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Published: June 12th 2007
It was sad leaving Peru, mainly because we'd had such an amazing time, but also because we were a tad apprehensive about travelling in Bolivia. As with every destination in the world there are a million and one horror stories to put you off, but Bolivia seems to have more than it´s fair share.
We crossed the border with relative ease, and were welcomed with some amazing views of Lake Titicaca, the Bolivian side definitely gives you a much greater sense of scale and this lake is BIG!
We arrived in Copacabana to our 'splurge' hotel, which turned out to be so, so amazing. I could write a whole blog on how wonderful it was, but that would just make me sad. All I will say is we had fantastic views of the lake from both floors and all for 15 quid!
Copacabana itself is a tiny place, with nothing much to do and the worst selection of restaurants we´d encountered so far. Most people come here to visit the islands of Lake Titicaca and that's what we did. We spent a day and night on Isla Del Sol, arriving by boat at the northern end in
Our Beautiful Pepper Pot
Definitely wins accomodation of the trip (so far!)the morning and then hiking across the island via various Inca ruins to the southern end . After Macchu Picchu the ruins were underwelming, but the hike itself was really rewarding with breathtaking views of Lake Titicaca on both sides of the ridge which forms the walking track. The island was virtually deserted which was great whilst hiking during the day, but was a tad eerie at night when every single restaurant was empty. The Blair Witch-esk walk back to our hostel through an unlit forrest was particularly unnerving!
After Isla Del Sol we had a few more days relaxing in our lovely room (did I mention how lovely it was!) before tackling the most horrendous journey to our next destination in Bolivia, Uyuni. We could have taken the scenic train there, but it only runs twice a week and typically didn't fit in with our itinerary. So instead we opted for two bus journeys, highlights of which included; the scariest lake crossing ever with thirty or so people crammed into a tiny boat whilst our bus was ferried across on a separate barge; being pushed out of a moving bus in La Paz with vague directions about where
to get our next bus from; and then the worst 12 hour overnight bus ride of our lives! The first three hours were fine but then we hit a road on which a 4x4 would have struggled, let alone a huge coach. I spent most of the night dodging falling items from the overhead storage area and holding onto my seat for dear life! Sometimes travelling can be extremely challenging!
We arrived in Uyuni at 7.30am. Visiting somewhere 3800m above sea level in winter is going to be chilly, but this place has got to be the coldest place on the planet! After just a few hours in Uyuni we decided we had to get on a Salt Lake trip as soon as possible. So the very next day we started the three day trip across the Salar De Uyuni (Salt Lakes of Uyuni) in a 4WD with four other people. This trip took us all the way through to San Pedro De Attacama in Chile - possibly one of the most spectacular border crossings in the world. The trip was amazing and we were very lucky because every guidebook lists 101 things that can and will go wrong
Lake Titicaca
The views from the walking track on Isla Del Sol on this trip - cars breaking down numerous times, crashes, drivers falling asleep at the wheel - the list is endless. We had a relatively decent car and our driver was extremely careful so we all felt safe which was a godsend because the terrain made Fraser Island look easy! Other groups were not so lucky - we met one group who’d not only had a crash because their car's breaks didn’t work, but also had their windscreen smashed in on the last night!
The salt lakes themselves were definitely the highlight of the trip - just a vast expanse of white desert which covers 12,000 square meters and looks remarkably like snow. We spent our first night in a salt hotel which was basic but a fantastic experience, even the dinning table and chairs were made of salt. The next day we travelled through the desert, with amazing volcanoes and beautiful red/pink/cream mountains surrounding us and crazy rock formations dotted along the way. Laguna Colorado was another highlight - a massive red lake surrounded by white salt deposits set against the piercing clear blue sky. That night we stayed in the most basic of accomodation - even the
driver said that these places weren´t hostals, but refugee camps! It was so, so cold and all six of us shared a room, filling water bottles with boiling water to mimic hot water bottles (and did it work!) The final day saw a freezing cold 5.30am start (ice-inside-the-jeep cold!) to witness geysers blowing steam and watch the sunrise over the nowhere near hot enough ‘hot’ springs. Our final stop of the trip was Lago Verde, which as the name suggests should have been a stricking aquamarine colour, but because of the weather was just another lake. By midday we’d completed yet another border crossing and were in San Pedro De Attacama in Chile, which at only 2400m was finally warm - the flip flops came out and the fleeces were relegated to the bottom of our rucksacs for the first time in a month! Bring on the sunshine : )
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Amy
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I want one!
I want to live in a pepper pot. How absolutely cool is that?!!! Keep up the amazing blogs. They brighten up my lunchtime xxxxxxx