Copacabana

COPACABANA

- From Puno (Peru) to Copacabana (Bolivia)
- Copacabana
- Car baptism
- Isla del Sol
- Scary Estrecho de Tiquina ferry.

There are two ways to reach Bolivia from Peru. The main road goes through Desaguadero (the road for La Paz), the secondary road goes through Copacabana.

There are two direct buses from Puno for Copacabana, one in the early morning, the other in the afternoon. I arrived at the bus terminal in between these departures, so I searched for an alternative. Here it is:

- walk 5 blocks from the National terminal to the terminal for the Provincial departures,
- Find , then take the collectivo for Yunguyo (village 2km from the border), and wait until the departure (when the minibus is full) (8 Soles; ~3€ for 2.5 hours),
- In Yunguyo, take a tricycle to the border (1 Sol; 2km),
- Check-out with the Peruvian administration (easy),
- Walk through the nomansland for 200m,
- Check-in with the Bolivian administration (easy too),
- Take the collectivo for Copacabana (3 Bolivianos; ~0.40€ for 20 minutes).

Near to the border, change from the Combi to a Tricycle.

Until the "border".

Then visit the Police station to get a stamp.

Then checkout at Peru's Immigration office.

Then walk through the nomansland

(picture taken looking backwards to Peru).

Towards Bolivia.

Find the bathrooms and Bolivia's Immigration office.

Continue on the road.

Find a collectivo awaiting people like you,

and wait until the van is full (that can take a while).

Copacabana (Bolivia)

Copacabana (not to confuse with the Brazilian Copacabana) is a quite touristic place, with a lot of backpackers and corresponding facilities. Almost all shops, pubs and hostels along the main street make their announcements both in Spanish and English.

Despite this it has a lot of charm. The basilical is famous for the Madonna statue, originally that of an Inka Princess and for the car benedictions using liters of holly water and beer (cars come from Bolivia, Peru, Argentna...). Cars are brand new, or older with understood mechanical problems. They queue during hours for their turn.

Next to the basilica their is a room where the devote burn hundreds of candles to get their wish come true. On the black wall (from the smoke) there are many drawings of the objects of desire: house and cars.

Hostel for the first night.

The Basilica.

The candles room.

The drawings on the wall represent the objects of desire: cars, houses, money

(picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was out of order).

Cars awaiting to be baptised.

More cars, all clean and decorated

(picture taken Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

Priest finally arriving

(picture taken by Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

The priest negotiating the "donation", I guess
(one of my few my pictures).

The priest baptising the new car

(picture taken by Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

 

Also repairing cars.

(picture taken by Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

Some drivers continue to baptise themself with beer,

 or champain for the more luxury cars

(picture taken by Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

But this car didn't start anymore,

even after a lot of trials from priest and driver...

(picture taken by Pascal and Christine, my camera being out of order).

 

Capacabana beach.

Isla del Sol

Boats for the Isla del Sol sail in the morning at 8:30AM and arrive at Challapampa, in the north of the island, at 11:00AM.

I found the island nicer than the Taquile island visited earlier with Annelies, and less touristically exploited. People living on the island not only depend from tourism, most of them still cultivate on the prehispanic terraces.

Tourist Boats leaving Copacabana

(overloaded and without any life vests).

Start of the hiking trail.

The trail often looks like the Great Wall in China.

The second toll gate on the trail, 15 Soles.

My hotel on the Sun Island.

Sunset over the Sun Island.

The outstanding "La Cupula" hotel and restaurant in Copacabana for the next night

(picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was again out of order).

My hotel room

(picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was out of order).

Copacabana view, from the hotel.

(picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was out of order).

From Copacabana to La Paz

Copacabana is like a Bolivian enclave inside Peru.  To reach the mainland of Bolivia the bus has to cross a part of the Titicaca lake.

The crossing of the lake (+- 1km) is quite pitoresque, and scary.  The bus passengers go by boat (lacking safety vests and equipment), while the bus and the driver cross separately on a wooden raft.

The rafts used to transport the bus and the driver over the lake,

while the passengers take another boat (on the top of the picture)

(picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was out of order).

Embarking bus

 (picture stolen from the internet, as my camera was out of order).

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