We had heard good things about laid back Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the largest lake in the world at an altitude of 3800m above sea level. To be fair, the town itself has very little of interest and it is mainly the lake excursions that draw everyone here. We were staying in a lovely little hostel/hotel called La Cupula, which was located on the hillside of Cerro Calvario. The views are awesome but the best things about this place are probably the resident alpacas, and the incredible sunsets over Lake Titicaca. Having heard about the good hiking and given that we had perfect weather, we set off on a walk that an American baker had recommended to us. It's safe to say that it didn't go entirely to plan. This was in part due to my new and irrational fear of countryside dogs, thanks to a horrific blog post I had read the previous night where some girl had been bitten by a rabid dog whilst wandering in Peru (and then had only twelve hours to get a rabies jab, hell). Anyway, I didn't get bitten but I did walk the whole journey with rocks in my hand and even Rob picked up a stick at one point. There was a lot of pausing when we heard dog barks. And a harried verging on hysterical ‘ROB, ARGHHH’ when I caught an Alsatian running my way before being called back by its owner. And then we realised we had gone the wrong way. So just as we started to think we would never find the famous Inca ruins we were hunting for, a smiley toothless farmer popped his head out of his field and took it upon himself to become our personal guide. He showed us round the whole site and gave detailed explanations (in Spanish) along the way. He was like a goat clambering up the rocky mountainside whilst we huffed and puffed in an effort to keep up. Rob knew enough Spanish to get the gist of it all. It was pretty fascinating. We would never have found or understood what we were looking at had he not guided us. It is astonishing to think that the Incas lived such civilised lives, with a court perched on the top of the mountain, jails, complicated drainage systems, even a birthing zone for expectant mothers to chill out with a view. We finally parted ways before a rather awkward pause where we finally worked out he was asking us for some money. But he had been so sweet in giving us his time so it was a no brainer. Our ride back to town was in the most hilariously ruined taxi. It sounded like the engine was in the front seat, the driver was a real boss and knowing he was our only ride back to town charged us an extortionate rate. But we were racing back for sunset so we laughed it off and held on for dear life. We made it to the top of Cerro Calvario just in time. The high altitude meant that our (ok, mainly my) lungs were on fire by the time we reached the top but it was worth it! The little pinpricks of light lining the beach in the photo below are the trucha (trout) stalls where we enjoyed a delicious dinner moments later. Isla Del Sol - the sunshine isle - and no wonder, because this place is gorgeous and a must visit for anyone nearby. You could probably swim there faster than the boat that takes you there (two hours later) and it isn't a particularly pleasant journey as the windows start at just above eye level and the engine fumes are noxious. As seems to always be the way with these Incas, the main town is on the top of the hill and the fairly strenuous climb takes around 30 mins, depending on how many times you stop. There are no cars, more pizzerias than people, and a lot of donkeys, whose brays penetrate the deep valleys. Oh and of course, llamas. Lots of llamas. There are two Isla Del Sol departure times from Copacabana, 8.30am or 1pm. As the last boat back is before sunset, we wanted to make the most of it and left on the early boat. Mysteriously, the north of the island was closed off to tourists. When we asked locals why this was, everyone clammed up and shook their heads disapprovingly. We later found out there was some sort of dispute going on between the villages up there so the boats that usually dropped you off there were suspended. This was a shame as it's reputed to be the most interesting and beautiful area of the island. But we didn't mind so much and enjoyed exploring the trails that were open. And a new #charliesinterestingrocksoftheworldseries was found: The green rock.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |