Bolivia-bound

La Paz
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Got up too early (lost my watch in Cusco and my only other clock - the time on my camera - is an hour fast), so I arrived at the bus station at 6:20am (via tuk tuk), one hour before the bus to Copacabana was due to depart.  Gloomy, cold and wet, it was a good day for travel.  Surprisingly, the border crossing between Peru and Bolivia was very simple.  We basically walked over the border, got a stamp, and boarded the same bus. When we arrived in Copa, I assumed that the same weather would be around the next day, so decided to continue to La Paz, rather than explore Isla de Sol.  Ordinarily, this is a great place to relax, but without any sun (sol), I figured that it wouldn´t be as enjoyable.  Too bad, as I understand the sunsets and sunrises are phenomenal.

Crossing the lake near Copa
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Amazing rocks manifested themselves, colours accentuated by the wet weather, along the rather circuitous alpine route out of Copa.  Layers of copper green rock, jutting out of the earth and blood red igneous rocks freckled with light green lichens transitioned into sunworn plateaus with yellow grasses dotted by piles of stones.  On the horizon, the rounded snow-capped mountains of the Andes sit below a low blanket of clouds. One noticable difference coming from Peru: houses with roofs!  Most still constructed with mud bricks though...continuing along our road, rivers, muddy and fast, cut clearly channels through the land, running in smooth stoned banks.

Masked Shoeshine Boys - tough photo subjects

Copa sign (Not just for Gringos!)
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Finally, we descended into La Paz, a city of about 2 million that is constructed in deep valley, houses extending up the sides everywhere you look.  Did a bit of exploring and settled into a simple hostel, hanging out with a nice couple from NZ.  Also ran into Mario from my Salkantay trek and had a beer and bit with him at Sol & Luna, a pleasant joint run by a Dutchman on Calle Murillo.

One interesting facet of life in La Paz are the showshine guys - young men who cover their faces either out of shame or often because they are criminals and do not want to be recognize...understandably, quite tough to photograph!