Copacabana Day 265 10/06/2015

Feeling a bit better we decided we spend the morning exploring what Copacabana has to offer. After breakfast we walked uphill from the hostel to the summit of Cerro Calvario, the hill north of the town. The path climbs past 14 stations before reaching the cross at the top which gives great views across to Isla del Sol and back over Copacabana. It's clearly a popular place to visit, by tourists and locals, as evidenced by the amount of litter scattered around the hillside. Most of the buildings we could see in the town are either in the process of being built or being demolished! Surprisingly for the size of the place it has two full size football pitches. It has for centuries been the site of religious pilgrimages and today both locals and international pilgrims flock to its fiestas. After a rest to take in the views we walked back down into the town and headed to Plaza 2 de Febrero and the Moorish-style cathedral. It dominates the town with its domes and colourful ceramic tiles. The inside of the cathedral is very ornate, almost garish. Back out in the sunshine we headed to the local bakery to buy something for lunch, only to find it closed until Saturday! After wandering around the streets, stopping at another bakery only to find it closed as well, we headed back up the hill to the hostel. The sun was now on the garden and we spent our last afternoon here sat in the sun chairs and hammocks, being entertained by the pig from next door that keeps getting through into the garden and doing a great job of removing the flower heads! We had dinner at the hostel restaurant before retiring to our room of our last night by the wood stove and our last night in Bolivia. Off to Peru tomorrow!

On route to Cerro Calvario

Reaching the summit and the stations of the cross 

Looking down on Copacabana 

And out to Isal del Sol 

Enjoying a much needed rest before we headed back down 

The Moorish style cathedral