15-20/05/2011
After 3 and a half hours (bus + boat crossing in Tiquina) we reach Copacabana - beautiful little town on the shores of Lake Titicaca. The lake is 57000km2 and located at an altitude of 3800m. You can get some really good grilled trout at the food stalls on the beach, for B$20 (2 euros) trucha al ajillo, al limon, a la diabla, con mantequilla, etc.
The sunset from the top of the cerro is worth the trek up. We visit the Isla del Sol, supposedly where the Incas created the god Inti (sun). Animal and virgin sacrifices took place on this island. We trek the length of the island from the northern port of Challapampa to the Southern Yumani. (about 15km) - the landscape is incredible - it almost feels like we are in Sardinia or some island in the Mediterranean. Sorry this wouldn't sound the same in English. In cima all'isola sentire dire "Scansate che te buto zo, porco d**" non ha prezzo, hahahaha, è una coppia da Verona. Diciamo la verità la nostra lingua madre un po' ci manca.
The island is quite expensive, they basically live off tourism and everything is still carried by donkeys. We decide to take the boat back to Copacabana (B$20) in the afternoon, hoping to catch a bus directly to Cusco in Peru - only to find that the protests on the Bolivia-Peru border are still taking place. About 25000 Peruvians are protesting against the government's concession of a mine to a Canadian company. They say the mining is polluting the Lake Titicaca. Today we are taking a boat to Puno, Peru from the border. It seems like the only solution as the protests have been going on for 10 days now and noone knows when they will end (at the time of writing protests are still taking place, 1 month after). There is no way of getting anywhere in Peru after crossing the border. Boat trip costs B$200 and lasts 9 hours - hopefully we will find a bus to Cusco as soon as we get there..
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