Lakeside tourist's paradise
Trip Start
Apr 09, 2008
1
24
115
Trip End
Apr 19, 2009
Copacabana,
Bolivia
Sunday, June 8, 2008
There is no cash point in Copacabana so I had to change up some emergency dollars, the number of times I have used and replaced the emergency dollars I keep in my bag is incredible. They are more like what do I do if I run out of change dollars rather than energency. Further shopping was for a bus ticket to Cusco and some food and drink for the journey.
I spent my last day in Copa walking I walked into the hills to find various things with the word inca in the title: Baņo del Inca, Tribunal del Inca, etc. All rather underwhelming... I then climbed up onto the cliffs above the city and the lake which turned out to be a much better option. I sat on the cliff for a while, listening to my mp3 player, drinking and eating a bit of the food I had bought, looking out over the lake. I then atempted to return to town around the coast, at several points I thought it looked impasable but there was always a tiny path winding up or down the cliff face. Obviously quite well used but often more like a climb than a walk!
Back in town I purchased troucha con fritas y arroz (trout with rice and chips) a meal I have had many times before and since but that one was by far the best.
Lake 1
The price was 18 Bs that is about 1.30 squid and included a drink of homemade lemonade made fresh for me. Which is often the cheapest drink in a restaurant, unless they have freshly squeezed orange juice which will be less, the most expensive soft drink will be an imported coke or fanta. It was good. Sitting by the shorefront reminded me of Watchet. The town is quite similar to Watchet in other ways too, its dependancy on tourism for example. It is quite amazing really that a town with an economy based entirely on tourism can still be so cheap. It was the perfect place to buy suvenhirs and eat out because the locals think they are ripping you off but in truth they have no idea at all. Bit of nostalgia is always good. I love my mp3 player for the same reason it is like a tiny little bit of home that I can get out at any time. Favourite thing in my bag (thanks Darren!) The same effect can be achieved with a snickers but they are ridiculesly over priced.
I waited for my friends to get back off the boat to say bye and check they didnt want the bus too and then walked up the hill to where the bus was already waiting. Unfortunately there was a lot of waiting involved, there was some sort of nationwide bus strike happening and although our bus was Peruvian that still seemed to be a problem. I think in the end we appeased the local bus drivers by paying them to take us to the border. We then walked over the border and waited for a diferent bus to collect us. The night was only inturupted once more at Puno where we changed buses again and of course in the morning because we arrived at about 3.30. So all in all I didn't get any sleep. I then got a cab into town, woke up the staff of 5 hostals before finding one that had space and finally got into a big old bed and slept until 10. When I was woken up by the banging of building works for my first day in Cusco.
