Copacabana

This is where we met up with the great ma -p and took off to Bolivia

heyy copacabana is really awesome… its a touristy- lake side town and is pretty small.. there are several nice lodges and small hotels to choose from, and there are some really really good restaurants near the edge of town. some of the activities are horseabackriding, bike rides along the coast of the lake, paddle boats, canoing, and some people offer motorcycles and 4 wheelers for you to use during the day. around december the town can get very cold and rainy. nearby are the two islands- the island of the sun and the island of the moon, but the island of the sun seems to bemroe popular… you can organize an outing to the islands with several tourist companies in the town, that will take you out there in their small boats. the trip is about 2 hours. there is also an indoor soccer court where you are free to come and watch the soccer games. there are many small kioskos, or tiny stores along the roads where you can get necessary items, and there are also a few artisan shops. during the day, a small indoor markey opens where you can get fresh meat, vegetables and fruit. the town has a small plaza in the center. hope that helped anyone who plans on going : )

On February 2nd, the Virgen de la Candelaria celebration happens in Copacabana, Bolivia. A huge parade featuring the most amazing costumes I’ve ever seen happens through the town. It is amazing to witness and is worth trying to schedule this into a trip to Lake Titicaca around that time of year.

I stayed a few nights in Copacobana, but it was such a lovely place I could have stayed longer. It is the gateway to Lake Titicaca if you are travelling from La Paz through to Peru, as I was.

They have a beautiful cathedral that alot of Bolivians travel to see, almost as a pilgrimage, with cheezy glow in the dark Our Lady of Copacobana and Jesus plastic statues on sale in stark contrast to the old world it was surrounded by.

They have some steepish mountains to walk up next to the lake – the one on the right that I walked up has an impressive 12 stations of the cross on top, and has a great view of the town and the lake. Shame my friend and I walked up the wrong path that was so steep it brought her to tears, and not the concrete steps on the other side.

I got quite sick here and went back to La Paz to the hospital, but it wasn’t Copacobana’s fault since it turned out to be dehydration. Also, there were some local people blocking roads demonstrating against the lack of sanitation and clean water there – which I thought was understandable. Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in south america, but very beautiful.

I remember having a tasty tortilla by the lake and just thinking ‘this is the life’ :)

A very peaceful place.