La Paz
Today we head to the capital, to get out of the peninsula we take a barge on which the camper goes up without difficulty on unattached boards and it pits during the crossing.
The road network is identical to that of Peru ...
It is difficult to park in La Paz and the best spot is in the suburbs and high up.
Christophe contacted the owner of the "Garage - Camping" in order to obtain information on the route to take to reach the destination.
Marco, our host, sent us the plot calculated on google-map which makes the outline of the city through the "Valley of the Luna" and avoiding traffic jams.
Despite its name, the Valley of the Moon is not a valley, but a labyrinth of canyons and fairy chimneys. These natural columns were sculpted by erosion caused by water and wind in a ground made mostly of clay and sandstone.
On the outskirts of the suburbs we cross poor and dirty areas.
To reach the campsite, the road ends by a 25% steep climb over 2 km dotted with holes. One has to juggle from left to right or right to left... A real ordeal for the driver and the motorhome!!!
We are relieved, our companion did the climb without any problem
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Isla Del Sol
This island 9.6 kilometers long by 4.6 kilometers wide, is the largest of Lake Titicaca
Its original name is Titikaka or "Titi Khar'ka" which in Quechua means the "Puma Rock", place which later gave its name to the lake.
At the time of the Incas, the island was home to a shrine where the Sun Virgins paid homage to Inti, the Sun God.
Many people say that the Inca Gold was hidden in the island of the Sun or thrown into Lake Titicaca during the Spanish conquest.
We leave for two days for a hike on the path of the ridges from the north to the south of the island and take a boat that connects Copacabana to Challapampa in the north in 2 hours.
The island offers us wonderful landscapes with its terraced cultures that overlook Lake Titicaca.
These terraces were built by the Quechuas and Aymaras Indians who inhabit the island and are grouped in three communities: the community "Yumani" in the south, "Challa" on the east coast and "Challapampa" in the north of the island
We hike for 5 hours and walkes about 11 km. We take our time to observe the beautiful panoramas on the lake surrounded by the snowy mountains of the Andes... and to catch our breath ... We are higher than 4000 m above sea level.
Along the way we discover the ruins of "Chincana". It is a semi-underground construction very particular, it has many corridors with small openings and leading to several rooms, hence its name "Labyrinth".
We head south to our hotel in Yumani in the middle of the afternoon. The temperatures are low and our room is barely heated!! We rest before dinner.
We are the only guests for the meal and dine in a freezing room ... The soup warms us up well.
We lie down early under a ton of blankets and with electric heating to the maximum.
The next morning the temperature is 4°.... We have our breakfast still in a freezing room ... This does not encourage us to stay, knowing that there are only 3 boats per day.
We embark on the boat from 10:30 to find our camper.
The rest of the day is devoted to the elaboration of our journey in Bolivia.
We Border crossing/ Copacabana
Suffice it to say right now, we have never crossed a border so quickly.
In 45 minutes the formalities are done!!! A record.
We could have saved 15 minutes if the Peruvian customs officer had understood the documents we presented to him... A temporary suspension of importation of the vehicle must have been unknown to him.
No food checks ... Too bad we emptied the fridge and ate all the forbidden imported foods such as dairy, vegetables, uncooked meat ....
We’re heading for "Copacabana"
In many minds, Copacabana is a paradise destination, but not to be confused with Copacabana in Brazil... Bolivian Copacabana has nothing attractive. It is the gateway to the islands of the Sun and the Moon, and it is at the border between Bolivia and Peru, so it is an obligatory passage for the majority of travellers
We settle in a hotel welcoming campers and go to discover this very steep small town. We try to do some shopping without too much result, then we take information to go to the island of the Sun.
It is the weekend and the village is full of visitors, so we decide to go to the island only on Monday.
As we pass the cathedral, we attend a wedding ceremony for which the women have put on their most beautiful dresses of all colors and capped their traditional round hat.
They party a good part of the night a few meters from our spot!!!
The next day, back to the cathedral to attend the christening of the cars.
Each owner decorates his vehicle with floral compositions, laying on a tray flower petals, rice and two bottles of champagne. The priest blessed the car then the owner watered it with champagne and asparagus with flower petals and rice ... Original!!!
Quiet afternoon and evening re-fiesta !
ROAD BOOK 152
MAVROS ODYSSEE