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Published: September 21st 2008
Polly:
We made our escape from La Paz to the much more tranquil bay of Copacabana. The 4-hour bus cost us 15 Bolivianos (about 1 GBP!) each. The scenery was spectacular, and the llamas were abundant. After about 3 hours we had to cross the Straits of Tiquina. We all got off the bus and went on a passenger ferry, whilst our bus went on a platform type boat ferry thing. We got on at the other side and continued our journey.
Copacabana is a relaxed little lakeside town with loads of cafes serving delicious trout. We got a basic room for 40 Bolivianos and had a good kip.
The next day we took an excursion to Isla del Sol by boat. The boat trip took about 2 hours and we enjoyed the spectacular views although the wind that had picked up was causing an unusual amount of swell, much to the dismay of some of our fellow less-seaworthy shipmates. We were dropped off at the north, less developed, end of the island. We could have stayed there for the day, but opted for the 3 1/2 hike to the south of the island. We started off on
the undulating coastal path, but soon realised we´d be circling every cove and may not get there in time so decided to take the high route along the ridge. Not too sure where the high path was we started climbing to the highest point. The altitude was breathtaking - literally, and we had to take pigeon steps, stopping every couple of minutes to re-oxygenate.
At the top we found a little hut selling coca tea which helped a bit with the altitude.
We then hiked across the plateau and past a few dwellings, eventually arriving at the south of the island. It was slightly more developed here, with a few hostels and cafes. We clambered down to the beach and refueled on some unidentifiable soup whilst awaiting our pick-up boat back to the mainland.
We spent another night at our hostel, then got on a bus the next morning back to La Paz.
Ross:
Copacabana is a real retreat from the hecticness of La Paz. The Isla del Sol is named so because the Incas believed that the sun god was born there. Likewise for the Isla de la Luna (you work it out!).
There are numerous Inca ruins dotted about the island, the most prominent of which are the Temple of the Sun at the northern end and the ancient steps in the south.
Almost the entire island has been 'terraced' to enable crop production, however very little seems to be produced any more. There are no roads on the island and no vehicles other than the odd donkey or hairy pig. The main thoroughfare is the path along the ridge from north to south which, at points, reaches altitudes in excess of 4000m. Unfortunately, the locals appear to have cottoned on to the potential for stinging visitors for entering the ruins, using the footpaths, entering the north of the island, entering the south of the island, walking up the Inca steps, etc, etc. How many of these wannabe-entrepreneurs were actually official remains to be seen. Nonetheless, at 50p a pop it doesn't exactly break the bank...
Oh, and when Pol says 'We got a basic room for...' what she really means is that we were virtually dragged by a very small old man straight to his makeshift guesthouse as soon as we stepped off the bus! And just because a
restuarant advertises 'lasagne' doesn't mean that they actually sell it, or ever have for that matter.
On the way back to La Paz we passed the high and mighty Huayna Potosi, a snow-capped peak that unfortunately no longer hosts glacial skiing and snowboarding due to the fast-retreating glacier. Bloody global warming!
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