Isla del Sol - day two

Another "early" start for us, meaning we were on the road north by 9am after the usual jam, bread, eggs & tea breakfast. It was yet another beautiful day in paradise so we were excited about conquering the island all before 3:30pm, when our ferry back to the mainland was departing.

The temperature was perfect with a bit of a cool breeze blowing but warm enough to only need one layer. We figured we had better not walk too fast so we didn't crash and burn given it was our longest walk since being at altitude. Although, having said that, the hand drawn map La Cupula had provided us with said the walk would take 2.5 - 3hrs and we were pretty confident we could do it in the lower end of that spectrum. Sure enough, 2 hours later we arrived at the Chincana ruins located at the northern tip of the island. They were an impressive site, not only in scale but also their incredible setting, winding their way around the hillside like a labrynth. When visiting sites like this we always leave with so many questions, like what different rooms were used for, what was the reason for settling there, what was their main food source, why did it eventually get deserted? Sometimes having a guide would be useful for these types of questions I guess. But doing it on our own is always nice.

After some freshly made sammies using our newly acquired Swiss Army knife, while lapping up the beautiful view, it was time to make the journey back in order to not miss our ferry, and subsequently our bus to La Paz.

The walk back was definitely a lot harder on the body, with a lot more up hills to contend with. We made it back in 2.5 hours to our hostel where we collected our bags and began the gruelling walk down the stairs to the bay below. As soon as we arrived at the bottom, who should we run into but our friend Dmitry who had also walked the length of the island and was waiting for the same ferry. We caught up on what each of us had been up to for the last few days since La Paz as we made our way back across to the main land.

Back in Copacabana the three of us got an early dinner as we watched the people across the road dig up drains along the street. Since we arrived in Copacabana the whole community seemed to be getting into this project of digging up the drains. The fascinating thing was that there were no jack hammers being used, just picks, shovels and sledge hammers. And when I say the whole community, I mean everyone, including woman, children and elderly. We guessed they must be putting better drainage in, or even their first ever drainage?

After another farewell to Dmitry, who was continuing north, we jumped on our bus back to La Paz. We were a bit nervous about this as there were rumors flying around that there were blockades in La Paz that weren't letting buses through due to strikes. So we were just hoping that we weren't going to be stopped and have to walk for miles before catching a cab, as we had heard so many others have had to do. Thankfully it all went smoothly and we arrived into La Paz even a bit ahead of schedule.

Next up, how we survived the Death Road biking experience.

Isla del Sol - day one

We reluctantly checked out of the lovely La Cupula and headed down to catch the 8:30am ferry across to Isla del Sol. We had intended to catch the ferry to the North and leave our bags on the boar while walking to the ruins. It turned out the company we got tickets through only went to the South though so we figured that would work better as we could drop our bags at the hostel and do the return walk of the island instead since we had been serious lacking some decent exercise lately.

During the 1.5 hour ferry ride we chatted to another Aucklander that we had seen the night before up at the sunset. It's always strange hearing our accent here but it's actually quite rare as I'd say most travellers we have encountered are either French, English or German. After arriving on Isla del Sol we hit the stairs that led up towards where we knew our hostel was located. We didn't really have any idea how far it was, just that it was up the hill. It turned out probably a good thing as I'm not sure I would have agreed to walk up hill with my pack on for the 40mins it ended up taking us. But the view was SO worth it. We couldn't believe our luck with the incredible view from our room, all for about NZD$25. You'd pay hundreds for a view like that back home!

I was feeling for the poor donkeys as they wandered past our balcony, laiden down with heavy loads. But I was also kind of jealous that I hadn't had my own donkey to carry my bag for me!

By this time it was nearing lunch so we thought we would go and try and find a spot to eat. I love it how when you are on holiday your days just revolve around your next meal! Anyway, we headed back down the hill some of the way but couldn't see anywhere decent looking so we decided to try out the place that had a sign for "gourmet chef". After walking about 200m through a eucalypt grove we reached this house on the crest of the hill which looked decidedly closed. After milling about outside for a minute a guy appeared and asked if we wanted lunch.

We excitedly said yes and took a seat on the only outdoor table. He promptly gave us menus and recommended the trout so we went with his recommendation. We did note the menu said to be patient as prep only takes place once you have ordered but we were happy to wait as had cards and ordered beer to go with.

After about an hour our meals arrived and boy were they worth the wait.

Our best meals in Bolvia by far and plenty of vege which was a nice change. I even happily ate the steamed carrots!

We were so happy with our meals we promised him we would be back for dinner. 

After a siesta we figured we had better fit in some more exercise so it was another hike up a hill to the highest viewpoint to watch the sun setting over the lake.

What's so impressive about Isla del Sol is you are on this warm, sunny, absolutely beautiful island that reminds us of Waiheke, but then you look across and there are snow capped mountains right there. Not something you get to see in NZ very often. 

After the sunset we thought that we may as well head back to the restaurant as we knew dinner might take a while, after our lunch time experience. When we arrived the restaurant was nearly full and it was clear that the same guy from lunch was the only person who was working, both orders, drinks and cooking. 2.5 hours later, all 16 of us in the restaurants meals appeared from the kitchen in quick succession and we were once again happy to have waited so we could get such a delicious meal. Definitely a record wait for food but I'm not sure I would be any faster cooking for 16 people all on my own without having done any prior prep. 

After dinner it was straight home for an early night in preparation for our 20km walk we had lined up for the following morning.

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.

La Paz

La Paz is a city like no other. It is situated in a valley that sits 3,600m above sea level and houses cling to the sides of the hills and continue to clutter the valley right down into the middle where the central city is located. We were booked into Adventure Brew B&B which is located a convenient 3 min walk downhill from the bus station. After checking in and enjoying their all you can eat pancake breakfast, Jimmy, Dmitry and I set off to explore what the city had to offer.

We had a look around Museo San Francisco which is a beautifully restored 460 year old cathedral. The bell tower offered us a great view of the city so was well worth the visit. I had to show serious restraint to not ring the bells though as the ropes were calling me as we wandered around up there! I didn't really feel like ending up in La Paz's famous prison though.

That afternoon we wandered through the markets hoping to be enticed into making  a purchase. Sadly every shop has the same stuff wherever you go so we found it hard to buy anything, knowing it was probably just made in bulk in China. So instead we are going to hold out until we know that it's handmade stuff.

The following day saw us doing some more exploring as we wanted to acclimatize before doing the death road cycling that La Paz is famous for. 

While exploring Jaen Rd, upon a recommendation from a Chilean couple we met in San Pedro, we stumbled upon the Museo of musical instruments. The Museo had an incredible collection of traditional Bolivian instruments as well as others from around the world. The most impressive were guitars made from armadillo bodies.

Plaza Murillo was a sight to behold. Its surrounding buildings were nothing short of beautiful but the real sight was the fact that the whole plaza was completely awash with pigeons who are fed by tourists that buy bird seed from Bolvian vendors.

It was actually quite frightening (Kate, I thought of you) and so we didn't stick around for very long! Sky rats are definitely not high on my list of favourite animals.

Unfortunately Jimmy's cold was starting to get the better of him and by the next morning the cold plus altitude sickness had hit him him hard so the Death Road was off the cards, instead a day in bed was in order. He was seriously uncomfortable the whole day and I was starting to really worry he had severe altitude sickness that required a doctor but thankfully by the next morning he was feeling semi human again.

We made the decision that we would spend one more day in La Paz, then catch the morning bus to Copacabana in order to get some relaxing time in and let Jimmy recover somewhere nice. This meant we would have to return to La Paz if we want to do the Death Road still but as it's only a 4 hour bus ride we decided it was better than sticking around a stinky city, stuck in a stinky hostel.

All Jim could manage on our last day was a bit more wandering. We walked down to the "park" area which was more a network of concrete paths with grass between them. We did however find a walkway which took us above all the paths and then we caught a furnicular up to a view point where you could see the snow capped Mt Illamani in the distance.

Since Jim finally had his appetite back we thought we would go somewhere a bit nicer for dinner so went to the restaurant within Hotel Rosario which was recommended by Trip Advisor. It lived up to its reviews - especially the incredible chocolate mousse!