Copacabana (Lake Titicaca) - Hiking and Relaxing

Tuesday 31st July – La Paz – Copacabana

We booked the tourist bus to pick us up from our hotel and take us to Copacabana for between 7.30 – 7.45am. Come 8am the bus still isn't there and after a phone call from the concierge we eventually were greeted by an out of breathe (quite common in this altitude) Bolivian man who walked us to the main street. After standing there for a good half hour or so, finally a cranked out looking school bus squealed its way down the steep busy street we were waiting on. After trying to parallel park and crashing a few times into the lamppost with the mirror, we eventually boarded. Leigh had a laugh to himself as he said if Dad had seen the tires he would have had a field day... there was no tread at all and they looked pretty ripped up!

After driving around the town for another half hour picking up more people, we eventually joined another bus which was to take us to Copacabana. Finally after 9am we left, stopping at a service station for supplies obviously from the drivers families business. It was then a very picturesque drive to San Pedro de Tiquina where we had to hop of the bus and onto a small overcrowded boat. The funniest thing was it wasn't the overcrowded boat we were worried about, it was the bus being transported across on a half sunken launch type thing with all our luggage on board. After some strange passport formalities took place and we had bought a bag of monkey nuts and used the absolutely fowl bans, our bus finally arrived! Unfortunately 4 girls got stuck at the passport checkpoint, but we ended up continuing a further 40 minute drive on what was by Bolivian standards a safe journey minus the flat, bald lyres.

While getting our luggage we bumped into a NZ couple – Ants and Helen and a French guy Damian and we all decided to head for a hotel close to the lake. Thankfully Helen is fluent in Spanish and manage to negotiate a very decent price. We were so excited when we got to our rooms as they are quite large, have a massive window overlooking the lake and an ensuite! It was also half the price on what we were prepared to pay! We were then drawn to sit in the sun in a really cool outside restaurant and ordered lunch. It was such a relaxing afternoon. While doing so a man fixing the power lines was at the top of his metal ladder and fell and one of the power line posts went crazy shaking. We were all concerned that he had taken a big shock (which is quite a common thing here, also for tourists as the showers are electrically heated and usually the wires stick out with a bit of tape around them). Someone called a taxi and he was rushed to hospital, but we saw him sitting up in the car so was ok, we think. We then decided to take on the big hill that is at the edge of the lake and apparently takes 30 minutes to get up. Well it did take 30 minutes, but it was the most difficult climb, mainly because of the altitude and the fact it is higher than Mount Cook! But we got there and were able to appreciate a spectacular sunset, followed by a front that moved in quite quickly as we scrambled down the hill on a different route. Dinner was lovely – there are some great restaurants here and you can really order whatever you want because of the price. We played some cards and decided on a hike for the next day.

Wednesday 1st August – Copacabana

After another lovely breakfast of stale bread, which Leigh now refuses to eat, we met up with the gang and headed off for a 16km round trip walk Yampupata, which is on a dirt road taking us to the closest point between the mainland and Isla del Sol. It was very testing as there were some steep hills on the way there, but well worth it as it was so beautiful walking all round the massive Lake. After passing through some villages and a shrine to the Copacabana virgin, we decided to hike up a hill and have lunch on the top. We passed by numerous pigs and lambs and saying a friendly Hola to all the locals and got to the top. Helen and Ants had organised a packed lunch for us all and carried it all the way (very kind of them), so we spread out the towels and sarongs and enjoyed a fabulous picnic overlooking the beautiful blue Lake Titicaca.

After a wee kip, we decided to head back given it took 3 hours to get there. After really struggling to get up hills, we found a bit of a short cut that got us back to the town in 2 ½ hours, just before the sun went down and the temperature drops dramatically. It was such a stunning, picturesque hike but we were all glad to have hot showers, followed by some cold beers. At dinner, more cards was played and Jo enjoyed the Copacabana specialty of Trout. It was stuffed with spinach, ginger and spices and served with heaps of veges. Unfortunately it seems Jo's dinner is coming out last almost when everyone has finished theirs! Nevertheless it was so tasty. We all decided to do a shorter hike tomorrow on the Sun Island (Isla del Sol).

Thursday 1st August – Copacabana/Isla del Sol

An early morning start wasn't the best for Jo who had been bit ill the night before, but we jumped on a once again overcrowded boat – about 70 people, half sitting ontop of the roof, the other half inside, being motored along with a 75 horse power outboard engine. Now just remember it took us 3 hours to hike to the point, which is about 500m from Isla del Sol, now this petrol stinking, overcrowded, but cheap boat took 2 hours 40 minutes, arrgghh it was so boring, so slow and so uncomfortable as we were sitting in school chairs! We were so glad to arrive at the North end of the Island and did not fall for the tourist guide and set out to trek Isla del Sol on our own to pick up a boat from the Southern part of the Island. We hiked across a beautiful beach and up a long windy track carved in against the hill overlooking the clear lake waters.

We passed Inca ruins before finding a perfect patch for a picnic lunch. Once gain it was delicious and we had the most awesome view. After a bit of relaxing we set off to complete the 3 hour trek, which again is very difficult due to the altitude and up hills really take it out of you. It makes you feel so unfit! We continued on the trek with a steady up hill climb and both Leigh and I were at the back as both Helen and Ants are good trekkers and make it look so easy. We made it though, to the other end of the island just in time to lie in the sun before catching the slow boat back to Copacabana. Unfortunately the boat took a detour to an island to visit some more ruins, but thankfully everyone on board declined the opportunity, all tired from the trek and thinking how long it would then take to get back to the mainland.

After sitting on board for at least an hour, we decided to play cards which passed the time nicely. You really felt like pulling out your hair as the boat was so slow and at some point barely moving. After another nice hot shower, we met up for dinner with a brilliant card table, ordered some lovely food and enjoyed another evening feeling exhausted from a good days walk!

Friday 2nd August – Copacabana

Today we had a lie in which was well deserved after all our hiking the two days previous. We then met up with Helen and Ants and had a small breakfast (smoothies, yum!) as Damian was catching a lunchtime bus out of Copacabana so we decided to meet with him for lunch before he left. After using the internet for a while, it eventually became lunchtime so we went to the outdoor restaurant we went to on our first day. The food again was lovely and quickly followed by more cards. There was also a pool table there on a very big lean, so it wasn't a test as to who the best pool player was, but rather who could play the best to the roll.

Leigh and Jo then set off to go on the peddle boats on a rather choppy lake, rather too choppy for peddle boats in health and safety conscious countries. But hay we were given life jackets, which took us by surprise. Although Jo's wasn't quite tight enough! After peddling against the waves we finally got out a bit into the lake, were the waves were really testing the cute two seater peddle boat. But after half an hour, we had to take on the strong waves and try to drive the peddle boat back to the beach. This was a mission and resulted in both of us getting absolutely soaked! We then chilled out in the afternoon and met Ant and Helen for dinner, which was nice but Ant wasnt well so had to return to the Hotel. We had a couple of chocolate treats which is starting to be a nightly occurance but they are just so good!!