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Archive of posts about Bolivia


11
May
0

At the Copa…Copacabanaaaa…

by Gem | BoliviaBolivia | Copacabana

The journey to Copacabana, on the shores of Lake Titicaca, was nice and short (about 3.5 hours) and quite fun. We were bussed to a town called San Pedro where we then had to get off the bus and onto a little boat to take us across the lake, thus avoiding going all the way around and making the journey twice as long. The coach also got a boat across the lake and, despite a few worrying backward rolls, made it to the other side in one piece. We all climbed back onboard and it drove us a further hour to Copacabana. More spectacular views en route (I suggested it looked like Wales, and Dan eventually agreed!) and we arrived feeling very happy to be out of the city and next to this beautiful lake. We wanted to stay right on the lake so headed straight to the shore. After checking out a couple of places we decided on Estella de Titicaca, mainly because we’d have a balcony overlooking the beach. Not a bad view to wake up to in the morning!

Copacabana is a small town, geared heavily towards tourism. So, again, there were a lot of backpackers and even some families. Lots of bars and restaurants, too, many specialising in rainbow trout caught from Lake Titicaca. We spent our first afternoon checking out the town, particularly the Moorish cathedral with beautiful domes and colourful ceramic tiling. The cathedral had welcomed pilgrims from Peru and Bolivia over the Easter weekend who came to honour the Black Virgin of Copacabana. This perhaps explains why the cathedral is so large in comparison to the small town. Click here to read more…

9
May
0

Loco in La Paz

by Dan | BoliviaBolivia | La Paz

We arrived in the Bolivian capital just before 6am, having had very little sleep on the bumpy ride and ready for a first shower in days and a warm bed! Luckily our hotel let us check in straight away, so that’s exactly what we got!

After snoozing for most of the morning we were woken by the sound of a brass band outside. We went out to investigate and found the first of many Good Friday processions winding it’s way through the streets. Along with the band playing their sombre tunes their was a litter carrying a life-size model of Jesus on the cross, borne by half a dozen people in slightly scary purple hooded cloaks, as well as women carrying doll-like figures of the Virgin Mary, which old ladies in the crowd repeatedly showered with handfuls of flower petals. Click here to read more…

6
May
2

Salt, Springs and Stars!

by Gem | BoliviaBolivia | Uyuni

The primary reason most people visit Uyuni is to see the salt flats and the National Park to the South – the catchily named Reserva Nacional de Fauna Andina Eduardo Avaroa. The town itself doesn’t have much to offer, it’s a pretty small place in the middle of nowhere! There are a lot of backpackers though, the most we’ve seen since Buenos Aires. This means there’s plenty of European friendly food and drink and a large selection of accommodation on offer. Our hotel, Girasoles, was a nice enough place, with a heater for the freezing nights, although having a sink that was connected to the wall and a flushing toilet would have been the icing on the cake! Click here to read more…