La Paz

Only a 3 hour bus ride from Copacabana.  You could tell we were getting close, because all of a sudden the dust clouds, traffic, and well, mayhem began.  It was utter chaos as we were still only in the outskirts of town, and dogs, children, and elderly were running through traffic, in the middle of the road.  We started closing in on the actual city itself, and then began our descent into the 'valley' that the city resides in.  The backdrop is stunning, with the Andean peaks towering over, with their snow capped towers.  At 3600 meters, you really feel it...We began looking through our Lonely Planet for a place to stay for the night.

We found a place called "Adventure Brew Hostel," that sounded pretty awesome in text, in the book, but when we finally got there, it was a bit disapointing.  I think we need to learn our lesson about going on wild goose chases to find a brewery...

Lonely Planet ('2010), said it was a hostel with a microbrewery on site, and they have a fun atmosphere, with tours available and what not...

When we arrived, and checked in to a shitty dorm room, that at 3:00 in the afternoon had 2 girls sound asleep inside, we kinda realized what we were getting ourselves into...I assumed off the bat, that it was a younger party crowd, and that's what it was geared toward.

Still excited to try a craft beer, we walked down from our dorm, and found the bar.  It was closed, and we had to walk a block down, to the 'other' location for a beer.  No problem, infact, the other location (newer part of the hostel) had a nice bar upstairs, overlooking the city.  Only problem was, the 'micro brewery' they advertise, is none other than "Saya," a local La Paz microbrewery, that we had gotten fairly familiar with while in Copacabana!  They don't do any brewing on site, and infact the owners, also own Saya.  They do have a good blonde, that's rather hoppy, but the other two (Amber, and Black), were awful.  My point, and advice to companies, is, enough of the false advertising...

Turns out, we stayed up in the sky bar till pretty late, and met some awesome people.  I spent the later hours conversing with a Spaniard, over the fact that our human history is completely wrong.  We went on and on about the ruins that cover our earth, and that the dates, and histories are not correct.  Not going to elaborate much on this blog, but maybe in the future...Example...TIWANAKU...

Adventure Brew was not all that bad, if you're looking for a dorm style party zone, but they did have a security guard at the door at all times, and the place was very secure.

Back to Copa for a few more days

After our day and night out on the beautiful Isla Del Sol, we returned to Copacabana from the Southern part of the island.  The boat ride was slow, just like on the way out there, but the weather was gorgeous.  We met a woman from Venezuela, and a man from Australia on the boat ride, and talked travel, and (her) mountain climbing ventures.

Back on mainland, we returned to our hostel "Sonia" for another couple nights, and decided to relax a bit after our long walk on the island, that sort of wore us out.

We found "Mauraz" restaurant right on the main strip by the lake, and had an excellent lunch there, for an excellent price.  We returned for dinner the next night, and really recommend them.  Apparently a newer place, they offer a bit of everything, and had amazing cappuccino's, which hooked us from the get go.

After doing some much needed clothes shopping, (I needed some pants, and found an awesome Bolivia football jersey), we found a little bar on the main strip as well, called "Nemos."  They offered a couple different micro beers from La Paz, in bottles, which were quite good, and we just threw it out there that we play live music, and wanted to know if we could jam there...

The bartender put us in for the following night, and we showed up at 6 to do a sound check with the guitars.  We came back at 9:30, and rocked the house.  From about 5 people there at the start, to about 60 or so when I looked up a little while later, we had a blast, and played for 2 hours.  It's been a while since we played for a crowd like that, and that was just what we needed to get back into the groove.  Hopefully more of that to come, soon!

We finished our set at about 11:30, hung around for a bit, and walked back to Hostal Sonia to go to bed...As we approached the hostel, it was completely boarded shut, with metal barricades.  Now, sometimes, a hostel will close the doors early, and come open up when they hear a knock, but after 20 minutes of banging and literally kicking the door, nobody showed...We were getting a little worried, for that was our home base, and housed all of our stuff, and I took out my knife and began to try and pick open the window lock.  No luck.  Tried prying it open as well with no luck, so we walked around the back side of the building, and found a very small window open, over the kitchen.  Danica climbed in with no problem, and I handed her the 2 guitar bags.  I am pretty tall, and it took me a bit of stretching and straining to fit, but I did it.  Absolutely ridiculous that at midnight, nobody is there to open the hostel door.  What a great way to ruin your business.  Thanks Sonia, you won't  get my good review!  Once inside, still, nobody heard a thing, and as we went to go upstairs we wanted some water and chips from the glass case...Locked, of course, and picking the lock was no use, neither was trying to find the key...Oh well.  We loved Copacabana, and it couldn't have been a better place to welcome us to Bolivia!  See you next time...

Another 2 days in Copa, and we must move on down the road to the famed La Paz...

Isla Del Sol

After a couple nights in Copacabana, we were anxious to get out on the lake and visit Isla Del Sol.

We booked a boat out there through our hostel "Sonia," and planned on spending a night on the island.

We awoke that morning to a heavy rain, and were a little weary of going, as we wanted to hike across the island...

A last minute decision to go, was rewarded by clearing skies, and overall nice weather for the whole day.

The boat tickets out to the north part of the island were 25 Bolivianos/person.  Very cheap.  If you choose to go to the southern part, it's only 20.

We chose to get dropped off on the Northern part, and hike across the island to the south, and spend the night.

The Island was gorgeous, as its placement is shapely, with the massive Lake Titicaca all around it, along with several other scattered islands nearby and in the distance.  We arrived at about 10:30 AM, found a little spot to have a decent breakfast, and began our hike.  It's overall about 8km from the north to south via the trail.

About 40 mins in, we came to the first area of ruins, that was pretty impressive, but honestly, not a whole lot to see.  We probably "ruined" it for ourselves having just come from Machu Picchu!  Either way, the walk was really nice, and quite exhausting, seeing as though we already were at a very high altitude on the lake, and a bit higher on the island.

We reached the south part of the island in the late afternoon, and found a hostel up on the hill overlooking the lake.  70 Bolivianos for a private room.  Considering how touristy the island was, there was hardly anything open for dinner, but we found a spot with some good Trout, and hit the sack.

Isla Del Sol was a very touristy place...There were 4 times along the trail across the island we were stopped to pay a fee...It was very cheap, but it reminds you how touristy it is!  I'm so glad we went to the island, and highly recommend walking across it, the scenery is gorgeous!

Bienvenidos a Boliva!

We did a little research on buses from Cusco to the border, and further...

The hostel we stayed at in Cusco had a travel agency next door, and the owner recommended talking to them...Turns out they book buses to Boliva from Cusco, and we found out they go "direct" to Copacabana as well, where we wanted to go.

We purchased our tickets for 70 Soles/piece, and jumped on the bus that night, from the Terminal Terrestre in Cusco.

The company was called "Trans Salvador" and as we boarded, we found it to have the most comfortable seats of any bus thus far!  Being a night bus, we were pretty excited to get some sleep, and we did just that.

I woke up at about 5am to the sun rising over Lake Titicaca near the border.  It was incredible.

(photo hardly does it justice...)

All of a sudden a woman came up to us and said "Copacabana?"  Turns out we were the only ones heading there, and the bus wasn't direct, as it was ultimately heading to La Paz...

We were then dropped off in the middle of the desert, and waited for a bit until another bus pulled up, and dropped off about 6 more people also heading to Copacabana.

We then all boarded a collectivo van, and headed to the border, which was about 20 mins away.

Bolivian Border Crossing for US citizens:

I feel this info I will input here will be of much help to US citizens crossing into Bolivia...

We had been trying to research this for some time, and always got different answers about cost, and what is needed to enter Bolivia.  One web page stated it was $180/person to enter Boliva, while a fellow traveler told us it was only $75.

As of the date of this post, Bolivian officials charge US citizens $135 CASH.  You may not use a credit card, and no, they do not accept Bolivianos nor Soles.  We were prepared, as we found an ATM in Cusco that dispensed US cash.  We entered the border crossing at about 7am, and there was hardly anyone there, so it went fast.

Also, they DID NOT ASK for our Yellow Fever vaccinations, which we did have proof of.  Not sure if we'll need them as we exit into Chile down the road, but it wasn't required for us to enter, as we thought otherwise...Still glad we have them though...

We had to fill out the normal immigration form that everyone needs to do, and also a VISA form, that only took about 5 minutes.  They stamped our passports with a Bolivian entrance stamp as well as a sticker, valid for 5 years, saying we paid.  90 days is the length of time we got, just like every other country so far.  Very simple it was, and a lot easier than we thought!  Hope this helps!

On the other side of the border, we jumped into another collectivo van, with the other 6 people crossing, and were in Copacabana in about 10 minutes.

Copacabana is a gorgeous, awesome little town, with the lake in the background.  It's a little touristy, bot not 'in your face,' and very enjoyable.  We met Mark and Carlie for breakfast that morning,  and took a sunset cruise with them, out onto the lake. Besides being dirt cheap to charter a boat, Titicaca has proven to have some of the most incredible sunsets, ever!

Machu Picchu! (The economical way...)

Most travelers heading into Peru hope to visit the sacred sight of Machu Picchu...

We, of course, wanted to as well.  The only problem we faced, as we closed in on Peru, and Cusco, was that we thought we were going to have to pay an arm and a leg to get there, and get in...

This is how we did it, and recommend doing it, especially if you'd like to save some dough.

From Cusco to Machu Picchu the cheap way!

-Once in Cusco, find the Machu Picchu ticket office, which is about a 10 minute walk from Plaza de Armas.  It's on a side street that's a little bit hard to find, but after asking a few people, we located it...

-You'll need your passport at the ticket window, and if you have it, a valid student ID, which needs to show the current DATE!  (We tried with our older ones, and they didn't accept), but if you have a current student ID, you'll get your entrance for HALF PRICE!  They do accept credit cards as well.  The regular adult admission tickets cost 128 Soles/person.  We purchased ours 2 days ahead of time, which you'll more than likely need...

-The next step, is to get to Santa Maria, which is a small town about 4 1/2 hours from Cusco.  We took a collective from Cusco, which cost 30 Soles/person.

-Once in Santa Maria, right where you get dropped off, you walk across the road, and find a taxi, or collectivo to Santa Teresa, where you'll spend the night...It costs 10 Soles/person for the 1/2 hour ride down a dirt road to Santa Teresa from Santa Maria...

-Spend the night in Santa Teresa.  It's a nice little town, fairly quiet, and not too touristy compared to others like Ollantaytambo, etc...We found a hostel for 40 Soles/night, that was fairly nice.

-Wake up at a decent hour, and find a taxi or collectivo to Hidroelectrica, a tiny little town on the river, where you'll start your hike.  Our taxi was 5 Soles each.  About a 15-20 min ride...

-Where the taxi drops you off, you'll enter your passport info into a book at a ranger station.  You then start your hike following the railroad tracks towards Aguas Calientes.  It's a beautiful walk, as you are following the tracks through the jungle, and along the Urubamba river the whole time.  Takes about 2 hours to Aguas Calientes.

-Aguas Calientes is also called Machu Picchu Pueblo, and is at the base of the walk up to the ruins.  It is very touristy.  We spent about an hour walking around, until we found a hostel for 50 Soles for the night.  You'll want to rest up, and get a good night's sleep before the early morning hike.

-We woke up at 4am, and grabbed a cup of coffee, before started our hike.  It was pouring rain, and this is very possible here, being in the jungle.  Bring a flashlight (headlamp), and a poncho, as it was very wet.

-Can take anywhere from 45 mins to 2 hours, depending on your fitness level.  Took us 45 mins, which was good timing for us.  Once at the top, you'll show your passport (don't forget it), and your entrance ticket.  Then, you're on your own to explore!!!

-The way out is the reverse, and you can spend another night in Santa Teresa, and bathe in their hotsprings, or take a direct collectivo back to Cusco.  That's what we did, and ended up back in Cusco at 8:30 PM.

This trip saves you quite a bit of money, doing it on your own.  It was also an amazing experience, while we did see people with guide groups doing a very slow walk around the ruins...We brought a book on Machu Picchu, and guided ourselves.  Up to you!

Machu Picchu is one of the most amazing places I've ever been.  We lucked out with amazing weather up top, and the luck of the draw with hardly any tourists there that morning.  A great experience, and a great way to wrap up our Peruvian trip.  Back in Cusco, we're gearing up for our next stint...Bolivia!!!

Cusco

We arrived in Cusco bright and early on our overnight journey from Nazca, and planned to meet back up with our friends Mark and Carlie, who are traveling by motorcycle.  They told us of the hostel they were staying at, for fairly cheap.  $40 Soles/night, for a private room, shared bath.

We spent 2 nights at "Estrellita" hostel, not far from the Plaza de Armas, or center of town.  It was a cool place, good vibe, had a kitchen, and allows bicyclists and motorcycles to park inside, which is why they were there, obviously.

That night happened to be the AFL grand finale game (Australian Football League Championship), which I, of course know nothing about...Well, Mark, being an Aussie, was obviously looking to watch the game, and I accompanied him.  We walked about 7 blocks from Estrellita, to another hostel that he had pre-sought out for the game festivities...I was imagining maybe 5, 6 Aussies there to watch it...Wow, was I wrong.  We walk into the place, and the bar inside is jam packed with about 65 Australians, waiting anxiously to watch the match.

We shared a table with, of course, an Australian couple, also there for the game, and waited for it to air.  It was to be aired on a projector screen, from a pre-paid website, and for some reason, the internet began to slow...The reactions were priceless, as you can imagine, and it turned out to be a good game.  The game streamed on through the night, and I enjoyed myself, despite being delirious from the night bus from Nazca.  Moral: I had no idea that many Australians could possibly be in Cusco on a given night!

Mark, Carlie, Danica and I at 'Estrellita'

Cusco is a beautiful city.  While coming in from atop the mountain, you get an overview of it all, and it fits perfectly into the valley below.  The buildings are colonial looking, and the streets are mostly cobblestone.

By this point, we were very excited to do the whole Machu Picchu trek, and after hearing tons of peoples experiences along the road, it was our time to do it.

We set out to pre-purchase our entrance tickets in Cusco, and wanted to do it all the "cheap way," as opposed to the hundreds of dollars that could potentially be spent hiking the Inca Trail, or taking the classic train ride in...

Nazca - The mysterious

Our plan was to head to Cusco, obviously, but a reminder that it was a 22 hour bus ride from Lima was a quick turn off...

We really wanted to visit Nazca, if possible, but we thought it was sort of out of the way.

Turns out, it perfectly cut our travel time from Lima to Cusco, and gave us a day to check out a place I had wanted to go to for years.

Nazca, the vast desert filled with strange artifacts and geoglyphs that nobody can explain...

We arrived in Nazca at about 10pm after about an 8 hour bus ride from Lima.  We looked in our book before arriving, for a hostel to stay in for the night.  As we got off the bus and grabbed our backpacks, a woman approached us asking if we needed a taxi.  She had a regular car, no signs, and we were a little sketched out, but it turned out she also had a hostal in the center of town.  40 Soles per night, with a private bath, and internet.  Perfect, and cheaper than we thought we'd be paying.

The next morning we got up and grabbed a bite to eat, and jumped on a bus to the Mirador, a lookout tower in the middle of the desert, which allows you to see some lines and geoglyphs without taking a flight.

A little history on Nazca:

If you haven't heard of it, its a massive desert in southern Peru that stretches for miles.  There are tons of geoglyphs, or etchings in the desert sand that can only be seen from above.  Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering they're several thousand years of age, and the idea that aircraft as we know it didn't exist!  There are lines that are etched in the desert that stretch for miles as well, and look like ancient runways.  I've had a lot of interest in this place for a while, after seeing several documentaries, and youtube videos.

Despite not going up in a plane, as most tourists do, we got a glimpse from this tower out there in the desert, and it gave us a great feel of them.  It was 2 Soles a piece to enter the tower, and after we did that, we walked about 2 kilometers through the desert, along the highway, to another lookout spot, perched upon 2 hills jetting up from the desert sand.  There was nobody around, and we had a 360 view of this epic desert scene...

We hitched a ride back to town with a couple people who showed up as we were leaving.

Back in the center of town, we flagged down a taxi, and asked him how much it would cost to take us to the aqueducts, which were just outside of town.  He said he'd take us for 20 Soles, and also show us the ruins near them.

Juan turned out to be an incredible guide, who spent about 3 hours driving us from site to site, where we were the ONLY people there.  We saw the ancient pre inca aqueducts that still function to this day, bringing water to the nearby farms.  We saw the Nazca ruins and paredones (walls), and the ancient tombs that scatter the hillside just behind the town.

We were able to walk through the ruins, getting an incredibly up close feel of the place, which would probably not be allowed at any other spot.

After our 'tour' we drove back into town, and he pulled over in front of a chicha stand, where an old man selling chicha, or fermented corn drink, came and served us in the car.

An incredible day in Nazca winded down with a great chicken dinner in the square, and a semi comfortable night bus ride to Cusco, aboard Movil Tours.

 

the mirador

Ancient pre Incan aqueduct