LA CUNA DE LOS DIOSES
After spending the better part of a week in La Paz, we were ready to get back on the bike. The only problem was getting out of La Paz; we could either hitch a ride via taxi with the bikes on top or attempt to ride the bikes out of La Paz and across the lovely El Alto. After some healthy debate, we departed on the bicycle in pursuit of the old route out of the city, which turned out to be no easy task. After asking every other person on the street which route to take and getting 20 different responses, not to mention climbing steep city streets in traffic and thin air, we relented. We flagged down the next taxi with a roof rack and he dropped us off on the edge of El Alto.
From the edge of El Alto, headed north-west, the terrain was flat and the road was mostly paved but under construction, making for some interesting detours. To the north we could see the tall snow capped mountains, the Cordillera Real. It took us a day and a half to get from La Paz to Copacabana; by the end of the first day we had our first visual of the magnificent Lago Titicaca. We camped in a quinoa field not far off the highway.
The next day started out flat, but as we headed towards Copacabana we climbed over a few mountains and caught periodic views of Lago Titiaca and more of the spectavular Cordillera Real. We descended down to a narrow part of the lake, El Estrecho de Tiquina, where we had to take a pontoon across to the other side and continue towards Copacabana. There were communities on both sides of the crossing, each providing many options for food - fried trout, potatoes, ice-cream, and plenty of other snacks. As we road towards Copacabana, the pavement continued with very little traffic. We climbed and climbed, reaching approx. 4,000 meters above sea level before gracefully descending into the quaint town of Copacabana.
Copacabana is a nice town with lots of tourists and all the things that come with them; town attributes such as restaurants, hostels, artisan shops, and bars. There was a beautiful view of the lake from the port area, which also had an extensive beach for anyone looking for a cold swim. We stayed several days, spending our time finding cheaper hostels, searching out the best pizza and fish lunches, and eating empanadas tucumanas and anything else that caught our eye. We also hiked up the stone walkway and enjoyed the sunset from El Calvario, a local religious high point. Early one morning we took an hour boat ride to La Isla del Sol. We spent a day exploring the ancient ruins on the North end of the island, swimming in the lake off a remote beach, hiking across the island to the southern end, finding a hostel and a good meal. For our last night in Copacabana, we discovered a cheap and secure camp site with other travelers as well as bathrooms, a kitchen, and a wood fired mud oven. I would highly recommend searching this place out.
The next day was border day. The crossing was just outside Copacabana, where we encountered no issues, just a quick stamp on either side of the border and we were Cusco bound. There was very little security with only a few officers and no dogs and no one bothering to even look at the bikes or bags Hindsight the things I would recommend to check are the current exchange rate before crossing, inform immigration on where you will be exiting the country in case of any technical issues that could arise, and make sure your stamp has the number of days you requested for your stay in the country.