Arrived by bus in
Puno, Peru on Lake Titicaca for our surprise 1.5 hour layover and a
bus switch. We took our stuff and grabbed a little breakfast and
warmed my feet by the space heater in the restaurant. Mark told me
how I had been rolling myself up into a little ball and kicking him
in the legs. I said I was cold! Had an egg sandwich and pineapple
juice and tried another card at the ATM for cash. I didn't think I'd
know the PIN, but it worked! Problem solved for the trip. We got back
on the bus for the 3 hour ride the rest of the way to Bolivia. The
scenery was new. Wet, but still desert-y at the same time. Poor, lots
of farms, hilly, rocky, colorful, lots more water and sheep and cows.
We got off right before the Bolivian border, and exchanged some
dollars into Bolivianos. About a 7 to 1 ratio, about 15 cents to the
dollar. Besides a couple long lines to check out of Peru and check in
to Bolivia, no real issues. I bought some candy and water and we got
back on the bus for a short ride. My contact fell out while napping,
and I had to hold it in my hand until we stopped and I could get my
bag from under the bus. We got dropped off in Copacabana, a great
little lake town, not very big, and after stopping 1 or 2 places, we
bought tickets to go to Isla del Sol, an island with ruins about a
1.5 hour boat ride from shore.
We went down to
the shore and had about 30 minutes before the boat left, so we got a
quick bite to eat at a cool little place with outdoor seating right
next to the lake. They said it would only take about 10 minutes for
the trout to be ready, so I ordered it and the Bolivian version of
Cusquena, Pacena to drink. It's a pilsner, a bit hoppy for me, but
ok. I went into the bano, changed clothes and somehow got my contacts
back into my eyes. When I got out, they were beginning to board the
boat and I hadn't gotten my food yet. I went in and told the nice
waitress I needed it to go, and I carried it onto the boat. A band
played on the roof of the boat for a song or two, I ate my trout, and
we were on our way. Not much for scenery. I started talking to Aisha,
a girl from Manchester who was traveling for 3 months. They had just
done the Inca hike as well and I chatted with them and got a quick
nap. The view started getting very nice and we got dropped off on the
south part of the island. Mark had heard that the north was the place
to be, and everyone else was down to find out as well, so that was
the plan.
We were
immediately deluged before we could even get off the boat by 8 year
olds trying to get us to stay at a certain hostal or to buy their
crafts. Then we paid a bs5 tax to enter the island, and the bathroom
was bs2 to use it and receive 6 sheets of tp. There's rumors that
some locals will tax you for walking through their land. One girl got
angry at the bathrooms, and I couldn't really blame her. A) they
charge for them, fine, I've accepted that by now, extra $ for extra
squares of tp. I learned how to conserve tp here for sure, as usually
back home, 6 sheets is like 2 wipes. B) They never have change, and
won't accept bills with any rip or defect at all, so you have to go
get change somewhere else first, etc.
We had laid
around the harbor for a bit and split a beer before I found a guy to
take us in his boat to the north part of the island, a place called
Challapampa. The ride was awesome, with great mountains all around
the lake, snowcaps peeking out at us, and no one else but the 5 of us
on the boat. Renee, the driver, gave me some good info and he said
that he knew of a good family place to stay when I asked him. He also
tried to sell me weed. Pretty common. Not quite as common as massage
offers in Cusco, which I almost did one after the hike, but pretty
common. We arrived at Challapampa and it was so cool.
The lake had
greens and browns visible through the dark, clear blue water and we
hiked up the hill off the dock to the driver's friend's place, high
atop a cliff with about 12 rooms spaced out on the property. After
the short climb we got to look around down on the island, and the
view was second to none. We can see the whole town from up here, the
lake on both sides, mountains and just beauty all over in general. We
bought a bottle of wine to split and enjoy the view, I asked the
owner some questions and found out all the info we needed, including
the fact that there is no ATM on the island and 2 “restaurants”
and no motorized vehicles besides boats.
We walked into
town to see what we could find and the sun was beginning to set.
There were pigs, cows and chickens all over and the beauty of the sun
setting on the boats and mountains was indescribable. Even the non
photo takers of the group were snapping away. We continued down the
road and some locals were herding sheep back from pasture. The cutest
thing ever was 3 little boys, about 8-10 years old, herding a small
flock of sheep with about 6 little lambs. Don't worry, I got video.
This place is great, there are a couple hostals here, but most people
we have seen are locals and not touristy at all. No one has tried to
sell us anything and we haven't had to pay any taxes. After walking
around a bit, amazed by beauty, we find a restaurant shaped like a
circular hut with a thatched roof and sat down to eat. The menu was
written on graph paper, each one was different, and they were
“laminated” with packing tape. I had asparagus soup and trout and
we split another bottle of wine. Good meal. Afterward, we headed back
up the hill in the dark, we all agreed we could stay here for a few
days easy. So peaceful, beautiful, serene, non-touristy, just a great
feel to it. We all agreed that Bolivia has gotten off to a great
start at Challapampa! Goodnight.
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