isla del sol

so we are not too sure what hit nell, but the day i went out to isla del sol (The Island of the Sun) on lake titicaca, i went by myself.

it was a beautiful day, and riding the front of the boat for the 2 or so hour trip gave me a chance to really take in the scenery.

when we got to the island, the small town ....... doesnt have a lot to offer.

the museum has a few dusty old pieces in it, with photos of divers above. so i think they are mainly things that have been found in the lake. and a few bones and skulls.

i walked up behind the village to where "the really good ruins are" only to be a wee bit disappointed.

had a look at the sacred stone as this is where the incas believe the sun god was born.

but then again we had just come from the sacred valley in peru - and had been spoilt for ruins.

still ... the lake was beautiful and amazing colours at every different turn.

i caught the boat to the southern end of the island and walked up the stairs and had a look around.
then i had a nap.

glad i went but very very disappointed in the bolivians for leaving so much rubbish lying around.
i'm not blaming them - but they could show some respect for their natural wonders.

Not so city slickers...

Turns out there will be no photo´s posted on the previous post because they are all on the memory card of the camera that is now in the hands of a La Pazian pickpocket.
MotherF*****!!!

Tara and I arrived in La Paz last night, and hated it before we even descended fully into it.
South American cities are the pits.

We had a shocker of a night at the HI hostel we stayed at - family brawls and loud mouths till 4am - but luckily we had already decided to get the hell out of dodge.
And dodge it was...
Not an hour after sorting out our next few days in the Yungas, my camera was nicked right out of my bag.
I´m more pissed off with myself than anything else. Why did I not listen to people and wear my daypack like a dork on my front?

Two things on the plus side.
1:
The woman at the tourist police office was an absolute sweetheart, and filled out my report in no time flat - leaving me enough time to print a claim form, and have this bitch before catching our bus out of here.
2:
Thank the dear Lord above, I had copied my memory card onto DVD just a few days ago.

Now just to see if the DVD actually contains anything...

Copaca-crappa

I had all sorts of hopes for Copacabana, and wasn´t really disappointed on our first day there. The main drag is a little touristy, but colourful and friendly, and we were so happy about the cheap prices after Peru.

Then I went on the tourist trail the next day.
I had a map, which was a little vague to start off with, but I think managed to find the place where the ¨Baño del Inca¨/ ¨Garden of the Inca¨(my map mentioned it as both) should have been. I couldn´t find the ruins. There were no signs. Nothing.
Not to mention the fact that the entire road there was strewn with litter. So I walked the 5km´s back into town a little disappointed, but pleased with the views.

When I got back, I decided to walk up to the ¨Calvario¨, a church at the top of the hill next to town. I was feeling very light headed, but made it up. It was ... dirty. The whole way up, and the other way down, was full of litter and rubbish.
The only thing that made it worthwhile was the views. I managed to get myself alone on a rock to watch the sun set over Lake Titicaca.

Then I got sick that evening. Heavily and violently ill. I guess that is clouding my views of the place, but I am trying to be objective.

I have to say that I don´t like Copacabana. The minute you leave the tourist centre, you enter a real dirty shithole of a town. I´m not sure what the big fuss is about this place. The hostels and restaurants are all more than a little run down. The people are friendly enough, but don´t seem overly keen on pleasing tourists. It seems the town has had it´s heyday and is running purely on that old reputation.

Then again, it is incredibly cheap.
I guess you get what you pay for.

I will let Tara post about her experience the next day at the Isla del Sol - I was in bed all day trying to keep anything down.
I will also post some pictures of the spectacular views over the lake, later.