Copacabana

Hello again from Bolivia! Yesterday we got on the 7:30 AM bus from Puno in Peru and headed for the border. As Americans we had to pay $135 for a five year visa to enter Bolivia. Bolivia has a reciprocity policy, so citizens of countries that charge entry for Bolivian nationals must pay a similar entry fee. After shelling out $270 in freshly printed bills, we got our visas and got stamped into Bolivia. Copacabana is just a few minutes away from the border, and we decided to head for a hotel we heard about online, La Cupula. The major attraction being that this hotel has heat!! Luckily they had a room available in our price range, and they give a 10% discount for a five day stay. After wandering around the grounds for a bit and making sure the bed was comfortable, we decided to book it for five days. Yesterday, we read a little bit in the hammocks at our hotel. We also ate some fresh trout on the beachfront. We wandered around town a bit to acquaint ourselves with our surroundings, and found the local mercado. After purchasing some comestibles for breakfast, we headed back to the hotel to relax a bit. For dinner we were walking around looking for a delicious meal and ended up bumping into four of our friends from our Inca Jungle Trek, so we ended up having a few beers and dinner with them.

This morning we got up very early (haha) and had a breakfast of fresh eggs and veggies. We went up to the church where there was a massive vehicular blessing going on. The priest was out in full priestly clothing blessing cars, vans, taxis, minibuses and the occasional SUV. The cars were "dressed up" with hats, colorful streamers and flowers. Also, various beverages were spilt upon the cars for good luck and safe driving.

Here in Bolivia, the cars and passengers need all the help they can get! We briefly went inside the church, however a service appeared to be taking place, so we quietly exited out the back. We then headed up to some local Inca ruins, the Horca del Inca, or Intiwatana astronomical observatory. Here is a picture of us from the top!

These ruins are much smaller than other Incan ruins we have seen, and don´t seem to have the typical squared off masonry, however there was a small stonehenge-like arch which must be lined up with some sort of astronomical phenomena. Parts of the mountain were very reminiscent of Sacsayhuaman with the way the stones were quarried. Although a fairly short hike, being at about 4000 meters above sea level, it was quite challenging. Also, there was a sign stating that there is a 10 Boliviano entrance fee, however there was nobody there to collect it, and no gate either. So, here we are, uploading a few pictures and updating our loyal followers. We are still waiting on a few ATM transactions to post, so expect a Peru by the numbers post within a few days. We will probably be here until Wednesday, and then onwards to La Paz!