Saturday, March 12th - Lake Titicaca to Santa Cruz, Bolivia

This morning I was awake early since I went to bed so early but I managed to stay in bed and quiet until about 6:00 as Gillian was still sleeping.  At 6:00 I decided I should at least get up and dressed and try to take some pictures of the sunrise over Lake Titicaca since we were facing east.  When I peeked out the window it looked like it could be a good sunrise but when I finally went out the door to take some pictures it was raining so I went back inside.  I took a few pictures out of the window and then about 7:00 went down to the restaurant to work on blogs down there instead of bothering Gillian in the room.  I got a few more shots on the way down but the sunset just wasn't too impressive.

At 8:00 we had our breakfast and while doing so our plans changed for the day.  The owner of the hostel was heading to Copacabana to pick up some tourists so he wanted to know if we wanted to ride over with him instead of taking the regular boat.  By doing this we got a faster ride and also the opportunity to walk to the Sun Temple and meet him there.  We said yes and soon we were on our way for another short hike.  Oh, we did say goodbye to Charles before we left.  He had finished his breakfast at his hotel and came over before he started his long hike of the whole island.  So now officially we are on our own and the whole group has separated.  Hopefully we will see Charles again someday though.  He is from Eastern Canada and was a great travelling companion, especially since he spoke Spanish.  He saved us in more than one situation.

The walk was through the upper part of the town of Yumani and along the hillside above the lake.  The views again were wonderful and the temperature was perfect with the sun still low in the sky.  We passed a few locals on their way to and from town and there were a few out working in the fields.  It had rained last night so our guide said the people would be out early working the ground.  Our host at the hotel left early with his pick and hoe.  As we had our breakfast there were also a lot of donkeys wandering up and down the path past our window, which was pretty neat to see.

Our path was pretty level and easy to walk.  There were some steps but not many until the end when we had to get down to lake level to catch our boat.  On those steps down, which were rather uneven but certainly doable, I had to occasionally get help from Gillian and/or Luisa and they were very accommodating.  At the bottom we had the Sun Temple where the Incas marked the solstice and the start of the new year from their ancient perspective.  The building is made of stone and there is very little of it you can now get into.  From the lake side, which is on the east, they had the window which the sun would shine through a precise angle on to a table on June 21st.  It always amazes me how precise some of these ancient civilizations were.  Because of the age of this temple and the fact that it has not been protected over the centuries, we could not see the table or how the interior worked but I have seen it before in other locations and it is quite amazing.

We continued down the path to the boat dock and a boarded our boat.  There were only two other people and the owner/pilot on board so it was a lovely ride to Copacabana.  The others went up on top to get a better view but I just sat outside at the back and that was perfect too.  The sky was a bit overcast but there was very little wind and when the sun came out from behind a cloud it was very hot.  At one point we thought we might get rained on but it was no more than a few drops and then we were back to sunshine.  If the rain during rainy season mainly just comes at night then I think it's a pretty good arrangement.

The scenery was beautiful with the beautiful blue sky, lots of white (and darker) clouds, the green terraces or rocky hillsides on the islands and mainland, and the darker blue of the water.  It was a lovely ride over and Copacabana looked beautiful as we arrived.  We got back about 11:00 and decided to go for coffee, which we lingered over for a long time.  Then we had lunch at the same place overlooking the lake about 12:00.   The shoreline was much busier today and we assumed that was because it was a weekend and the locals were out enjoying the lake.  There were people paddling in kayaks and in large swan boats, and even people on noisy jet skis.  It would have been nice to spend some more time here but we had to go catch our bus back to La Paz.  By the time we paid our bill, walked half way up the hill to get our bags that were in storage at the last hotel, and then got further up the stairs to catch the bus, the bus was ready to go.  I got there first (since I didn't have any extra luggage) and had the ticket so told them they had to wait for three more people who were just coming.  The other three jumped on the bus and we were off on our way so it was definitely close.

The ride back was again full of beautiful scenery as we climbed up over hills and back down and followed the lake for hours.  We had to do the ferry crossing again so we all got out and got on the little boats to ride across while the bus went on one of the low flat ferry beds.  They definitely don't look safe but trucks and cars and buses keep going across continually.  There were lots of the flat-bed ferries waiting on both sides so I assume at some times the traffic gets very busy.  

While Copacabana is four hours from the lake, he first part of the lake can't be very far from the city of La Paz because it seemed like we were beside the lake for most of the drive back.  The last hour or so is definitely in the city and it was very slow going.  I don't know whether one of the main roads is under construction or what but the route is very rough with lots of detours and many total stoppages at busy "mini bus" stops that are just incredibly hard to get a bus through.  There was a main market area with lots of entertainment up in the El Alto area near the airport.  I don't know what the occasion was but the music was loud and there were lots of people around.  The view of La Paz from El Alto is always amazing as the city just seems to sprawl across the horizon up and down hillsides in every direction.  The high snow-capped mountain, whose name I forget, was very clear in the distance as we drove along.

Once back at our hotel in La Paz, we simply retrieved my bag, repacked for the airport and caught a taxi.  We were early but because it was rush hour we decided we should just go.  Checking in and clearing security was really fast so we had an hour or so to relax at the airport and have some dinner.   Our flight left precisely on time at 8:50 and it was a very quick and relaxing one-hour flight to Santa Cruz.  Just getting off the plane felt different - down to about 400 metres in elevation and temperature about 25 degrees.  Although we don't have much planned for our stay here, we all think we're really going to like a few days of warm weather and lower altitude. 

We got to our hotel, for which is really a time share that I exchanged my unit.  It seems nice and our unit is certainly big enough.  We have a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom in the main area and then two bedrooms: one with a king size bed and one with two doubles (well, they are supposed to be doubles but they are more like singles) each with ensuite bathroom.  It's a bit of a strange place though in that there is no housekeeping for the week and no change of towels or linens, which is unusual for timeshares.  Heck, not even more toilet paper and there's only one roll in each bathroom.  And it came with place settings for two even though six people are allowed in the unit so we had to get more delivered, but one was all they would do.  There is a kettle and a couple of pots but no frying pan.  There is a pool, exercise room, sauna and steam room but you have to pay to get towels.  Normally they are included.  I'm not sure this place does much trading of units.  I'm thinking they usually just get their own owners and they bring their own stuff with them.  Regardless, I'm sure we will survive just fine.

We got settled in and sat around for a bit but then it was midnight and we were ready for bed.  I read for a while but quickly fell asleep and didn't wake up until 8:30 so it was a great night's sleep.  I guess I enjoyed not having twenty pounds of blankets on my bed for a change - just a sheet and light bedspread.