DAY 7, NOVEMBER 3, 2007

Following a week of little sleep and lots of work today was a day to put microfinance to one side and see something of our host countries.

We traveled along the edge of Lake Titicaca, the imposing snowy peaks of the Andes Mountains on the horizon

We arrived at Tiwanaku, an archaeological site located to the southeast of Lake Titicaca, at an elevation of 3,800 meters, some 70 kilometers from La Paz.  Tiwanaku, an ancient pre-Inca city, was a political and ceremonial centre sustained by a sophisticated system of agriculture on terraces. The city was built by the Tiwanacota civilization between 200 ad and 800 ad, and was abandoned for unknown reasons.

Due to the state of deterioration of the ruins until very recently, little is known about this civilization.  We wandered through the terraces, plazas and temples, admiring the walls with stone masks, the monoliths, and the beautiful Sun Gate, carved from a single block of stone, three meters high by four meters wide.

We continued on to La Paz.  From a viewpoint of almost 4,000 meters we looked down onto the highest capital in the world blanketing the deep canyon at our feet.  To the east rises Illimani (6,465m), its three snow-capped peaks standing guard over the city below.

Arriving at the hotel, some companions took advantage of catching up on their emails and phoning their families, others to wander the historical centre of the, and still others to rest.