Well keeping up this blog is proving more difficult than I thought, between my journal entries and trying to find an internet cafe to publish them, I´ve also toyed with idea of logging all my entries on my iPod and when I find a wireless connection publish them there. We shall see but in the mean time I have a few days to catch up on
Puno
South America is cold I mean I was expecting the cold on the trekks and camping but there is no heating in any of the accomadation (any in my price range anways) but what they lack in central heating they more than make up in blankets. I arrived in Cocacabana after a mad rush to book my tickets before the agency closed the night previous. On a interesting note about Bolivia they don´t negotiate on most items. (Save maybe consumer goods.) They give a fare price and that´s that. Even the private currency exchange charge the same rates!
Cocacobana Isle del Sol
A quick stop in Cocacobana and a 1.5 hour boat ride to Isle del Sol an Island with two archalogical sites and great scenery. It´s not that Canada does´nt have comparable scenery but it´s the environment around you that makes it so interesting. The first morning I decided rather than take a boat to the north island where the main ruins are I chose to hike a map on the wall said three hours which I was sure I could eclispe easily, however I chose to hike along the coast throught the villages not the main route.
The country life style can´t be an easy one; old men/women hunch over in the fields or carrying a load much to heavy for someone of there age. Sheep, pigs donkeys, cows and lamas vocally displayed thier disapporval of bieng tied up. After three hours I reached the northern town site but was told I was still 45 min away from the site. Well having failed to complete the voyage in less than the alotted I calculated that It would be dark if I didn´t head back. It took 1;45 minutes to get back on the main trail leaving plenty of time till twilight. The previous night while returning from the internet cafe I became thourghly lost trying to find the hostel. At one point a boy came out of his house offering to help me find the hostel for 5 Bolivianos. EMMMM NO (right Duncan)so I spent the next half hour stumbling through farmers fields before I found it.
On a more positive note I meet some Germans who were teaching english to primary aged children on the Island, after dinner and showing the few phrases in German that I remembered we sat around the table and played none other than CLUE yes a cherished child hood activity, the bord game itself was in Spanish, adding to the interest of the conversations in English and German. Yep I really know how to party.
La Paz
I arrived in La Paz after 4 hours and a brief ferry ride. Our bus got it´s very own raft which was somewhat remanisant of a raft you might have seen in the coloninal days. La Paz´s landscape is simular to alot of bolivia rolling hills and an abondance of rocks. The city has a population of over 8 million and they definately have used the space the hills side are crowded with apartment complexes. The city centre has the charm of cobble stone roads and tightly woven buildings. Also I hads the best food since getting to South America a fried steak potatoes rice and salad for 1 dollar. Nice.
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