Leave Peru - Arrive Bolivia

Tuesday 3 May
Collected at 6:45 a.m. We are now in the hands of a different group organising the land component of the trip. Things have run smoothly thus far in Peru so we are hoping the next company will do the same.

We got to the bus stop as per plan this morning so, off to a good start.

We were given our immigration papers as we boarded. We drive along the lake shore: an interesting perspective given we looked out to the shore from the water on our boat trip yesterday.

Lots of signs for the PPK. Lots of political ads for candidates running for the upcoming Presidential election - but most of these are now redundant as the 1st round of voting is done. Lots of eucalypts.

We see a few locals on bikes: motorists' nightmare (because there is usually a vehicle coming the other way); cyclists' nightmare: the rule is - HIT THE DIRT! (We later saw two intrepid cyclists with paniers, lycra, etc. Brave souls! Not for me!!)

First stop is at Desaquadero to change money into Bolivianos; we do this on the Peruvian side as we have been told that changing money in Bolivia, you will likely end up with some counterfeit (the woman in charge of the bus ensures everyone has the right information and all goes smoothly even when I get to the counter and am told I have to have a photocopy of my passport - she is fortunately on hand to say that as an Australian this is not so; when I return to the queue, it is the other woman at the counter who serves me and I marvel at her dexterity counting out the notes one-handedly as the other hand is deformed and she can't use it).

[Photo caption: safely through the border controls!]

The bus stops next at the migration office at the border a little further along on the Peruvian side where we hand in our Andean Immigration Card and then we walk about 400 m to the migration on the Bolivian side - where we get a green Bolivian Immigration Card (not to be lost!) after which we board the bus to Copacabana.




There are several other Copacabanas: one in Columbia and one in Brazil. But in fact, the origins of the Bolivian one have a different back-story: it used to be called Kota Kahuaña but when the Spanish arrived, they couldn't pronounce it so it became 'Copacabana'.

Our guide for the next 2 days is Edwin.

First we walked up the main street. The town is not only beautifully nestled between hills overlooking the bay, but is also an important Bolivian ancient shrine as thousands of pilgrims visit the city to be blessed by the Dark Virgin of Copacabana. The Basilica of the Virgen de la Candelaria is at 3845 m.

We have a nice lunch at a restaurant overlooking the main street (which goes from the church to the lake). In the middle of lunch we are lucky: a procession goes past (part of the festivities of the Fiesta de la Cruz which occurs 3rd May - today!). Of course the main festivities occurred on Sunday; today is a working day!

After lunch, we go by boat to the Sun Island (Isla del Sol) on Lake Titicaca (on the Bolivian side). It is the biggest island on the lake (12 x 9 kms) and Yumani, Challa and Challapampa are the three villages on the island.

According to the legend, the Inca couple Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo appeared here to found the Empire of the Sun.

We go first to Pilcokaina where there is an Incan temple - the Temple of the Sand. We walk from here to the village of Yumani, a small community that has kept its traditions and boasts breathtaking views.

It is a nice hike, although I am pretty breathless on the climb up. It is then very pleasant, mostly flat.

We pass mules; these ones are unloaded but usually they take goods up to the top of the island from the port below. We then descend to Yumani via the Incan steps where our boat is waiting.



By the time it takes us the hour in the speed boat to get back to Copacabana, it is not long to wait for our bus - and we need to be at the bus station at 6 p.m. anyway.

It gives us about an hour of free time, so we do our own walking tour sometimes retracing our steps from our walking tour with Edwin this morning; and sometimes venturing forth along unknown streets. 

We marvel at some of the foods cooking in street stalls for dinner; small 'supermarkets'; artesenal stalls selling the ubiquitous hats, scarves, gloves, jumpers, llama key rings; we found a small market where we made one stall holder laugh at our bewildered expressions trying to work out what it was she was selling that looked like a body part but could have been a piece of rolled bacon soaking in something that looked like tea - in a tall glass ...

So, then we board the bus at 6:30 p.m to go to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.

Fascinating! We have to disembark after an hour to go on a ferry to cross the water from one part of the mainland to another. 

Hmm - the reality was not so exciting. Frankly I felt like a refugee as they boarded the busload of passengers onto two not very seaworthy-looking boats; it felt decidedly unsafe as we travelled across the water in the dark from San Pedro to San Paolo. 

On dry land on the other side, we ate the yummy food we'd bought earlier in Copacabana (from a groovy little bakery where the two women worked flat-out) - accompanied by the hungry-looking street dogs which hugged around our legs looking up earnestly for left-overs.

Anyway, we re-board the bus on the other side of the water channel and travel another 2 hours on a very bumpy road. But what a sight as we come into La Paz from the top of the valley! Lights on the sides of the valley - everywhere! Magical! And very exciting to be here: I have heard so much about this place. We arrive about 10 p.m.

Edwin is travelling with us but says goodnight as La Paz is home for him; he will be on our city tour with us tomorrow.

We are at 3600 m.