Oh, Bolivia. You Are Beautiful. And Cheap.

Jess and Gab had to renew their visas, so the easiest way to do that down here is to jump the border and come back. We decided to make a bigger trip out of it by taking a 10-hour bus ride to Bolivia and spend a few days in Copacabana (the Bolivian one, not the Brazilian), which is right on Lake Titicaca, the highest lake in the world. Since we took a night bus, the ride was not as painfully long as I expected and when we awoke the next morning we were just an hour away from the border. We had to leave our nice cushy bus and crowd into a smaller one, but our entire group of 8 made friends quickly, passed through the border (after paying Bolivia $135!) and found ourselves in Copacabana together. We found a hotel for 30 Bolivianos/night (about $4), dropped our stuff and headed to a cafe on the waterfront for breakfast.

Breakfast with our new friends

Our mishmash group consisted of 2 Chileans (Javier and Francisco), 2 Brits (Greg and Scott), 1 Brazilian (Raphael) and us 3 chicas locas (as we were lovingly called a few times that day). After breakfast and an hour or so of fun conversation, Javier hooked us all up with a boat and driver/guide and we sailed Lake Titicaca for the day, stopping at Isla del Sol and a floating island made of reeds (it was like walking on a water bed) where our trout lunch was caught and served up within minutes. It was one of the freshest meals I have ever had and truly a perfect day.






The Chileans and Brazilian left later that day and so Jess and I went out to dinner with the Brits (Gab is not a great traveler and was a little sick/tired, so she stayed in) and had surprisingly good food for such a touristy town. I had a burger, but now regret not getting the nachos that Scott ordered, as the chips were REAL corn tortilla chips. I dont know why, but tortilla chips dont seem to exist in Cusco. Instead, they fry wonton dough in triangles and serve it with everything from guacamole to salads. Is it really that hard to get a tortilla chip in this South American country??

The Brits were planning to head to La Paz the next day and, after one full day in Copacabana, we realized there would not be much else to do and decided to follow along. La Paz is a big city and it was nice to feel the energy of the place. I wouldnt want to live there, but a few days with access to a variety of things I cant get in Cusco (like sushi!) is nice. The bus ride was only 3 hours and it was absolutely gorgeous. We climbed the mountains along the coast and took in the stunning views. Who knew Bolivia was so beautiful?





We stayed at a Loki hostel. Theyre all over South America and known for their rowdy party-going guests (the Brits chose it). We all shared a room (3 sets of bunk beds) and went out together that night, starting at a wine bar and ending at a nightclub (or so I assume -- I went back earlier than the rest because Im old and couldnt stop yawning).

The next day was spent recovering from the night before, a little shopping and some more good food. Since there are movie theaters in La Paz, Jess, Gab and I decided to go see a flick. Our options were limited so we settled on "Salt." Ugh. We were the only ones in the theater (that should've been a hint) and the movie sucked. But since we were the only ones in the theater we got to shout at the screen. Totally worth the $3.50.

We took the bus home on Friday. 11 hours. Luckily, I traded a 1/2 massage for some Xanax and Ambien with our dorm mate at Loki. Good stuff.

Back in Cusco now. It's good to be home.