Americas

[Visited: December 1991]

The first settlement on entering Bolivia from Peru was Copacabana which until that moment for me was equal to the world-famous beach in Rio de Janeiro. I ended up staying several days in this lovely, peaceful village. Even then it was not easy to leave it. Meanwhile, I visited the Island of the Sun and the Island of the Moon, which according to legend are the birthplaces of the Inca empire. Both islands have ruins which are said to be proof of its holy significance to the Incas. From both islands, you can enjoy beautiful views over Lake Titicaca. Also, I climbed the hill next to the village and just enjoyed the sun on the beach. Looking out over Lake Titicaca from the beach, it is incredible that what seems to be a sea, in fact is a huge lake at around 4000 metres high.
I also managed to track down a spot which drew my attention in the travel guide. On a wall, there was a statement in Spanish which urged the Bolivians to fight to regain the access to the ocean which was lost in the 19th century in a war with neighbouring Chile. Curiously enough, when I found the wall, it had been repainted and the message was only vaguely readable. When I showed the picture in my guide to a passer-by, he commented that this had been a statement in vain and that Bolivians should accept being a landlocked country.
By the time I arrived in this town, I fortunately was already acquainted with the effects of the high altitude, although walking up stairs or hills still required more effort than they would on more common heights. And the village probably enjoyed silence also because of the effects of the cholera at the time of my visit.

Around the World in 80 Clicks

Personal travel impressions both in words and images from Copacabana (Bolivia). Clicking on the pictures enlarges them and enables you to send the picture as a free e-card or download it for personal use, for instance, on your weblog. Or click on the map above to visit more places close to Copacabana.
Read more about this site.

Copacabana > Bolivia > Americas

[Visited: December 1991]

Around the World in 80 Clicks