Onwards to Lake Titicaca and Bolivia

Finally our time in Peru had drawn to an end and Bolivia was ahead of us.  Off on an direct overnight bus we were somewhat surprised to be turfed off it and loaded in a collectivo for the final approach to the border.  Ah well, good old South America, you can't always believe what the ticket seller tells you.  It was a simple border crossing and we were quickly in Copacabana.  Finding a hostel proved slightly harder, but after walking around for 15min we were settled.

Copacabana is on the shores of Lake Titicaca, an enormous, rich blue expanse of water.  It's a laid back, touristy town, perfect for some relaxing and a visit to Isla del Sol. All the restaurants seem to offer the same food, and there are plenty of stalls selling everything from the local giant popcorn to toblerones to sunglasses.

Copacabana and the surrounding hills

Sadly rubbish seems to get everywhere

American kestrel

Flying

Another perspective of the town, while waiting for sunset

Sunset across the lake

Isla del Sol across the lake

The last rays

The colour of the water and sky painted a beautiful picture for us

Isla del Sol is reached by possibly the slowest ferry service in existence.  We chugged along, admiring the coastline and glad for the sunshine.  Once at the northern end of the island we followed the well established track to the southern end, past gorgeous views and three different toll booths!  It's a way for the islanders to make money and was cheap at the price.

The northern end of the island

Slowly sinking into the lake

At the halfway tollbooth at the highest point of the path

Leaving Copacabana for La Paz on the bus we were surprised (again) to have to get off the bus after an hour for a ferry crossing of the lake.

Our bus making it's slightly precarious way across the lake

Jesus is a frequent feature on the back of buses

Easy does it

A night in La Paz itself seemed to be enough - noisy, dirty and busy, it nevertheless has some good points; a surreal surrounding landscape including mountains and erroded hillsides and the best Cuban restaurant.  Actually leaving the city was somewhat fraught as there were blockados happening (very common in Bolivia) and buses going to other destinations were not leaving.  Luckily the hostel phoned the bus company and the route to Cochabamba was still open, so off we went.