Cusco to Copacabana, Bolivia

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Monday 9th April - Cusco to Puno

Woo hoo and we're finally leaving Cusco. And what a warm feeling to get on the bus and be asked by the french couple in front how much we paid for the ticket and tell them they got stung for 50% more and even after they made the effort of booking in advance rather than just rock up like us. How could they be so stupide! We drove through Juliaca on the way to Puno which was yet another Peruvian dustbowl, crap hole of a city (where does all the money go?), which even gets a very poor write up in Lonely Planet which is oh so rare so must be true. I´ve just been left a comment on my Huaraz blog by a Peruvian who isn´t happy with my description of his country and says I shouldn´t be allowed to post such information and he therefore denounces it. All I can say to that matey is I call it how I see it, it´s known as free speech and a lot of people have died for the priviledge. Anyway, on first appearance Puno was marginally nicer but we wouldn´t be hanging around long to find out if this was true or not as we couldn´t wait to get out of Peru.

Tuesday 10th April - Puno to Copacabana, Bolivia

We joined yet another pseudo tour bus bound for Bolivia and a little over 3 hours later were crossing the border into Bolivia and shortly after in Copacabana on the famous shores of Lake Titicaca. How nice to see at border control that they charge Americans $100 to get in but everyone else can come in for free. We´d eagerly anticipated going to Bolivia probably more than any other other country since Guatemala and having been here a week now as I write this, we're not disappointed. We'd longed to get away from the legions of gringos in Peru but kind of knew in the back of our minds this was false hope judging by our fellow bus passengers. Copacabana is a nice enough place, far quiter and more laid back than the much larger Puno further round the lake but nothing much to write home about, as I write home about it. An oxymoron of sorts I think? I'd describe the place as a bit of a poor mans Bognor Regis judging by the knackered pedalos on the lake shore.

Wednesday 11th April - Copacabana

It started hammering it down with rain at about 3am and didn't stop much before midday which put a spanner in the works for our plans to do a day visit to Isla del Sol being the fair weather travellers that we are. I'd been looking forward to visiting the birthplace of the Inca's and along with I'm sure, bumping into a few budding Shamens who'd come to ply their trade at this most mystical of places. Instead we had to make do with an aimless walk around the mean streets of Copacabana which came to a swift finish after Stacie's continued exhaltations that she was bored and there was nothing to see which is pretty much spot on apart from the unusual looking cathedral. Although not a Chelsea fan, I can't help but chuckle to myself as I watch Chelsea thump Tottenham 5-1 in the FA Cup semi final as I write this, seeing their massive change in fortune since they disposed of the services of AVB, the smug, slimey, arrogant manager whose project blew up in his face after being paid 5 million quid a year and not much older than I. Maybe a hint of envy in there. Oh and can someone please remind Spurs fans that the season doesn't end in March and I'm sure they'll do even better next year without dear old Arry, tehe!? Next stop La Paz and maybe finally I can get Barry Manilow out of my head until we reach Rio.......

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