belongs to the German owner of the hotel complex?)
Deep in thought and trying to think through the calendar of the remaining days in South America, Lipika caught me off guard. It was chilly outside but the sun and lake side air beckoned, so long as the laptop battery lingered.
About two in the afternoon we headed into town, passing by the hotel staff busy with a game of volleyball. All that was needed was a garden hose for boundaries, a string tied between two poles for a net, a ball, and a willingness to share some fun. The balance between the competitive and gentile natures was fun to witness. There was no "spiking" of the ball, but a well placed strategic shot was applauded by both sides.
Wandering down towards the internet cafe uncovered hidden secrets, like this rose arbor lining a restaurant path.
I buried the afternoon in the internet cafe, hopelessly trying to catch up, with more than six weeks of blogging in arrears, while Lipika ambled in an effort to find some "retail therapy".
On the approach to town, I noticed the Cerro Calvario, a 3,966 meter hill just to the north, which of course must be climbed.
While Lipika called her boyfriend Dirk, I climbed the hill, racing the setting sun. The low light angles stretched Copacabana's buildings, enlarging the visual footprint of the last Bolivian weigh point before the Peruvian border.
Various Catholic monuments adorn the crest of Cerro Calvario, most of which appear to be private family alters.
Given the vantage point, this vista is popular with ambitious tourists, so entrepreneurial vendors follow suite. It is interesting to see the hand painted Coca-cola brand mark on a former sarcophagus, currently used as a "lock box" for tourist refreshments and wares.
The light was really tricky and this super long exposure hides the fact that we were nearing darkness.
Isla del Sol seemed an impersonal blot of stone out on the edge of Lake Titicaca. The prior day had not been a bad one and I was grateful for the experience, however the weight of this needed day of recovery inevitably cast a cloud over the memory.
Lipika showed up just in time for the final rays of sunset and an exercise in the use of "fill flash". No fill flash...
... and now fill flash. It must have been a good call.
With the sun setting across Lake Titicaca, in the direction of Peru, the deepening impact of spending the last day in Bolivia struck home. This is a beautiful, exotic country, whose people can be lovely, while maintaining an overtly anti-American government. Living the divergent lifestyle of embrace combined with government sanctioned extortion all wrapped in an ecological wonderland leaves me longing for more time in this beautiful place, with cautious optimism held on the side.
So, "Happy Birthday" to my sister Kristen, even though I received the gift of regeneration this day I was sending warm wishes your way, into the setting sun. Cheers.
No comments:
Post a Comment