into Bolivia...

Defying all odds, we made it from Cuzco to Copacabana in one day! Whether it was worth the stress involved is another matter... We arrived in Puno, the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca, with plenty of time to get to the border control area before Bolivia shut up shop for the day. What we didn´t count on was a local bus taking an hour longer than expected, stopping for every large-skirted lady with a bundle on her back that happened to be near the roadside. In the end, we resorted to paying a few soles extra for the bus to take us right to the border, and with five minutes to spare we literally ran from Peru to Bolivia. But at least we made it to Copacabana for the night!

Copacabana is a laid-back, pretty little town with a nice vibe. It´s also bereft of any ATMs or establishments that accept plastic, which unfortunately wasn´t a priority as we made our sprint to Bolivia with 200 soles in our (Mauro´s) pockets. This wouldn´t have been such a problem had we known how much our trip to the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) was going to cost. It´s not that the locals manning the travel agencies lie to you - it´s more that they don´t offer information that could prove to be very useful (or indeed crucial).

I was really excited about spending a night on the Isla del Sol - where, legend has it, the sun, moon AND the Inca dynasty were born. So imagine my disappointment (read: foul mood) when we stepped off the boat only to be accosted by two men charging us for setting foot on their sacred land. Then informing us that the return boat journey costs double. Then finding out that deigning to walk further north of the island would incur another charge (or two, as we found out). Add to this the fact that all foodstuffs were about twice the price and half as good, and that we had about ten dollars on us, and we couldn´t have cared less where the sun and moon were created. Don´t get me wrong - the scenery was incredible, but as Mauro and I sat on top of a hill, sharing a bread roll, with a 360-view around us of snow-capped mountains peeping above the turquoise lake at sunset, we both realised we´d hit natural beauty overload. It was probably the culmination of being ´ruined´in Peru, having a full day´s travelling, barely resting before hopping on a boat to see more of the world´s marvels, AND to top it off, having hardly any funds at our disposal. Either way it was here, watching a beautiful sunset, that we decided that despite what the guidebook said, nothing was ´unmissable´if we weren´t in the mood for it (even if it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

With that one resolved, we woke up to a beautiful sunrise and began ´The Incas´Sacred Route of Eternity´ - a stunningly beautiful hike across the whole island. True to its name, it took an eternity and was made only slightly less sacred due to being charged seemingly random amounts twice along the way. It was a great day however and got better when I found a 20 pound note and 12 US dollars in my passport wallet.

As excited as we were at the prospect of going to La Paz and drawing some money out, I wouldn´t have missed seeing the locals bringing their cars to be blessed at the Moorish Cathedral in Copacabana. Apparently this is a weekly occurrence and keeps their vehicles safe from accidents. Luckily the bus drivers we´ve encountered so far haven´t resorted to this (although they´ve often chewed coca leaves to stay awake).

This may come as no surprise, but it really sank in that Mauro and I are urban types at heart, and it was brilliant to be back in the big city. Any barely-thought thoughts of one day moving to the countryside have been banished, and we made the most of browsing the Witches´Market, eating salteñas (spicy empanada-type pastries) and drinking Paceña beer. Bolivia might not have the best infrastructure for tourists (the buses...argh!), but from what we´ve seen so far, it´s a fascinating country. So much so that I´m gonna log off now before the midday salteñas run out and leave Mauro to expand upon our fascination next time.