Lake Titicaca

We arrived in Puno at 5:10am-thankfully, 40 minutes later than anticipated. That's the hitch about night buses that get in early. You've got nothing to do but watch your luggage & wait in the cold. The original plan was arrive at 4:30am in Puno & catch a 7:30am bus to Copacabana (I am not making these names up, I promise). Thankfully, we were hustled onto a 6:00am bus (and I negotiated $3.60 off the price, thank you very much. You cannot tell me 20 soles & then write 15 on my ticket. I may be a tourist, but I am a literate one). The earlier departure means more sleep-aside from the bright red ball rising before us. We are thankful to be on the bus already & moving toward our desired destination. Or maybe I am most thankful not to be spending 3 hours in a bus station. 

This is the "unplanned" portion of our trip. (I just lost the rest of this post. Heartbreaking. I'll try again.)

We had our first glimpse of Lake Titicaca. (Again, I am not making these names up, I promise.) beautiful. We've seen mountains & now on to water. I am my father's child. There is something magestic about the water. 

We slept until the border. We have learned to "split up" when processes involve two steps. Thus Chris got in line for the border & I exchanged Peruvian soles for Bolivian bolivianos. The exchange rate was better than expected. We left Peru & then had to walk down the street & into Bolivia. The boarder crossing into Bolivia was easier & less expensive than anticipated. However the passport guy did keep looking at the thickness of my passport (I needed pages added when I traveled for work. I know it's thick. Believe me. You try sleeping with it in your money belt). 

We arrived in Copacabana. Our boat to Isla del Sol didn't leave until 1330 allowing us time to explore the city. The Carhedral in Copacabana is listed in the "1000 Places to see Before you Die" book so we headed up hill with our packs on to check it out. This cathedral actually looked different. It was built in the Moorish style. 

We went around to the left to the capilla de velas. Locals buy candles in packs of 10-12 and light them in honor of a loved one. We were early, hence not a lot of candles and no wax graffiti as the guide book mentioned. I lit a candle for Grandma Vans. 

We entered the church after mass & the inside, no surprise, resembled the other cathedrals that were built around the same time period. We could only find a replica of the famous Virgin of Copacabana. Obviously I felt a bit self conscious about wearing my back pack & entering the church. I know I am a tourist but we try our best to be respectful. That is until I saw this kid dressed in head to toe in a Tigger costume. And he actually attended mass. 

We picked our restaurant based on the free wi-Fi and when it did not work, were told that was the wrong wi-Fi (even though the name was the restaurant). The waitress seemed annoyed & thus we ate our over priced meal without Wi-Fi. I probably would not have lost the earlier version of this post if the wi-Fi had worked. Being on the lake, Copa is known for their trout & we both had delicious trout meals. More than enough. 

We have not found Copacabana to be hospitable. Twice we have had to find our own change to make purchases & the locals are not interested in bargaining. I think the locals are resentful of the tourists. Chris says indifferent. Either way, we were looking forward to moving on to Isla del Sol. But it has been nice not to be solicited. This was a photo of Chris, waiting for the boat to the island. 

The boat ride took about 1.5 hours and was full of tourists. I had no leg room but for an hour I thought I'd be OK. Normally the motion of a boat puts me asleep within 15 minutes which is a blessing to the alternative of throwing up. However on this particular boat ride, after being on 2 buses, I was not sleepy & could not see out the window. (In retrospect to the return trip from the island, the trip over was a breeze). 

Isla del Sol (sun island) holds religious importance to the Incas. They believe it was where one of their gods came down on the earth. We'd heard though the accommodations are terrible, the views were spectacular and most travelers found the island relaxing. We were looking forward to taking it easy on this pedestrian only island for a couple days after the #hypertourist days of Peru. 

We couldn't exit the dock without first paying a 2 boliviano entrance fee to the island. This was our second strange fee in one day (the other one was leaving Puno bus station). There were young boys trying to sell rooms. I heard 40 bolivianos in a place with hot water & beautiful views. Chris wanted to free style it, so up we went. 

We knew we'd have to carry our packs. And although my pack felt incredibly lighter after eating all the snacks in MP, walking up the 300 steps of the Inca staircase with 25 lbs on my back was a lot. Isla del Sol is also the highest altitude we'll endur on our trip. My legs were burning. I'm also not a fan of wandering around with my pack on. Thus Chris lovingly sat me on a corner stair & went off with 10 year old David to find accommodation. To pass the time, I did puzzles. (Couldn't find my kindle.)

Chris came back & off we went to our accommodation. After hiking up to where he'd been, I'd raised my price point & no longer cared. I just wanted my pack off. But he found us a private room for 25 Bolivianos each with a double bed & hot water, a shared bathroom & a beautiful view. 

I knew we were in trouble when Chtis asked for toilet paper & was told that it was not included. I FULLY ADMIT my fault for the accommodation.  There were cracks in the door & windows through which we heard the wind howling (we were after all on the side of a mountain 3800 meters high). The place was so bad it was comical, really. We'd spent so much time looking around for a place to sleep that we couldn't go hiking for soon the sun would be setting. Also, Mr Good-Natured was "done" per his words after searching for accommodation. He was over the island & ready to leave. So much for staying & relaxing!!

Do not be deceived by the photo of the room. The bathroom was terrible. And so cold we decided not to shower. 

We went up the walkway for some dinner because the restaurant had a terrace with a beautiful view. After sitting outside for 30 minutes as the sun went down, we moved inside for dinner & Cribbage. I had a wonderful quinoa soup which reminded me of Host Mama's soups in Ukraine. So nice & warm & feeds the soul. Chris had an omelet meal with 2 types of potatoes. We sat there for quite a while, afraid to return to our one room ice box. Chris had another cup of coffee I had more coca tea and won two games of Cribbage. (We've resorted to keeping score on old suduko puzzles as we didn't want to bring the board or drain our cell batteries.)

As you might have guessed, there was minimal electricity on Isla del Sol. And we quickly found out there was no running water. Water was carried up hill by donkeys. That translates in practical matters to little water & dodging donkey droppings as we traversed the island. 

Without light pollution there was a beautiful night sky. Not only were the stars bright, but I could see other clusters of stars. I felt as though I was looking through a telescope. 

We agreed to leave on the first boat in the morning but to try to catch sunrise. We decided against showers based on the extreme chill. I opted to sleep in my same clothes again (which as I write this post are now on day 3) and we climbed in bed with our hats on (and I on my scarf). I'm thankful that Chris runs warm & exudes heat. We played games on the kindle until our eyelids were heavy.

And wouldn't it figure, that for the first time, I woke up & had to go to the bathroom. I climbed out of bed, laced up my hiking shoes & grabbed some TP and headed to the bathroom in the freezing cold. Our night on Isla del Sol will be one we will NEVER forget.