Waking up in Copacabana

June 4, 2010 (Day 17)

Ahh, finally a day we could sleep in!  After all those early morning wake up calls, it was nice to just lie in bed and not be in a rush to go anywhere. But there's no point of sleeping in too late!  We're in Bolivia, after all!  

After eating breakfast in the hostel's upstairs restaurant, we ventured back into town for some more sightseeing and shopping.  

We had already experienced our herd tour of Lake Titicaca in Puno and weren't too eager to repeat that again, so we passed on the chance to go on a boat cruise to the Island of the Sun and Island of the Moon, which would land us back in Copacabana at around 1:30pm.  Considering we were disappointed with the beach, we decided that it would best to catch the early afternoon tourist bus to La Paz, and save a day in our itinerary to hopefully hit a real beach in Chile.

 

The bus ride provided many spectacular views of Lake Titicaca and the nearby mountain ranges as we weaved our way up the highway, and then the totally unexpected happened... we were told to get out of the bus.  There was no warning that this would occur. No notice, nothing, nada,... except the Spanish driver saying something to a few people up front, and word slowly filtering it's way to the back of the bus where we were sitting.  We grabbed our daypacks, and followed everyone out. As soon as the last passengers disembarked, the bus drove off onto a boat.

That's right, our bus was heading across the inlet and we were left stranded without any instructions on the wrong side of the waterway.  That is, until someone found out that there's a passenger ferry further to the left, where each one of us had to buy a 1.50 Boliviano ticket to cross the river.  Wasn't it nice of the bus ticket salesman and driver to not mention anything about a ferry crossing!

After lining up for a a ferry ticket, we boarded a motor boat, inhaled our annual dose of diesel fumes, and caught up to our waiting bus on the other side.

We ended up in La Paz and our hotel just before 6pm, which left us only an hour to find the Gravity Assisted office and sign up for tomorrow's biking excursion.

After signing our lives away, we proceeded to have dinner at a French Canadian restaurant.  Apparently, Quebecois cuisine isn't very popular in La Paz as we had the whole place to ourselves on a Friday night.  The food did not meet our homesick expectations but was decent nonetheless, and then just as got our bill, a couple, from all places, Gatineau, sat down across the room from us.

Her name was Lola...

June 3, 2010 (Day 16)

We left Puno at about 7am aboard a tourist bus towards Copacabana, Bolivia.

So it was no surprise that Copacabana was the official song of the day.  If only we could have remembered all the words.... lol

About half-way through our 3-hour journey, the bus stopped at a currency exchange counter that probably provides a commission to the bus operator but it surprisingly provided a fairly reasonable exchange, which was confirmed by a fellow Canadian checking out the latest rates on his phone.

After exchanging our U.S. Dollars for Bolivianos, we boarded the bus and headed to the Peru-Bolivian border.  Along the way, we were provided with forms to fill out, along with the helpful instructions of "Just check the 'No' boxes" ;-)  At last, we reached the border, where we got off the bus and headed over to a little office where we handed over our Peruvian immigration papers and Canadian passports for scrutiny and our exit stamps. 

We then proceeded to walk up the road

and walk across the border into Bolivia, where we stepped into another small office to present our Bolivian paperwork and passports for verification and stamping.

Everything went smoothly and since some of you were curious, no bribes were required.  We boarded our bus and were once again on our way to Copacabana.  Interestingly enough, there is a 1-Boliviano tax upon entry to city limits of Copacabana.  Yes, one Boliviano (or about 15 cents Canadian)!  And yes, they do collect it.  A man boarded the bus, and collected it from each and everyone of us.  He then proceeded to walk back down the aisle to give us a receipt!  Not really worth the time and effort in my books, but then again, I guess every penny counts in Bolivia.

Yes, we're in Copacabana, baby!

The noon sun is shining.

There's not a cloud in the sky.

Lake Titicaca and the beach await us!

The bus dropped us off in front of their office near the city's main plaza and we made our way uphill to our hostel, where we quickly found ourselves in our summer clothes, and skipped on our way back down the hill to the beach, while humming away our favorite song of the day. Though when we hit the beach, we were thoroughly disappointed.  The view of the beach from our hostel was very deceiving.  The beach, if you can call it that, consisted mostly of rocks, grass, broken glass, and those extremely tacky swan paddle boats.  No sandy beaches here, and the water along the shoreline didn't look or smell too inviting either.  It's quite unfortunate really, considering the beautiful setting we were in but that quite frankly appears to be the case all over Bolivia, where people don't seem to particularly care about the upkeep of the environment despite the economic benefits it could provide because Copacabana could very easily become a major destination resort town if the waterfront was cleaned up.

After inspecting the shoreline and hoping for better sands further away from the town, we determined that it was a fruitless exercise, and proceeded to head back and have lunch at one of the beach-side restaurants.  Another disappointment.  They first got two of our three orders completely wrong, and then the food was fair, at best.  Copacabana was not creating a great lasting impression....

After walking around town, we headed back to Hostal La Cúpula to relax in the hammocks overlooking the bay.  The view was spectacular with the sun basking the hills, and it was nice to just lie back and relax.

It quickly became cooler as the sun set, so we grabbed our warmer gear and headed back into town where we observed a beautiful sunset from the main street before settling on a Mexican food restaurant.  One step inside Nimbo Cafe Restaurant and we knew we hit the jackpot!

It was the creepiest yet also most hilarious restaurant I've ever come across.  Words can't describe its interior.  The owner must have been on a certain somethin' something when decorating the place or just plain old creative in a very unique and obscure way... alpaca rugs on the seats, fake vines with some blinking Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling, a miniature dwarf collection, mystic creatures everywhere, and who can possibly forget the wall painting of the girl with the unicorn horn, lol.

At first, we were the only ones there, but as the evening progressed, more people showed up and their reactions were priceless... from scared to confused to just being curious, everyone's reaction was pretty much the same as they made their way to the back of the restaurant in search of the elusive waiter.  It was nice to just relax, enjoy each other's company over a candlelight dinner and some very lively Coronas while playing cards in this hilariously creepy place.

"Perfection is achieved, 

not when there is nothing more to add, 

but when there is nothing left 
to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Lake Titicaca

June 2, 2010 (Day 15)

The main reason why we stayed in Puno was there was no direct bus from Cusco to Copacabana.  Honestly, I was totally indifferent on the whole Lake Titicaca portion of the trip, but Renée and Stephanie really wanted to go so I went along with it (especially since they went along with my Death Road itinerary inclusion with no objections, to me at least, and I wasn't feeling 100% the past few days).  I had come down with a bit of sinus congestion since Aguas Calientes, that was bothering me a bit, but with the cold and sinus pills I had packed as part of my first aid kit, I was good to go (12 hours at a time).  Those 12-hour pills really worked like clockwork.  The 12-hour mark would pass and almost immediately, I would be back to my runny nose and stuffed up feeling until I popped another pill. Those night-time pills really worked fast at dinnertime!  I really don't like taking drugs but I wasn't going to let a stupid cold get in the way of enjoying my trip. Nevertheless, the thought of spending a few relaxing days around Lake Titicaca was comforting.

The breakfast buffet at the hotel started at 6am so we headed downstairs early as we were scheduled to be picked up at 6:45 for our Lake Titicaca cruise according to the hotel receptionist.  6:45 came and sure enough, there was a woman in the front lobby ready to pick us up.  But here's the thing, we weren't sure if we were going on the cruise we paid for because there was no verification against a passenger list, and a couple of women we spoke to during the previous evening were supposedly going on the same trip, yet they weren't present.  The woman just asked if we were waiting for the Lake Titicaca cruise and off we went to the shuttle bus. As we soon learned, sometimes you just have to go with the flow in South America.  I don't think we ever really confirmed that we were part of the right tour group but in the end, I think we saw everything we were supposed to see, plus it appears as though the tour operators share their passengers for rides back to the mainland as though they were one big, happy family.

So what did we see?

Well, first, to the uninitiated, Lake Titicaca is located on the border of Peru and Bolivia. According to Wikipedia, it sits 3,812 m (2,500 ft) above sea level, making it one of the highest commercially navigable lakes in the world.  By volume of water, it is also the largest lake in South America.

The attraction that probably makes Lake Titicaca so popular with tourists is the floating islands, where the Uros people inhabit floating islands that they created out of the lake's reeds.

Isla Jacha Challwa was one of those floating islands and was the first stop of our cruise. 

We sat in a circle and listened to the presentation made by the island's residents, during which they demonstrated how they the created the island.

We then proceeded to visit one of their homes. It ended up that we were in the President's house.  It was a cozy, little hut made out of reeds with a single bed for the husband, wife, and their two happy kids.  They even showed off their portable television / stereo unit that was powered by the external solar panels  Even though their home was small, they were very proud of it, and It just goes to show you that you don't need much besides love to be happy. The couple then proceeded to dress us up in their clothing, and soon enough, there I was, dressed up as "President" of the Island for a few minutes. Hey folks, bow to your new leader. LOL.

The island's women then proceeded to sing us a couple of traditional songs that were nice to clap along to but then, they proceeded to sing "Row, row your boat" in English!  This apparently considerate gesture seemed really out of place and artificial to the point where my smile and clapping didn't feel genuine anymore as I was just trying to be polite, but then again, that's probably just me, as some of the other tourists seemed to really appreciate it.

It was at this point, where in combination with the little marketplace with the supposed "authentic island souvenirs that are only available here", made the island feel like it was more like it was just another tourist trap than a real cultural experience.  By the way, most of those "one-of-a-kind souvenirs" were then seen in almost every souvenir store in Copacabana, at much lower prices to boot.

We then proceeded to take a reed boat around the island during which the boat operator was proud to tell us that we were actually floating on empty Inca Cola plastic pop bottles, and not just reeds.  Talk about taking away from the experience!  Hey, at least, he was honest!

We then got back out on our little tour boat, and slowly made our way to Isla Taquile.  And when I say slow, I mean, really slow!  The cruise was supposed to end at 5pm and the captain was making sure we wouldn't get back a moment sooner. But whatever... it was a beautiful sunny day and we secured the best spots on the boat's rooftop.

We finally arrived at Taquile Island and made our way up the countless steps to the top of the island.

We passed the main square and continued our way to the other side of the island where we enjoyed lunch in a tranquil, agricultural setting with a spectacular view of the lake.  Ahh, this is the life!  If this island was still a prison like it was back in the Spanish colonial times, well then, go ahead and ship me off here for a life sentence!

After lunch, we proceeded to walk down this side of the island, and dipped our feet in Lake Titicaca before heading back onto the boat to sunbathe our way back to Puno.

In the evening, we ventured out to a lively pedestrian mall for dinner.  As we enjoyed dinner, a parade passed by our restaurant.  Apparently, it was a pep rally for a local high school soccer team. No matter what the reason or city, Peruvians sure like their parades.

Bus to Puno

June 1, 2010 (Day 14)

After arriving back in Cusco after our late evening train + bus trip from Aguas Calientes on the 31st, we caught a few hours of sleep at our hostel before getting up early in the morning to cab to a gas station near the airport, where we boarded an Inka Express tourist bus to Puno, our last major city before we crossed the border to Bolivia.

The bus departed at 7:30 am and made five stops along the way, providing us with a chance to stretch our legs and check out the local attractions.

Stop 1: Andahuaylillas is where we visited a colonial church, which is called the “Sixtine Chapel of America" for the quality of its artwork. Unfortunately, photographs are not permitted inside the church so I can't share with you the artwork found inside but I can say that there is an interesting mural of heaven and hell.

Even more impressive were the Pisonay (Coral Trees) growing in the main square in front of the church.

Stop 2:  Raqchi is an archeological site based around the remnants of the Wiracocha Temple.

Stop 3: Sicuani was the site of our roadside restaurant where we enjoyed a buffet lunch.

Stop 4:  La Raya at 4,335 meters above sea level was the highest point on this bus trip and provided a great view of the nearby mountains.

Stop 5:  Pukara was the site of a small museum dedicated to Inca ruins. Besides the creaky wooden floor of a nearby church, there was nothing too special to report here, and quite frankly, it was a stop we could have skipped.

We arrived at the Puno bus terminal around 6:00pm.  While waiting for our bags to to be unloaded, Renée and Steph observed a bag of live guinea pigs being tossed out of the bus cargo compartment.  Based on this account, the restaurant photos, and a number of other reasons, I decided to take a pass on the cuy option on restaurant menus along our journey.

We were picked up at the bus station by a member of the hotel staff and driven to our first (and only) actual hotel of the trip. Qelqatani Hotel was recommended and arranged by our hostel in Cusco, and yes, it was relatively nice with its fancy extras like a doorman, porters, shampoo, and a bath tub. But as nice as it looked and its price, it was a bit of a disappointment with its rusty bathwater and paper-thin walls.  That said, the breakfast buffet was comprehensive and satisfying.