Copacabana

We left La Paz on a bus and arrived in Copacabana, which is very close to the border with Peru.

This small town is the “entrance” to Lake Titicaca (from the Bolivian side). The lake is involved in much of Andean history and is famous for its size and altitude (don’t forget we’re still 3,500m high—damn you, altitude sickness, where are my coca leaves?). Some research even claims that this is one of the possible birthplaces of the first Incas.

In the old days (before the Spaniards came to kill everyone in the name of God), pre-Inca and Inca civilizations lived around the lake, which also has several islands.

The Incas, in particular, used these islands as sacred places and built the famous Temple of the Sun on one and a religious educational centre, the “Island of the Moon,” on another. For many years, people would come here to get married, worship the sun, the moon, and mother earth.

Of course, the Spaniards had to prove them wrong, so when they took over, they built the biggest Catholic Church in the middle of town.

Today, Bolivians who live or visit this place pray first at the Catholic Church and then visit the local good old-fashioned spiritual leader for a ritual ceremony of the sun, moon, and earth. One way or another, they’re covered in the divine domain…

We booked a trip that included the transfer to Copacabana, a hotel with three meals a day, a guided tour of the city, a tour to the floating islands, and the transfer to the Peruvian side of the lake in Puno.

It’s nice sometimes when everything is booked for you, and you don’t have to do anything—especially if you don’t speak Spanish.

Tomorrow, we will spend our last Bolivian money on beer and depart for Peru. Welcome to the Inca headquarters…