Bolivia to Bolivia via Peru

17/11/09

The ferry operators are on strike. There are plans to build a bridge where they currently operate and they are understandably upset. What this means for us is that the route to Copacabana now goes through Peru. Our drive this morning took us right past Tiahuanacu, where we visited yesterday.

Our first stop was a Bolivian passport check. It was 50km from the border, just a roadblock where they checked everybody. We got off our bus, showed a bored looking soldier our passports and re-borded the bus on the other side. Further down the road was Bolivian immigration. We had to get an exit stamp, which only took fifteen minutes. The entry to Peru, however, was an impressive line. The border crossing doesn't usually get much traffic, but now gets all the tourists that go to Copacabana (which is significant). It took an hour to get through the line.

Then we discovered that our comfortable spacious bus was no longer part of our trip. Twelve of us were stuffed into a Toyota mini-van for the ride through Peru. We spent less than an hour in Peru (but it counts). The Peruvian exit stamp and re-entry into Bolivia were a breeze. Again we were herded into another mini-van for the short trip to Copacabana. What used to be a four hour trip took us about 7 hours.

On the other hand, Copacabana is beautiful. It is nestled in between two hills, right on Lake Titicaca. It is very small (less than a kilometer in any direction). Before dinner we walked up Cerro Calvario (Calvary Hill) for a view of the lake at sunset. There was no visible sunset, but the views were fabulous. After dinner it started really raining, so hopefully it will stop before we head over to Isla del Sol tomorrow.