Copacabana

While Jimmy was feeling much better by the next morning, we were still keen to leave the city in favour of somewhere more relaxing. Our bus was at 8am so what felt like an early start for us these days!

It took us about an hour just to get out of La Paz due to the traffic bring gridlocked. There was no way you could try and catch some winks either as all drivers in South America are constantly sitting on their horn just to let everyone know they are there. After another hour into the trip we were asked to all get off the bus and we had to then pay 2 bolivianos each and catch a boat across the lake, while the bus caught its own barge across. The barges are so rickety looking that it's a bit frightening to watch, knowing your pack is still on the bus. Of course it reached the other side without a hitch though.

About another hour later we reached Copacabana, which is a small town located on the edge of Lake Titicaca. We knew immediately that we had made the right decision leaving La Paz in favour of Copacabana. The lake is meant to be the highest fresh water lake in the world and it certainly is one of the most beautiful in terms of its incredible vastness. We had booked into La Cupula hostel and were pleased to find the real thing lived up to their website with quirky rooms, heaters, helpful staff and great views.

We took it easy the first day as Jim was still feeling a bit average so about all we did that day was have a sunset drink at one of the rooftop bars and then go to the markets to get some fresh fruit and vege so we could make ourselves a stir fry. Bolivians seem to have an aversion to vegetables so we were seriously craving a good dose of them! 

The next day we thought we had better do a bit of exercise so we took a cab out to Playa Blanca to visit the floating islands that have trout farms on them. You can point out a fish to them and they will haul it out for you and cook it then and there. We decided we didn't feel like trout quite yet as it was only 11:30 or so, instead we hit the road for our 8km walk back into town.

Still being at around 4,000m above sea level meant 8km was plenty of exercise for us so the rest of the day was spent napping and reading. It's a tough life being on holiday I tell ya! Oh and I can't forget the jacuzzi that night under the incredible array of stars on display.

Our 3rd and final day in Copacabana started with a kayak across the lake for an hour which was a nice change, but also not the most state of the art kayak so we were definitely ready to get out by the end of our hour. Kayaking for an hour did mean we had earnt ourselves a beer though so another rooftop bar to soak up some rays and dry off.

That evening we decided we had better tackle the hill next to us as it was meant to be a great spot for the sunset. 25mins of solid uphill climbing saw us very out of breath but also with the most incredible view out across the lake. We were however pretty astounded at the sheer amount of rubbish that littered the ground. It certainly makes us appreciate how clean and green NZ is when you are somewhere like this!

The sunset did not disappoint and we were wishing we had made the hike up every night. Mind you the rooftop bars did a pretty good job too! We made the trek down the hill and headed to the markets to get some supplies for our breakfast and night over in Isla del Sol the following day. At first we thought it must be closed as there was no light coming from inside the market but upon closer inspection we saw that in fact it was all open, just with the stall holders sitting there either in the complete darkness, or with one single candle burning amongst their piles of fruit and vege. (As I'm writing this at Veritgo Biking Co. Lorde is playing so that's both Chile & Bolivia we have heard her now. Let's see if we can hear her in every country we visit!). With the help of my iPhone torch we managed to find ourselves what we were after, including some delicious mangos, and headed back to the hostel for dinner at their restaurant. Luckily for me it seems that the only vege they like to use is capsicum. My fave, not! But it was still a very tasty meal all in all. Then it was to the jacuzzi for one last dip and gaze at the stars.

We had thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Copacabana but were excited for the next part of our journey, a trip to visit Isla del Sol.