Copacabana, Bolivia

Three hours and I was in the middle of souvenir shop central. Copacabana is known as the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka. Many people go to Copacabana to check out the Isla del Sol. It is a very nice scenic island inhabited by the Incas.

I wasn´t able to take a boat there that day as planned because the boats only leave in the morning and early afternoon so I decided to grab a place to stay. A nice, quiet and more importantly, cheap place to stay did the trick.

The next day I woke up super early for breakfast and to catch the boat to Isla del Sol. The ride is an hour and a bit and great chance to enjoy the Lake Titikaka views. The island itself is covered with the Inca technique of agriculture. The Incas cultivate the land by molding it into shelves. Bolivian land is very mountainous so the Incas invented this technique to avoid errosion and maximize the surface area of the land so they could plant more. The top of the island is probably 400m high. That meant quite the hike to get up to the trail which was about half way up. They had a trail all around the island but the problem was they only give you about an hour on that island then they leave. I wanted to squeeze everything in. So I walk hustled half the three hour trail then went to the very top. It had an insane 360 degree view of Lake Titikaka. Unfortunately, I didn´t have much time to enjoy the top. 12 minutes to get down! So I run dodging Incas, donkeys, llamas, pigs, running through crops, you name it! I finally stumble to the bottom sweating from the 3000m+ elevation and barely make it. The driver was just docking the boat.

We made a pit stop to some old ruins that they called a museum. Strage. And then we headed back to Copacabana where I caught my bus for Punno in Peru. Whew, that was an exhausting little trip...