Copa-Copacabana!

Lake Titicaca - the highest lake in the World.

Bolivia was a turning point in my South American trip. Up until now, I had only visited Chile and Argentina, and had mostly been hiking and staying out of the cities. Arriving in Bolivia after these two (wonderful) countries blew my mind - I was finally in "The Real South America!" People spoke differently, looked different and wore traditional clothes and played traditional music. I really felt I was getting my cultural injection from this country, and I was loving every minute of it. I didn't feel in danger at any point, didn't get sick, wasn't complaining about the cost of anything (after Argentina and Chile, everything is cheap!) and I was still running into fellow travellers along the way, some new and some from a week ago or even a country ago. All good things must come to an end though, and I was approaching my final destination in Bolivia - Copacabana. My last night in La Paz needed to be a little special, as I was saying goodbye to a good friend, and with travelling you are never sure when you'll see a person again. We went out for dinner and some drinks only to find that it was the election weekend, and no alcohol could be served for 3 days. Yes, you heard right. We did find a cool Mexican restaurant which served 'Coca Cola' in tall glasses and tasted strangely like crushed, fermented grapes. The empty Coke bottle was left on the table, and the previous hour wandering the streets looking for a restaurant and everyone drinking coke now made sense. There is always a way!

That just makes me nervous...

Not much to do for a bargeman these days...

Can a land-locked country have a Navy?

The bus from La Paz to Copacabana (with that song in my head) was overly long or hard, but it did get interesting at one point. The town is out on a peninsula, and to get there and staying within Bolivia, you have to cross the south part of the lake. I didn't realise this and I'd assumed that there would be a bridge spanning the 200 odd metres of water - there aren't many bridge on this continent! Maybe they prefer to keep small business owners in their jobs by having boats that carry people 2 minutes across a shallow and short barrier of water. The bus driver stopped and I although I realised what was happening, I asked him if I needed to stay on the bus. He shooed me off and pointed somewhere away from the bus. Very helpful indeed. I found out on my own that we needed to buy a ticket then get on the boat and meet the bus on the other side. The boat we were on looked far more stable than that of the bus, but we both made it over and were reunited on the other bank. The drive down into Copacabana was lovely - the rolling green hills on one side and the lake on the other. You could almost believe you were driving through the Highlands of Scotland, passing Loch Ness and on your way to a whiskey distillery, then the driver swerves to overtake a truck on a blind, up-hill corner. Daydreaming out the window and back to reality.

The town of Copacabana on Lake Titicaca.

Hello Llama!

A cool house on the lake.

The town itself sits on Lake Titicaca - one of South America's biggest and The World's highest lake. It is over 8,000km2 in area, and sits at 3,812m, and borders Bolivia and Peru. Bolivia really does do everything with altitude. I think it is the best name for a lake, combining the slang for 'boob' and 'poo' in the name, but that's just me being 5 years old - the real reason for the name is due to the shape, like a puma hunting a rabbit (apparently), and the name is actually "Titi Khar'ka" and means "Rock of the Puma." Copacabana is a strange town, and as I walked around it became stranger. The whole town seemed to be focused on tourism, but there were no hostels or taxis. Boat trips were being peddled here, along with seafood from restaurants along the shore. I asked around for a room, and managed to find one for 40 Bolivianos ($8 AUD) with a private bathroom - mind you there was no toilet paper supplied (completely normal here), the WiFi was only on between 7 and 8pm and the shower was stone cold and even gave me a small electric shock occasionally - it was my room though! Copocabana doesn't have a histoical centre like Sucre, nor does it have the stunning mountain views of La Paz, but it does have the lake, and the best way to see this is to climb the Cerro Calvario. Combine the steep inclide, the uneven steps and the altitude, and you get a huffing and puffing, sweaty and tiring afternoon walk - but what a view! The blue of the lake and the bright colours of the boats at the docls make an almost postcard-perfect view, and you can't hear the noise of people either, just the gentle freeze and the occasional bird.

The beautiful church in Copacabana.

The church in Copacabana.

No public transport on election day.

I got into town on a Saturday in the afternoon and only had time for this walk before dark. The next day, Sunday, was the national elections for the country, so there would be no trips to Isla del Sol - which is the main reason for coming here. I took a walk along the lake shore, and it was very, very quiet. I saw some of the locals making the trek to the election booth, either walking or on a bike, as there was no public transport at all. I didn't walk too far as I didn't think I could make it back, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Floating "villages" on the lake, cows munching away on farms by the roadside and the green mountains to my right -it was pretty much just me, the dirt road and the surrounding nature, and I loved it. Back in town and I met up with a friend who I'd met in Sucre and we went out for a meal (and some WiFi!) as we were both heading to the island tomorrow - she would stay 2 days, and I was basically running along it's length to get the boat back in time for my bus to Peru. For some reason, anywhere in town you look you can see hippy travellers. You know the type: no shoes, long hair in dreadlocks and part of their heads shaved at the side, and the general look of not having washed for some time. The place was full of them - sitting on the side of the main road, backpacks left on the ground, guitars and flutes close at hand. You can't eat out here without at least one group coming and playing a Bob Marley song for their dinner. It must be the time as well, being Februaury, most South Americans are on holidays - the Chileans go to San Pedro and the Argentines come here. Bad timing I guess - in March they would all be putting on their shoes and going back to Uni.

Riding side-saddle on the way to the elections.

Small craft on the lake.

Welcome to Sun Island.

The day of the boat trip to Isla del Sol (Sun Island) didn't start out too sunny, and I thought that maybe it should be caled Isla del Lluvia (Rain Island). Nevertheless, I got on the boat packed with tourists with backpacks and jackets on. The boat heated up quite quickly, with the breath of the people and the rain on the windows, it wasn't a pleasant ride - the boat also was not in a hurry, chugging along at a snail's pace and due to this was also bobbing around in the slight swell. This was too much for one girl who had to lean out the window while her friend held her hair out of the way. I thought this was going to cause a chain reaction amongst the other passengers, but luckily we were all saved this and the boat arrived with no more yellow yawns out the port holes. The weather cleared up as I started the 8km walk down the spine of the island, which I was ever so grateful for - nobody likes a 3 hour walk in the rain. There are no paved roads here, no motor traffic and only a small population of 800 locals who mainly fish to support themselves, and of course sell over-priced food, drinks and souvenirs to the gringos. There are also over 80 Inca ruins on the island, including the Temple of the Sun, and it is believed the Sun God was born here, and so it is a very spiritual place for the people. The walk wasn't easy, as it was a lot of up and down, and the altitude there was making it tougher - I felt fine, just short of breath sometimes. There are a few small villages on the island, and I probably should have stayed a night to relax, but I was set on getting to Peru so I rushed a little and made it for the final boat back to town.

A floating village on Lake Titicaca.

Sleepy town.

The ruins of the Sun Temple on Isla de Sol.

Although Copacabana isn't a hub of night-life, a mecca for food or adventure, it is peaceful and relaxing and very beautiful - it's also full of Eucalyptus trees, making it smell like home. I got a 7pm bus heading for Cusco, but I was dreading the border somewhat. Crossing into Bolivia from Chile I had used my residency card to leave Chile, confusing the Bolivian officials even though it was explained to them. I tried explaining the situation to the Peruvian officials and they were equally confused - a manager come in and told his employee "just give the guy 30 days and stamp his possport." Sometimes crossing the border later at night is good! Somtimes it's not, as one poor traveller, who didn't speak a word of Spanish, got left at the border by his bus. He jumped on our bus and eventually caught up to his one. Another stamp in the little book and another overnight bus trip chalked up too. I didn't sleep much, partly due to the excitement of a new country and a city that I had heard so much about, and also due to the lack of air-con on the bus that made me sweat all night. Bus trip over/survived, it was time to hit the city of Cusco, and of course Machu Picchu!

A traditional wicker boat on Lake Titicaca.