The Hop

After Machu Picchu, we needed to find the best way to get to La Paz (where we were flying out of to return to Sydney), ensuring we spent some time at Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake at 3,810 masl. And with that name, you have to check it out. We settled on Peru Hop/Bolivia Hop, a bus service that allows you to hop-on/hop-off at different stops along the way. Our plan was to: hop-on the night bus out of Cusco, hop-off to take a tour of the floating islands at Puno, hop-on to continue to Copacabana, hop-off to take a boat and spend the night out on Isla del Sol and hop-on the following night to take the final leg to La Paz.

Needless to say, this is not luxury travel. In spite of the assurances of comfortably-reclining-cama-seats, the night ride was anything but comfortable. We made the mistake of sitting on the upper deck which is much more prone to the rattle of the shaking bus as it drives through the pot-holed (and potentially even dirt?) roads that connect Cusco to Puno – hard to tell as it was pitch black outside. R fell right asleep – potentially his body remembering all those bus trips from his years on the road with UWP – and E just kept hoping the Temazepam would kick in. We probably got some sleep in the course of it all, but unsure and if nothing else, it was memorable.

Our tour to the floating islands had us boarding a boat at a chilly 6:30AM. Our guide was super-enthusiastic for that hour, with a bit of a televangelist feel to his spiel as we boated to two separate “island villages”. The Uros people originally built these structures when the Incas expanded onto their lands. They were resourceful and used the totora reed to create the land mass, their homes, their boats, and even as a food source. We reluctantly tasted the peeled reed as it was passed around, and it had the consistency of sugar cane without the sugar – hmmm, maybe an acquired taste. Once the spiel was over, the sales pitch started. The islanders, who used to live a simple fishing life, now make their living from selling stuff to tourists and giving them rides on their beautifully-constructed-but-long-in-the-tooth reed boats. We were not in the buying mood and it left us feeling a bit sad about how the need to sell mass-produced-tourist-trinkets had tainted this unique culture. We later talked to a fellow traveller who had a very different experience while volunteering on the islands. Maybe a two-hour tour isn’t enough.

We were back on the bus by 8:30AM to continue on to Copacabana and the Isla del Sol. We crossed the Bolivian border through immigration and changed from the Peru Hop bus to the Bolivia Hop bus. Of course, it started to rain as we lugged our luggage through controls, but by the time we started driving again, the sun was out, promising us a beautiful trip to Isla del Sol.

This boat trip was stunning! In the sunlight, Lake Titicaca looked much like the deep-blue sea of the Mediterranean. We arrived in port and asked for directions to our hotel which was up a lot of steps – the price you pay for the views. With our backpacks in tow we headed up the 100+ stairs and arrived at Casa de la Luna. This hotel and the island delivered some much-needed comfort with its beautiful views and comfy accommodation. We made our way to a locally-run restaurant which provided a meal, a bottle of wine and a sunset view from its cliff-side position -- another toast to friends far away as we watched the sun dip behind the clouds.

Breakfast included views of snow-capped mountains followed by an island hike to ruins before heading down to our return ferry. If in Bolivia, this island is not to be missed. It’s simple, relaxing and full of amazing vistas, all with a bit of Inca history mixed in.

The final leg of our journey was only 4 hours. One thing we missed in the detail was that an hour in, we had to get off the bus and board a tiny boat that took us across Lake Titicaca. Alongside us, our bus was also ferried across the lake. Pretty amazing how it all worked in pitch black darkness.

We finally made it to La Paz and were dropped at our hotel in the more touristy section with a bunch of younger backpackers. That should have been a red flag! We checked in, got to our room and it had no heat. This was a major detail we missed when booking. It also had a not-so-clean bathroom and pretty dingy, stained bedding. With everything going on back home and the amount of physical travel with the trek, we quickly made the decision to change hotels in the morning and give ourselves some creature comforts (like heat). We moved down the road - a huge step up - worth the extra spend to prepare for the trip ahead.

Most of our time in La Paz was spent in our hotel room. We did find time to take a quick tour of the city that is offered via La Paz's fairly new cable car mass transit system, Mi Teleferico. Imagine taking a subway and hanging it in the clouds - not just a single line in the city but 10 connecting lines that cross the mountains while providing amazing views. Our tour also took in the Igelsia de San Francisco, El Mercado de Brujas where you can have your spiritual issues dealt with by a shaman, and a final bar stop where we were treated to a cocktail of singani y naranja - a well-spent afternoon.

La Paz is a sprawling urban jungle in the clouds between a series of mountain ranges. On first view, you would think it lacked traditional architectural beauty. Taking the tour in the telefericos, having a local point out the city's history, connection to the indigenous cultures and the various neighbourhood development brought it to life. We're always a bit reluctant with guided city tours . . . this was worth it.