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Bolivia is a beautiful country. We only had the privilege to spend three days in Bolivia, but we enjoyed every minute of it! We arrived at the Peru-Bolivian border at 7:30 a.m. and traveled thirty minutes by collectivo (a van which basically serves the same purpose as a bus, except it is much more crowded and cheaper and, sometimes, the only option). Copacabana is a beautiful and colorful beach town, which sits on the shores of Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is enormous and straddles the Peruvian-Bolivian border. Approximately 60% of Lake Titicaca is considered Peru, while the remaining 40% is considered to be Bolivia. We hiked the trail to Yampupata (20 kilometers) and then for some crazy reason hiked back to Copacabana (another 20 kilometers). The next day, we traveled to La Paz, a beautiful historical, yet cosmopolitan city which sits in the valley of grand snow peaked mountains. We spent two fun days in La Paz with our friends Mike and Linda and then said , "Goodbye", as we were headed for Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands!
The Cathedral of Copacabana.
Here we are eating at what has become our favorite little restaurant, La Leyenda, which is right on the beach. We had a wonderful Continental breakfast consisting of bread, cafe con leche, real fresh squeezed orange juice, and pancakes or eggs. That same night we returned to La Leyenda after our nine hour hike to enjoy the most delicious tacos we had ever eaten.
Mike, Linda and Rich pause for a moment to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Titicaca and the islands in the background.
Rich is still having fun as we hike up to Yampupata to sail on to the Island of the Sun.
After learning that we have missed the last boat to the Island of the Sun and that it will cost us 90 bolivianos if we want a private boat back, we decide to hike back to Copacabana. At this point, the fun ended and the quest for survival began. In this photo, you will notice Rich doggedly pressing on, Linda looking disturbingly confused, and Mike starring into the distance in a semi-apopletic state.
The sun begins to fall on Lake Titicaca as the race against darkness continues. Fortunately, we had a full moon that evening, so even though our return was over an hour after sunset, it was not as treacherous as it would have been otherwise. In all seriousness, while this hike was certainly tiring, we enjoyed it immensely, and we would do it the same way, if we had the fortunate opportunity to do it again.
The next morning we took a beautiful bus/boat/bus ride into La Paz. The streets of La Paz were bumping as we strolled around to enjoy the sights and sounds.
From the central plaza of La Paz on a clear day, one can see the beautiful snow capped mountains that surround this city in a canyon.
On our last night as 4 Go Global, we climbed up to Cerro Laikakota to see the city at night and also Mt. Illimani. After taking in this breathtaking view, we walked back down and dined at PRONTO. We enjoyed our most expensive meal of the trip, and it was worth every boliviano!
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