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So after our climb up Huayna Potosi we deserved a 2 day rest in La Paz doing very little except watching cable TV, eating and buying new jeans for Anne.

Keep on Trekking

James and Anne Walkington
2006-09-11 11:53:54

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that they had to put the metal shutters down and turn the lights and music off. This was because there was a huge group of protesting rioters about to pass. In silence and darkness we continued our dinner until the riot was passing, throwing firebombs, and rocks at the shutters. The owner reassured us that they weren't after the tourists and we should go and watch after the meal. We declined and ran back to the hotel!

The following day we left Copacabana early and started walking along a dusty road towards the Isla del Sol. This island was where the Inca's believed that the sun was born. Some mild uphill sections had Anne breathing heavily but otherwise it was a pretty easy going. Before long we had reached a small hamlet were a guy approached us with
around 100 postcards from various countries around the world. He persuaded us to let his brother row us 1 and half hours to the Isla del Sol. After getting out at some rocks James very nearly fell into the lake - looking like something from a Carry - On film with one foot on shore and the other on the boat. A pleasant lunch in the sun surrounded by the blue lake was followed by a gruelling ascent up through some Inca Terraces. Shortly after we found a suitable flattish grassy area on which to pitch the tent. Subjected to more fantastic sunsets over the lake we went to bed after a foul meal of tuna pasta - the tuna in Bolivia was basically minced tuna bone.

The next day was warm and sunny and the walk along the ridge to Chincaca was very pleasant although Anne had serious stomach pains after the tuna meal. Chincaca is a pre inca maze of houses also known as the Labyrinth. A further 20 minutes of walking brought us to a fantastic beach of white sand. Sadly since the guide book had been written some new houses had been built right where
we were going to camp. After backtracking 15 mins or so we wandered down to a small beach and camped on a very steep incline. A quick paddle in the lake followed by tea of pasta and cheese - decided to skip the tuna bone - was followed by a very poor nights sleep on the incline.

The final day of the walk back to Copacabana was along the north side of the island which is much more densely populated. The day had lots of up and down sections which was pretty annoying. However managed to get to the end at Escalar del Inca - an interesting Inca staircase - by around 1.30pm only to realise that we couldn't get a ferry back for another 2 hours. Eventually got back to Copacabana and James had kindly booked Anne into the most expensive hotel in the town called Rosario del Lago.

Two relaxing nights spent in luxury and we joined a tourist bus to get us over the border to Puno in Peru. Surprisingly it turned out to be a very simple land border crossing - especially after all the horrors we had read. As soon as we arrived in Peru we were subjected to the hard sell everywhere we went. Even the bus driver managed to persuade us to go to his hotel!

Just one full day in Puno was enough. We visited the very touristy Uros Islands which are sold as floating reed islands. Very interesting but not actually floating when you get there. They are however totally man made with the reeds found on Lake Titicaca. Also in Puno we visited the Yuvari an English built Gun Boat from the late 1800's. This remarkable boat was shipped over from England in over 2600 pieces to Arica (now in Chile) where it was loaded onto mules who spent 6 years to bring the boat to its location on Lake Titicaca. It was rusting in the lake until an English woman saved it and has been restoring it over the last 15 years. We even were treated to a short film made by Michael Palin when he had visited!

We have now arrived in Arequipa a massive city at 2300m (we are once again breathing oxygen rich air) however we are going to climb a 5825m volcano over the next two days.