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Published: August 21st 2009
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From the Salt Flats it was straight onto La Paz, capital of Bolivia perched some 3000 to 4100 metres above sea level. We feared we were running out of time so decided to delay delights like Sucre and Pot0si until next time, rather than rush them. And we really liked La Paz, lots of steep windy roads filled with market stalls displaying an amazing array of fresh produce. We visited the Coca museum which was crowded but pretty interesting and considered going to the Cholita wrestling- a WWF type event but then with little sturdy ladies with plaited hair and wearing bower hats (see mama cookie in our last blog!). We spent plenty of time wandering and getting into the relaxed vibe - you have to take it sloow because of the altitude but we weren't complaining. It was a great city to wander through and people watch, particularly around the Mercado de las Brujas (witches market) where all sorts of unusual medicine is sold -- including llama foetus, which you are supposed to bury under your house for good luck. We did get an unexpected extra day there as our departure to Lake Titicaca was delayed due to dodgy cuban
food knocking Eric out for a while.
A short 3 hour journey and boat trip and we made it to Copacabana on the shore of Lake Titicaca at about 3,860 metres above sea level. It's a nice little town, full to the brim of gringos and great for viewing the amazing sunsets if you hike up to the Inca Staircase to a cliff edge overlooking the town and the Isla del Sol . People were leaving every day on boats for the Isla del Sol, the island where the Inca's believed the sun was born. We decided not to take the boat straight from town but to hike a few hours to the tip of the peninsula and hire a boat there to get to the town of Yumani where we planned to stay a couple of nights and hike across the island. This in preparation for our trek in Peru which is supposed to be pretty hard work. The walk along the peninsular was lovely and led us along the shore of the lake. One part of the walk is an old Inca trail which was impressive. If it had been summer we think the hike may have
been a bit hot - as it was there was little shade - but we had a fresh breeze from the lake.
We arrived on Isla del Sol on time for a nice beer with sunset. Good first impressions of the island, full of lamas, donkeys and backpackers and plenty of choice for a meal.Yumani is perched on a ridge with steep cliffs either side and an inca staircase running town to a spring and the boat launch. It was very very steep going but the cholitas and donkeys were running up and down carrying water to the town (which had no running water - showers were a bit difficult). The next day we pushed on with our get-fit-soon programme and walked over a mountain ridge that runs all along the island to the other side and back, occasionally unintentionally offroading (we climbed a peak for the views then ended up losing the path and falling down the Inca terraces on the other side). The island itself is fairly barren and hot but has some nice bays and you can see all the terraces that the Incas created for agriculture back in the days.
We returned to Copacabana
for one last night before setting off to Cusco the next day.- or so we thought. It was discovered the next morning that Zoe had left her bag in the restaurant ( a bit tired after all that fresh air and walking?) The main thing was that we wanted our camera that was in the bag. An unfortunate twist of fate meant that the bag was in the one place in town that seemed never to open again. After about one and a half day of close monitoring we finally saw some activity. We were assured the bag had been spotted and the owner had taken it home. This unfriendly owner gave us the name of his casa and assured that taxi driver would know where this was- his own son would give the bag to me and spoke english. Eric jumped into a taxi and was indeed assured that the address was known. What should have been a 5 minute drive turned into a 40 minute roundtrip to some holiday home on the shore (never seen a bag here...) to someone else's casa (never even seen a son here...) and back to the restaurant... without bag...We put the driver
in touch with the owner who cast a incredulous look to the cab and explained his house was a few blocks down the road the restaurant was on - we could have walked it in 5 minutes! And so bag and all we finally made it on the night bus to Cusco, Peru.
Our border crossing Bolivia/Peru saw us hiding behind a pillar - suspicious behaviour due to the fact that we had spotted a particularly obnoxious Finnish man with whom we had completed the Vietnam/Cambodia crossing some 9 months before. We had no desire to repeat the experience or, indeed meet this guy again at all, hence the two of us, backpacks and all trying to squeeze behind a small pillar - much to the bemusement of those around us.
The night bus to Cuzco was pretty relaxed and we arrived in the early hours of the morning. Catching a taxi to the Plaza de Armes we commenced a search for a hostel room - declining invites from plenty of people still partying around the square. We were off the booze and in training for our big trek so after checking into a pretty decent room we spent
that day and the next wandering Cuzco and surrounds but avoiding the party scene. And then onto the trek...... Machu Picchu here we come....
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