14/09/2012 - 16/09/2012 - At the Copa… Copacabana

The Incan ruins at Chicana - not sure why we're looking in different directions!

Can't believe we're trusting our
luggage to one of these barges!

Good to see the bowler hat fashions
still hitting the streets

OK – Not the “real” Brazilian Copacabana, but since Bolivia is land locked (something they're not too happy about!) the shores of Lake Titicaca are the closest it comes to a beach resort in this country. Being there, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were looking out onto an ocean, that is until you walked anywhere to realise that you’re 3,841m above sea level...

Sunset over Copacabana beach - hard to believe
that Bolivia's landlocked...

Sunning it up lakeside

Tony's fire-making skills
were still up to scratch,
cheers Rich!

A kitchen - can you believe it?!?

The journey there was quite dramatic, leaving our bus and belongings to get across a stretch of water on a barge, but fortunately no incident. We’d decided to go for a little more luxury than we’d been used to, given the relative cheapness of Bolivia – a real treat to have our own kitchen, bathroom and even fireplace!

The Inca archways

Bowler hats still out in force on the Inca steps...

A trek across Isla del Sol was calling, where we got our first taste of Incan ruins (and supposedly the birthplace of the Inca legend) where it was great to have got ahead of the crowds on this Gringo trail to enjoy Chicana by ourselves for a bit. Arrived at the other end of the island in good time, but despite our searching couldn’t find the dramatic Inca archway providing a magnificent view over the lake. It was only when we had internet access again that Annaliza realised this was on a completely different island (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taquile_Island - only in a different country!) – once again her memory was proving second to all!

Isla del Sol

I could do with a job like this...

Llama's also loved the lake air

Getting lost in the ruins

Key Learnings:

Enjoying the sunset from our pad

1. Take care when purchasing produce in Copacabana – the street side veggies we got were lovely, but the tuna and cheese left quite a lot to the imagination... That’s what Tony’s blaming his poor cooking performance on, anyway!