Map of area around Copacabana
Once out of La Paz the road is mostly level. Many sections of the road are under construction or repair. The detours are very dusty and the towns infrequent. The altitude of 12,000 feet and the lack of sleep over the last two nights causes my head to ache. At San Pedro the bus is transported across Lake Titicaca on a wooden barge. The passengers have to take a separate boat ride.
We arrive at Copacabana at dusk, around 6:30 PM. A boy meets us as we get off the bus and leads us from the main square to the Hostal Oasis. We stay in two rooms, with shared toilet and shower. The cost is about $1.25 per person.
In a nearby restaurant, I have a vegetable omelet. Most of the others have trout, the specialty of the region. The omelet was one of the best I ever had. We use all of the Bolivianos we have to pay for the meal. That night my headache comes back. It goes away about 2:30 AM.
Crosses at Copacabana church
Tuesday, May 27, 1997 I take a warm shower, a feature that is often promised by hotel keepers, yet seldom provided. Typical of South American showers, the hot water is turned on by flipping a large switch attached to a number of bare wires situated very close to the shower head. When I turn the switch off, I get a mild electric shock.
In the morning the street next to the hotel is filled with Indian women in traditional clothing selling fish, fruits, vegetables, and other market foods. You can see your breath at 7:00 AM. In 2 hours the sun will warm the air enough so that shorts and a t-shirt feel comfortable.
First order of the day is to change money. I soon find that the only bank in town is closed on Tuesdays. A hotel that supposedly changes money, does not. I ask a van driver where I can change money. He takes me off the street and into the empty hotel lobby. There I change $50 US for 250 Bolivianos. It turns out that almost any shop will change money in Copacabana.
Photo: Girl pleased with pencil from Bernie
Political posters
Photo: Jan & Mary
Boy on Copacabana hill
Photo: Girls on Copacabana hill
Jesus like character
Photo: Copacabana from hill
Map of Peru/Bolivia trip
