Onwards to Lake Titicaca and into Bolivia

Hi folks--

Sorry we haven´t been as dilligent about keeping up with the blog as we´d like. Blame it on having too much to do (or, in reality, because we´re lazy).

After we arrived back in Cuzco, we spent one more full day relaxing and enjoying the city before we decided to head south to Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. There had been a farmers´ strike going on the last few days in the area between the two cities where the highway was blocked by campesinos in several villages enroute. We were told conflicting info on this, but heard that it was finished by the morning we were ready to leave. Well, when we arrived at the bus station we found out that the protests and road blocks were indeed still going on. This was a serious crimp in our plans, since it is very difficult to circumvent these problems on the few roads up in the highlands. We were trying to figure out what to do when a couple friends we had made walked by with their bags and told us that they had just gotten tickets on a bus to Puno that was going to go around the blockade via backroads. There were only a couple seats left, so we hurriedly purchased seats and went out to wait for the bus.

I´m going to leave the description of the bus ride to Puno in John´s hands, but suffice it to say, it was eventful. It messed up our timing to the point that by the time we got to Puno, we were ready to head onwards toward Bolivia rather than stay any longer in Peru. So after a great meal of salteñas and coffee for lunch, we boarded a local bus for the border village of Yunguyo. I´ve crossed here before and it was really simple, and luckily it was this time as well. The only difference is that Bolivia has recently instituted a massive visa fee for citizens of the US ($135 - a tit for tat measure to counter the high visa fees for Bolivians entering the US). That was a painful punch to the pocket, but at least the visa is valid for 5 years. Up till this point we weren´t actually sure if we were going to be heading into Bolivia, since the political situation here was quite unstable last month. After talking with travelers returning from the country and keeping up with local news, we decided that it had stabilized enough to head on in. I´m really glad we did, because it´s great to be back in this country.

Anyway, from the border town, we headed further on along the shore of Lake Titicaca to the little resort town of Copacabana, where we spent the night. Lake Titicaca is a pretty amazing place, with crystal blue skies and water, plus quaint villages scattered along its extensive shoreline. We went for an evening walk along the water and watched a beautiful sunset over the hills and waves.

The next morning we got up and hopped on a bus to La Paz. This route is interesting because to reach La Paz from Copacabana it is necessary to cross a straight by boat. All the passengers disembark and hop in a speedboat to cross the water, while the bus trundles onto a wooden ferry that can barely hold its weight. Afterwards, everyone loads back on and the trip continues. As we rose further up onto the Altiplano from the lake, the Cordillera Real, the mountains north of La Paz, rose massively in the distance. It was s a very stark and beautiful panorama.

Eventually the road leaves the cold, windswept plains and enters a chaotic, dirty, sprawling slum settlement called El Alto. When you hit this area, you know that you´ve reached the outskirts of La Paz. La Paz is situated in a bowl-like canyon with El Alto perched up on the rim. Once you make it through the chaos of El Alto, the views of La Paz below you will literally take your breath away. It´s a pretty amazing site.

In La Paz, we are staying with John´s mother´s friend, Jackie. She and her family are great! We´ll write more about our time here in a couple days.

-Matt!