Copa-Copacabana

Where to buy the decorations
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Can´t get enough of these bus rides. Stupidly, we booked this one through a cheating, lying agent, so paid 35 soles each when every one else paid 15 at the terminal. And we´d never seen a bus like it. Stig of the Dump should have been living in it.

Anyway, we had an overnight stop in Puno on lake Titicaca before getting an early bus over the border to Copacabana in Bolivia. It was an easy border crossing and once we´d reached Copacabana we had time to have a proper look at the lake, which is one of the world´s highest navigable lakes at 3,820m high and over 9,000 square km. And it´s full of big tasty trout ... ohh baby ..

A decorated car waiting to be blessed
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We spent the day knocking around the town, eating trout and watching Priests bless cars and vans (it was the anniversary of some miracle to do with the local virgin). Bolivia is unbelievably cheap. And cold. So we brought some woolly stuff, ate some more trout, and got some boat tickets to get to the Isla del Sol for the following morning.

The Isla del Sol is where the first Inca was born out of a rock that looks like a puma (only, we suspect, if you´ve had a late night on the old magic cacti). A great island to visit, very tranquil (no cars) and friendly. We stayed in the north of the island (10 Bolivianos each for the hostel - that´s 70p)and had a great time poking around the ruins, eating trout and drinking cheap whisky with the crazy Irish Catherine and some Chileans. We also walked up a 4,000m hill, which sounds quite hard until you realise your starting off at around 3,900m.

A truck doing the same
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On Monday lunch time we caught the slow boat back to the mainland and spotted Aitan and Emma who we´d met in Villcabamba, Ecuador. Well chuffed. Turns out we´re all heading for La Paz, the world´s highest capital city. Nice.