Welcome to Bolivia

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25 Mayo - Copacabana, Bolivia
We stayed a night in Puno and then took a bus along the lake to Copacabana, Bolivia. Bolivia is right around half the price of Peru. The exchange rate is around 8 Bolivianos to $1, compared to the 3.2 Soles to $1 in Peru. We all felt great in Copacabana and enjoyed the place with few other tourists, since it is starting to get cold. Since we liked the place, we decided to hang out for a while and stay the night instead of jumping right on another bus. Relaxation was much needed and we didn't even make it to the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun), which is the most famous island on the Lake. Oh well, Amantani´ was incredible enough. We saw a great sunset on the lake and explored the huge cathedral and had a nice trout dinner for 6 Bolivianos.
I awoke this morning from a moving dream and could not get back to sleep. So, I scaled a small mountain that afforded me incredible vistas of the sunrise, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, the Isla Del Sol, and the surrounding countryside. “Incredible” is the best word I can think of to describe the wonder of this place. Once again, I was energized and calmed by the aura of that place.
The top of the small mountain contains a shrine of sorts, I am guessing it is for prayer and religious ceremonies. There are a series of vignettes dedicated to scenes from the Bible and a bunch of fireplaces, once again that I am guessing are for prayer or possibly memorial services.
I began my decent down a rocky face of the mount, opposite the town and found refuge in the boulders and rocks. A great place for a journaling session, with plenty of sun, little of that brisk wind, flowers, rocks, like views, wave sounds and bird calls. There is a lot of positive energy there.
It was nice to have the entire place to myself. People are not in a hurry to get up and around here. I did not even find a coffee shop open this morning until after 9:00 and the only people stirring were those that were on cruises out to the island that left at 8:00. It is so different from the U.S., where everyone is in a hurry and always thinking about working.
We had trout for lunch on the beach. I tried ¨Trucha Diabla¨ (Devil Trout), which was great, topped with grilled onions, green peppers, onions, and jalapenos. The girls had Chicarones, which are these incredible fried trout fillets. Oh, and we couldn't resist the first cold cervecas we've seen since arriving in South America, which were great in the intense sun. Following a great meal and some good cold beer, we were ready for our next bus ride.
The bus ride took us around the other half of Lake Titicaca. It is enormous! And beautiful. Its claim to fame is that it is the highest naturally occurring navigable lake in the world. I don't know about all of that, but it is a beautiful lake. The water is such an intense blue, and you throw the Cordilleran Real Mountains into the background and some beautiful geology and you've got one great place. At one point, we even had to get out of the bus to take a ferry across the lake since there isn't a bridge. That was a treat.
We're now in La Paz, where I'm told you can find the highest international airport. I can't say that I'm enjoying it too much, being a humongous city, but we're only here as a jumping point to the Salt Flats. We're also thinking of mountain biking the ¨Most Dangerous Road in the World¨.

Photos of Copacabana, Bolivia
Copacabana

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