Day 57 to 63 – Sun and Death

Machu Piccu was the final station in Peru for me. I spent one more night in Cusco to prepare myself for the 12h bus ride to Isla del Sol. After my experience with the bus to Cusco – it was freezing cold – I wasn’t looking forward to this journey.

But I prepared myself with some warm cloth and my sleeping pack (which wasn’t necessary) and took on the ride. I arrived in Piura, a town on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca just for sunrise. Until this point I thought the bus is going directly to Copacabana. I had 2h ours to kill and that at 5h in the morning – loved it ;)

After I enjoyed the sunrise on the highest Alpine lake at 3800m, I tried to escape the chilly air and went back into the bus station.

I had an amazing view through my dirty window on the bus - the deep blue lake, some lamas and the beautiful Andean Highlands.

Crossing the border turned out to be a piece of cake and so was the last 1,5h to Copacabana. This town has little the offer. It’s a hub for tourists to go to Isla del Sol and a stop on the way to La Paz. The little streets are full of tour agencies and small restaurants. I spent one night in Copacabana because I was just too tired to start hiking the same day.

The next morning I took a boat to the biggest island in Lake Titicaca and started exploring my surroundings. Most of the tourist just get a boat in the morning, walk for 1,5h and take the same boat back. That’s not the way to tread this amazing 4000m summit in the middle of the lake though. I decided to spent one night and enjoy the silence and loneliness. After the parties in Cusco my body craved for a good night sleep :)

The scenery is hard to describe. Just keep in mind: you’re at 3800m to 4000m, the sun is hardly filtered because of the thin atmosphere and the chilly water of Lake Titicaca will be the reward after a day’s hike.

I spent the night in a basic refugio for just 15Bs which is about 1,50€. Yes, Bolivia can be quite cheap :)

The next morning I took a boat back to Copacabana and jumped into a bus to La Paz – the highest Capital city in the world.

The city lies between to mountains which peak at about 4200m. The small unfinished houses cling to the steep slopes to the left and the right. At the bottom of the valley (3600m) are the old town and the more expensive neighborhoods. La Paz is full of old, totally overloaded buses and trucks trying to climb the streets and bringing people and goods from A to B. It is a lively but also dirty place. The thin air is full of fumes and smoke of the all so ever present snack stands. I can’t describe it, but somehow I like this city. It’s also a good place to start adventures. As you might know, Bolivia has the Most Dangerous Road in the World. This street is the destination for all the tour agencies which offer mountain bike downhill rides with a 3700m decent into tropical forest.

Surely enough that was something I had to do :)
Although the road isn’t used for traffic anymore since Bolivia finished building a second road in 1995 to replace the deadly gravel road, it is still quite impressive and also a thrill to ride down the road with a heavy full suspension bike with 15cm travel at speeds you normally wouldn’t do on a road without a 300m drop at the edge – so much fun! :)

After this adrenalin punch I need to turn down the excitement a notch right now. Bolivia has delivered its welcome gift to me, when you know what I’m saying ;)

Greets from far, far away

Alex

Lake Titicaca

Sunrise in Piura and...

Sunset in Copacabana

La Paz

Most Dangerous Road in the World