OK, it´s been quite a few days since I last wrote. Here´s what we´ve been up to.
We spent our last few days in La Paz resting and eating like crazy. We discovered this awesome restaurant that serves some of the most incredible desserts possible! They specialize in milkshakes and cake but do have some TASTY burgers...
hmmm, that IS a tasty burger
this how milkshakes should look!
On Tuesday we caught the bus to Copacabana. This tranquil, incredibly beautiful little town sits on the shores of the amazing Lago Titicaca. Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3812m, is an average depth of 107m and at its deepest 281m. Because of the high altitude the air is crystal clear and you can see miles and miles over the deep blue waters. The whole area looks like how I imagined parts of Greece and the mediterranean sea.
We spent the first day wandering around the town and climbing the mirrador (lookout point) for some breathtaking (literally - very steep climb) views. That night we sampled some of the famous local trout dishes, absolutely delicious! We went to bed early and I had enough time to finish Snow Falling on Cedars and start on Forrest Gump (I finished that yesterday and now I´m reading A long way down from Nick Hornby).
coming up to pray
The morning we had a great breakfast at the hotel (pancakes, eggs, bread, yoghurt and cornflakes, peaches and I had three cups of coffee). From there we had to hurry down to the docks to catch a boat to the Isla del Sol. On the way we met another South African! Although living in the States for a long time Darren still has his South African roots and we had an awesome time with him and his fiancé, Esther. We partnered up with them and Holly, a friend we made in Sucré. It is amazing how we keep running into people we´ve met all over the place!
a really small island
The boat dropped us off at the north of the island. From there we spent the day trekking across to the south where we had to catch the boat back. The first part was guided (Spanish) and included a mildly interesting museum showing some of the Inca artifacts scavenged from the lake. We went to a sacred Inca rock that looked a lot like a normal rock but is apparently the birth place of the highest Inca god, Viracocha and his sister-wife, Mama Occlo. We ended the tour at an old Inca temple which is still mostly intact.
the local donkey showing off
From here it was a three hour trek all across the island to the south side. Darren, Lloyd and me spent most of the time deeply discussing the wonder that is South African cuisine and worked up a fine appetite by the time we reached the boat!
Back in town we got ourselves cleaned up a bit and then we went out for dinner with Darren and Esther. Me and Lloyd had trout again and we got a bottle of Bolivia´s finest red wine (very good). I was a bit more adventurous this time around and ordered the Trucha Diabla (translated on the menu as trout shedevil) and it lived up to its name! MUY CALIENTE (very hot)!
After 24 days in Bolivia we are finally in Peru. This was the easiest border crossing by far and took less than 20 minutes. Our first stop is Puno. This small city is also on Lago Titicaca, but lacks the beauty and charm of Copacabana. We do go on a very cool tour tomorrow of the famous floating islands of the Uros tribes. I will write later and tell you all about it!
Cheers,
Neil
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