The Lonely Planet listed out hostels and highlighted Las Olas cabanas as a must stay quirky place if you have cash to splash. Bolivia is the cheapest South American country and Splash meant US $48 per room per night. It didn't have availability on the first night, but the owner had a second slightly cheaper set of cabanas (la Cupula) available next door for the first night.
Arriving in Copacabana after a few rainy cloudy days the sun was out in full force. It's a very small town on the banks of Lake Titicaca (Peru and Bolivia share the lake). We checked in at La Cupula and were wowed with a large room, kitchen, fireplace and hammocks in the garden with views across the lake. A Facebook photo of Mands on the hammock almost went viral with likes!
A short walk to the waters edge and most of the town was down on the playa (beach). It was a Sunday and everyone was enjoying pedalos, boat trips, open air flooseball and lunches. A row of informal restaurants lined the shore with only numbers as their name. No 19 was most full, so we joined them at a table as locals know best. Trucha (trout) is the speciality here and it comes fried in a choice of various sources. We both had Trucha and cervecas - 20 Bol for fish and 18 Bol for large beer (less than £4 each for full meal and 700mm beer)!
After lunch it was a stroll through town and a look at the Cathedral. The priest was walking around splashing water on people's heads if they asked. At the front of the church was the main plaza. Many informal stalls sold items for offerings including flowers and alcohol. Fireworks and miniatures were also on sale - fireworks are used for all celebrations and whenever you feel like it, day time or night time. Tom thumbs were a favourite in the day, I remember these from when I was younger. The miniatures were the most interesting. On the 24th January there's a festival where people celebrate and buy a miniature of what they wish for in the coming year. Miniatures include cars, trucks, groceries, money, types of shops (like hairdresser), gold or building material for the houses. We'd see these on sale across Bolivia.
A few more lazy beers on the hammocks and then sunset. Fantastico.
There's a restaurant on site, so we headed across in our winter woollies (including bright Alpacha hat I'd bought from the home stay). A young boy with his banjo was just getting ready to play - sure we're in for a treat. We ordered a savoury pancake and a pasta and then it started... Banjo boy knew about 8 lines of 1 song and repeated it over and over and over some more and not very well. For some reason a few people clapped when he stopped and that encouraged him. He'd walk from table to table strumming and singing. We tried our best to ignore him, but he made sure we got our fair share of his attention. Eventually he left after my tip to stop playing. Mands thought he must be related to someone who works in the restaurant - he must have been or everyone was deaf.
Our room was cold, but no problem as we had the ready made fireplace and me, a South African who's made countless fires throughout his life. All I had to do was throw the match in and away the feugo (fire) would go bringing heat to my shivering wife. 30 minutes later I gave up starting this fire and Mands was fast asleep - I could barely get the newspaper and kindling to take let alone logs at this altitude! The Bolivians must have a trick or petrol up their sleeves.
We awoke to another bright sunny day. Mandy wanted to stay at La Cupula for the second night as it was so nice, but I convinced her to move as planned to Las Olas (the waves). When we were shown our Las Olas cabana, it was the right choice. Las Olas has 7 cabins, each unique, designed by the German owner himself. Ours was huge, double story with floor to ceiling glass to the front allowing for a fantastic view across the lake. Hammocks inside and outside on the private balcony. The bed was enormous and round and carved wooden chairs and table for meals. The shower even had plants arranged inside it, it was so big. This is how backpacking is meant to be.
Everyone who visits Copacabana takes an overnight trip to Isla de Sol. We decided to skip it and stay at the cabana and town for the day. Lots of reading, resting and hammocking. We bought some fresh salad from the market and together with Mand's left over fettachini, made lunch at the cabana.
Another sunset and sundowners and we decided to head back to the restaurant for dinner. We were quite late, but who should we find there waiting for us... Banjo kid. We sat down anyway, and luckily only got the last 5 minutes of his set. He didn't ask us for a tip this time.
The next morning we had half a day before a bus to La Paz. We checked out, left our bags at reception and set out to find the pre Inca astronomical observatory, Horca Del Inca. It's on the top of a rock hill. When the Spanish Conquestors arrived they destroyed 6 of the 7 rock sculptures, not thinking much of the last one. On the Summer solstice the sun passes through the Horca Del Inca illuminating a specific area. The sculpture is a horizontal rock balanced across two vertical rocks - it itself is not too impressive, but the hike up is is a good activity.
After paying Inca ruin entrance fee to a 8 year old girl that suddenly appeared from the trees at the bottom of the trail and gave us a stick to use as an aid, we headed up the steps carved into the large rocks. The rain started and we continued to climb on the now more slippery surface. The stairs disappeared and we followed faint arrows up from boulder to boulder, sometimes on all fours. Mands decided to stop the hunt and wait under a dry rock overhead. I on the other hand got the pink slip to continue - after my fire starting saga, no Inca Rocks were going to allude me. Up and up I clambered until I reached the almost top - I could go no further with the rain and wet rocks and the white arrows had stopped a while back. With a wet tail between my legs I returned to Mands, empty photo handed. We began out climb down and Mands called over almost immediately, pointing ... There next to where I left her was the Horca Del Inca! We'd completely missed it - I thought it would be at the top, but it was three quarters up. Manly pride restored. Kind of.
On the way back we stopped in town to buy the town fridge magnet - we buy one at each town - but there were not any Copacabana ones that represented anything we felt we'd experienced properly until I spotted a figure of a boy playing a banjo - that had to be the one.
At the same time we bought some snacks for the bus and here is where I discovered the Bol 1 Chizitos (10 pence) chips. We would eat a few of these in Bolivia.
With our bags now collected we headed to a cafe / restaurant for lunch before the bus pick up. They had a large screen tv showing 80's top music videos - Mandy was in her element.
Onto the overbooked bus (luckily we were on first) and we were off to La Paz.
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