Hello Bolivia: Copacabana and Lake Titicaca

After visiting Machu Picchu, we headed off to Lake Titicaca. The Lake shares a border with both Peru and Bolivia; however, we heard that Bolivian side was more interesting from a tourism perspective. So, we took a 10 hour "backpacker" train from Cusco to Puno, Peru (passing some of the most amazing landscape we've seen on the trip so far), spent a night in Puno and hopped on a bus to Copacabana, Bolivia.

Copacabana:
Copacabana serves as both the main border town between Bolivia and Peru, as well as the main tourist town for visiting Lake Titicaca. To be perfectly honest, the town isn't terribly exciting: all the restaurants are on one street and most have identical menus (lake trout, pizza, basic chicken and beef dishes). Lodging includes hippies on the street, backpacker dorms and one simple, but cozy hotel. But, it is the best place to go if you want to check out the lake. And its cheap!!! A 3-course meal with a glass of wine at the 2nd nicest restaurant is $8 per person with tip included!!! 2 pairs of wool gloves and hats will set you back a whopping $5.

One note about hippies: Both Cusco and Machu Picchu have a good number of hippies, but Copacabana takes the cake. Sooo many of these folks think they are the 2nd coming of Che Guevera (whom I commonly refer to as the guy on the t-shirt that rode the motorcycle). There was a young couple that sat next to us on the bus, whom we are convinced didn't shower or wash their clothes for least 2 weeks (ugh, the stench!). We also firmly believe we were the only visitors in city that has earned a paycheck.

Lake Titicaca and Isla del Sol:
Let the record show that upon arriving at the lake, my Beavis and Butthead moment was much shorter than originally anticipated.

First thing that strikes you is the sheer size of the lake; at first glance you would think its an ocean!!! Second thing is the deep blue color of the water --- sooo clear and pure. The lake water is actually 1% salt -- which we learned is much less than oceans, but more than fresh water. Interestingly, while most have problems drinking it, the local fisherman boil it to make tea. Third thing is the elevation. The clouds appear to be quite low -- but that's because the lake and islands are at such a high elevation!!!

We chartered a boat to Isla del Sol (the spiritual home of the Incas) with Dougie and Louisa, a Scottish couple that took 2 months off to travel South America before starting their doctoral program. We hiked about 8km on the island, which doesn't sounds like much until you factor in the large elevation changes, and high altitude (4060m at the highest point). Turns out Dougie and Louisa actually hiked an alternate to the Inca Trail a couple of days earlier, and assured us the Isla del Sol hike and "Inca Stairs" from Aguas Calientes were as difficult as the Inca trek! Maybe we are in good enough shape to hike the trail? Eh, something to look forward to.

Marie thought the islands and lake reminded her of the Mediterranean Sea. So, if you enjoy that kind of thing, except a bit colder and a LOT cheaper, this place is for you.