Cusco Day 266 11/06/2015

We'd decided to travel to Cusco non stop, coming back to Puno on the Peruvian shores of Lake Titicaca after we've trekked the Inca Trail and visited Machu Picchu. We had a light breakfast at La Cupula given we'd got a long bus journey ahead of us, packed and walked down to the main square for our 0900 bus. It was all very well organised with immigration forms availalbe for us to complete before we boarded the bus. We set off just after 0900 and within 20 minutes reached the border with Peru. We quickly got stamped out of Bolivia, walked the few hundred meters to Peru, got stamped in, changed some money and were back on the bus in less than 15 minutes. No baggage check here! We continued on to Puno, following the shore of Lake Titicaca. It certainly looked slightly more prosperous on this side of the border with vast areas of agricultural land and farm animals. We arrived in Puno just after 1100 (accounting for the one hour clock change back). We'd bought a direct ticket from the local agent a few days ago, aware that we needed to change bus in Puno (not quite sure how that qualifies for direct). We found the local agent who purchased tickets on our behalf to Cusco with the bus scheduled to leave at 1200. It was clear that we'd paid a premium for our direct ticket but given it only cost B$120 (c£12) for the full journey we didn't mind. The bus to Cusco was quite full, mainly of locals with lots of bags. We set off just before 1230 and after a couple of hours reached the town of Juliaca, described as a brash, unfinished eyesore on an otherwise beautiful landscape. It looked like a riot had taken place, glass, bricks and smouldering debris covering the streets. The bus had to weave it's way through to get to the terminal. As we left the terminal, with the bus now full, we were asked to close the windows and curtains. It was slightly uncomfortable as the bus crawled along attempting to find a way out of the town and we were both relieved to be back in open countryside. Good to know that we'll need to do this journey in reverse in just over a week's time! Not long afterwards we were joined by two ladies selling food, chunks of lamb cut fresh from a huge slab of meat, bread and juice. It's fascinating to watch life onboard the bus. There was also a lady (a fellow passenger) selling toothpaste of all things. Just as dusk fell we were entertained with a film, El Sueno Americano (The American Dream) duped in Spanish, with the volume at full blast. Simon managed to follow what was going on but all Diane could gather was lots of references to Superman and Michael Jackson! We finally arrived in Cusco just after 2000 and jumped in a taxi to take us to our hostel, booked by KE Adventure who we have booked to do the Inca Trail with. On arrival we were told that our booking was at a sister hostel. Not too chuffed we phoned the local agent with no avail and walked the short distance to the other hostel (luckily for Diane one of the hostel staff carried her bag). Ironic that this is the first time that somebody else has booked accommodation on our behalf and the first time since Laos that there has been a problem with the reservation. The sister hostel, Amaru Colonial, is nice enough with good size rooms set around a courtyard. We dropped off our bags and headed out to a local restaurant for something to eat before returning to the hostel, exhausted after a long bus journey.

Our last morning in Copacabana 

Welcome to Peru 

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 

Copacabana Day 264 09/06/2015

We had a leisurely start to the day, enjoying the early morning sunshine coming into our room and warming us up. We'd decided to spend the day chilling out in the hope of speeding up our recuperation. It really is quite fortuitous that we'd decided to have a few days here before our onward journey to Peru. After breakfast we walked down into the town to change some money and buy a few provisions, including some antibiotics which are readily available over the counter here (clearly the sale of both medical and recreational drugs is less controlled than at home!). Back at the hostel we looked up the antibiotics online and, after reading the potential side effects, decided to wait a few days in the hope we won't need to take them. We sat out in the garden, reading, catching up on emails (as best we could given the quality of the wifi) and planning where next after our trek on the Inca Trail. Late afternoon we walked back down to town for a drink and a bite to eat. We ate in the hostel restaurant again in the evening, this time both being able to eat most of our meals before retiring. We were much more successful with the wood fire and enjoyed the warmth as well as the roar.

What better way to recuperate?

Copacabana Day 263 08/06/2015

We contemplated getting the ferry across to Isla del Luna, the small island that we'd looked out over for the last two days, before heading back to the mainland but given both of us were still feeling under the weather we decided to go straight back to Copacabana. We packed up, had a bite to eat and walked down to Escalera del Inca where the ferry docks. The Casa del Luna was a nice place, the rooms new and nicely furnished and it has wonderful views, but it was seriously over priced for what it offers. No heating, very little water and the food a bit lacking, none of which we mind as long as the price reflects it. Having said that we didn't look at any other accommodation on the island so have nothing to benchmark it against. The ferry back was busy with most passengers sat on the roof. We opted for the comfort of the cabin and enjoyed the smooth journey back across Lake Titicaca. It was nice to be back at La Cupula, set on the hillside above the town (apart from the steep walk up hill to it but at least this time we didn't have our bags!). We spent the rest of the day chilling out in the garden enjoying the sunshine. Despite the temperature only reaching c16 degrees the sun is very hot especially since we're at c4000m elevation. We'd upgraded our room for our return stay and have a 'suite' at the top of the garden area (all good except for more uphill to get to it!). The views from the huge windows are lovely and, after the sun went down, we sat looking out over the lake. We ate in the restaurant, deciding it was probably a good safe option to help speed our recovery. The food is very good and they certainly appear to understand the need to cater for western tummies! Back in our room we lit the wood stove and enjoyed the roar of the fire, if not the warmth, before retiring to bed.

Escalera del Inca below Yumani 

Waiting for our ferry

Our suite at La Cupula 

Isla del Sol Day 262 07/06/2015

Despite an OK nights sleep, disturbed only by the "eeyore" of the local donkeys, we were both still suffering from the effects of our tummy bug. We had a bit of breakfast before setting off to walk to the north of the island, not really sure whether it was a good idea or not but it was the main reason we'd come here and neither of us were keen to miss out. After purchasing water and biscuits we walked up through the village and continued to the mirador, before realising the path we needed was down to our left. Clearly we've still got the ability to get waylaid at the start of walks. We headed downhill crossing terracing and avoiding crops to join the path and then continued north along a well maintained route. The path was undulating with wonderful panoramic views all. After a short while we came across a check point where we paid our fee to use the path (15B$ each) with the monies going to support the local community. It was lovely and peaceful as we wandered along passing a few local shepherds and shepherdess moving their flocks of sheep, pigs and donkeys to new grazing areas. As we got nearer to the north end of the island we headed downhill towards the pre-Columbian ruins to be greeted by a throng of people who had walked up from the north end, after taken the ferry from Copacabana. We wandered around the ruins, stopped for a drink and a few biscuits and then set off back up hill and along the path heading back south. The views of the Cordillera Real on our left. were spectacular with the snow capped mountains glistening in the brilliant sunshine. We arrived back in Yumani mid afternoon, exhausted after our 6 hour walk but pleased that we'd persevered as the views were lovely and the route, especially on the way north, very peaceful and tranquil. We spent the remainder of the afternoon enjoying the sunshine. Given our delicate constitutions we decided to eat at the hostel again, only to find the only food available was soup or pasta. Neither of us could face pasta so we both opted for soup before heading off to bed and the warmth of the blankets.

Dawn over Lake Titicaca 

Setting off to the north of the island 

The very well maintained trail 

Looking across to the Cordillera Real 

The pre-columbian Chincana ruins  

Longing to be in the mountains! 

Isla del Sol Day 261 06/06/2015

We had breakfast at the hotel, not that either of us were up to eating much, and then sorted out our bags before our trip to Isla del Sol. The 70 sq km island with c2500 residents in several communities has no roads, with goods being moved by donkey or boat, so we decided to leave our bags behind and take our overnight gear in our day sacks. After checking out we wandered down into the village and booked our bus tickets for our onward journey to Cusco in Peru for a few days time before having a drink on the shorefront and then boarding our boat for the two hour crossing to Yumani on the south of the island. Most of the passengers sat on top on the boat but we opted for inside seats, out of the direct sunshine. The crossing was very smooth and we were soon arriving at the port below the village. We were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by the owners daughter from the Casa de la Luna where we'd booked to stay, not least because there aren't any maps of the village. It was a steep walk up 200 plus steeps to the village perched on the hillside. The hostel had great views looking out across to the Isla del Luna and behind it the spectacular Cordillera Real mountain range. After dropping off our day sacks we had a stroll around the village and then spent the rest of the afternoon sat out in the afternoon sunshine soaking in the views. When the sun disappeared behind the hill we rapidly moved inside as the temperature plummeted. The hostel had a small restaurant, which also seemed to function as their lounge, and we ate there in the evening before retiring to bed, buried under the warmth of a pile of blankets and a duvet.

The lake shore at Copacabana 

Boarding our boat to Isla del Sol 

Looking back to the mainland from above Yumani 

The view from our hostel 

Sunset over Corderilla Real and Isla del Luna 

Copacabana Day 260 05/06/2015

Well last night's pizzas might have been tasty but they can't have been too healthy as both of us were up many times in the night with diarrhoea. When the alarm went at 0600, we were still feeling very ropey and Di was sick once as well. We skipped breakfast, had some imodium, hoping this would see us through the 4 hour bus journey and waited in reception for our bus. As well as stomach pains, we both had banging headaches as we were both dehydrated but not wanting to drink any water, which is not too clever at this altitude! We boarded our bus which was freezing and went to half a dozen other hotels/hostals picking up passengers. We then went to La Paz's main bus terminal to swap buses onto a more comfortable one (we kept the same pre assigned seat numbers) and waited to depart of 0800. During this time we had to pay the departure tax of 2B$ each and as is typical in Bolivia the bus set off at 0825. The buses heating was not working (we were awaiting the sun to rise above the hills) and to our concern the driver advised the toilet was for liquids only! Simon did have to go enroute but was still ill so met the toilet criteria! After ascending the valley out of La Paz we drove through El Alto, which Simon eloquently described as a "miserable, shit pit" with half finished roads, half finished houses, fumes, people everywhere and so much rubbish it was disgusting. We had to make at least 2 diversions off the main road through the dusty, unsealed backstreets, the first as the road was dug up and the second was due to it being blocked by people striking from a nearby factory, with burning tyre smoke discolouring the jet blue sky. On the second detour the 52 seat bus nearly got struck with the driver having to put lots of rocks to enable the bus to get out of a muddy hole; all the passengers were very relieved to say the least as not sure would want to be immobile there for any period of time - felt like we would be in a jungle surrounded by hungry lions! We eventually got out of El Alto and the countryside became much less arid, with a huge plain to our left and to our right the snow capped mountains - proper picture postcard stuff. There are 2 routes from La Paz to Copacabana, one involving going through Peru and the other meaning we need to take a short ferry ride to stay in Bolivia. (I would recommend you look at a map of the border between the 2 countries at Lake Titicaca to show a great example of how "bonkers" man's borders are!). We had to alight the bus to get on the small passenger ferries (Simon's Dad's dingy is bigger) which went when 20+ people were onboard. The 2B$ fare per person was good value as the 5 minute journey had great panoramas including what can only be described as a raft a couple of hundred metres away carrying our bus across. There was a lot of vessels between to two villages, San Pablo de Tiquina and San Pedro de Tiquina and after arriving at the latter we had our ID checked (you could sail there from Peru I suppose), headed across the waterfront, with a fiesta in full flow in the plaza and waited for our bus. The 30 minute journey across the narrow peninsula to Copacobana was very pretty, with the lake appearing on both sides, but we were both still feeling quite unwell so we were glad when we got there. Our hotel for the night was only 400m away but all uphill so we lugged our bags up and checked in. The place is lovely and has great views across the harbour. We decided then that after having 2 next nights on Isla del Sol, we would come back here and extend our stay from 1 to 3 nights. We also up graded to the suite right at the top of the hotel as it was only an extra 13USD per night to do so and at 55USD still in our budget. Whilst still not feeling well we walked back to the harbour, to determine the bus prices and times to Cusco for the 11th and what time was the ferry tomorrow. As it was 1330 and you don't need to prebook, we decided to sort it in the morning after checking out and hopefully feeling better and so after a glass of coca cola we went back up to the hill to the hotel. Alongside the many buildings of the hotel was a lovely sunny garden, which noting had hammocks was a "no brainer" for us to doze in the warmth, in an effort to recuperate.

San Pablo de Tiquina 

The passenger boats across Lake Titicaca 

Our bus on route to San Pedro de Tiquina 

Unloading the bus 

On route to Copacabana 

The view of Copacabana from our hostal