It’s been another long day! Including today, I’ve actually
woken up earlier than 7 am on 7 of the past 8 days, and that one anomaly I woke up at 9:30. This is severe change from
what I am used to, and is quite a struggle. I think I am getting used to it – I
don’t really need an alarm anymore to wake up at 6 am, but I wish I could just
get more sleep. Sigh.
I was a little nervous about the trip today because I have
never crossed a border by land and did not have anything booked before I got
here. I had no Bolivianos (the Bolivian currency) and I would not be able to
use my SIM card, and I have heard that wifi and internet are just not very good
in general in Bolivia, at least as compared to Peru. Luckily, most things
worked out okay. The taxi came to bring me to the bus station (where I had to borrow
1.5 soles from a taxi mate due again to no cash – ugh), and then I successfully
got on the bus to Copacabana. For some reason, the bus that was scheduled to
leave at 7 am did not leave until 8 am, which was annoying. There was a young
couple (younger than me) from Colombia sitting in the seats across the aisle
from me that kept making out and putting their hands up each other’s’ shirts
and I just – UGH. THIS IS PUBLIC.
Anyways, the border crossing was actually super chill and
I’m pretty sure you could get around it very easily. There are two stations –
one for each country. You go to the Peruvian office to turn in your tourist
card and get your passport stamped, and then walk across the border to get your
Bolivian tourist card and passport stamped. Technically, this all happens in
buildings off the main road so you could pretty easily just not go to either
one – not that I recommend it.
Upon arrival to Copacabana, I was approached by a lady
waiting at the bus station advertising her hostel. She told me it was about a
block from the main square and she could let me stay for 60 Bolivianos for two
nights. I bargained it down to 55 which is the cheapest that I have heard from
people who have been here before (yay!). She also promised hot water showers
and wifi, but I haven’t seen either one of those. Oh well, you get what you pay
for (the exchange rate with dollars is about 6.91, so I’m paying about $3.98 to
stay here per night. LOL the electricity and bathroom access pretty much covers
that cost). I’m actually staying in a nice room with just three beds – and the
other two are empty. It’s quite nice, actually. The bed is comfortable and the
blankets seem thick enough. It’s a little far from the beach and port for the
Lake Titicaca islands from this town, but it’s okay.
Copacabana is small enough that you can just walk around and
see the whole thing. There are two little “main squares” that I saw, the
biggest one is connected to this rather majestic church.
I then went to withdraw from Bolivianos from the ATM, which
actually doesn’t charge an ATM fee! Even though I get any and all reimbursed by
Schwab, I still have to wait until the end of the month, so this no-fee thing
is a pleasant surprise! I think I’m going to take out a little extra cash to
make it easier on myself down the line.
I then went down to the beach – the road there is lined with
touristic restaurants, travel agencies, and souvenir shops. At the port, the
Lake is beautiful!
I then went to the Museo del Poncho – a cute little textiles
museum that outlines the different designs of ponchos and clothes from the Lake
Titicaca populations. They are overall gorgeous, but some of the full outfits
were awesome! Flashy at times, and just enough color at others.
The only other real attraction in Copacabana is called Cerro
Calvario – it’s a small collection of crosses at the top of the hill that
overlooks the town. It took about 45 minutes to walk up, but the point had some
beautiful religious art and even better
views of Lake Titicaca. Seriously, it is breathtaking
from there!
I had some dinner (really delicious quinoa soup, fried
chicken/rice/fries, and chocolate syrup bananas) for just 20 Bolivianos, or
about $2.89. This pricing this is brilliant. If I ever run out of money I just
need to move to Bolivia for a couple months and all will be well!
Last thing today – beautiful sunset!
Tomorrow’s itinerary: boat to Isla del Sol from the north,
walking to the south, and then back. Apparently there are some great ruins on
the island, some native/indigenous cultures, and a pretty museum.
Unfortunately, I’m looking at about 4 hours of walking and about 5-6 hours on
my feet, so hopefully it will not be too bad. On the bright side, I’m not
feeling so sore today!
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