Copacabana and La Paz

Copacabana

The journey that took us to Copacabana (our first Bolivian destination) was mainly done by travelling along the Panamericana, the legendary road that crosses almost all of South America. Perhaps also because of the recent social uprisings that had just taken place in Bolivia, the road was strewn with rocks and pieces of wood that made it difficult for vehicles to pass. For that reason too, our time on the bus was certainly not comfortable, but in the end after two hours of travel we reached our destination. The bus dropped us off in the main square of Copacabana, and from there, after unloading our backpacks, we started looking for accommodation. The search wasn't hard, since as soon as we stepped off the bus some young men offered us more than one option.

We opted for the "Colonial Hostal", simply for reasons of convenience and proximity: we only had to walk about a hundred metres to reach our beds. After a quick breakfast we headed to the main square to get a general look at the little town; in fact it took us very little time to realise that, however pretty Copacabana might be, it wasn't enough to spend more than two days there. Having exhausted in the afternoon all the things there were to see, we returned to our room for some well-deserved rest, for a shower that heralded the usual dinner. We went to eat in one of the chicest restaurants on the main street, hoping to enjoy an excellent meal. In reality we soon realised that many of the things on the menu were only on the menu and couldn't be ordered. Again because of the recent social unrest, supplies struggled to reach this Bolivian border town.

In the end our "choice" fell on a pizza, eaten quickly, and then back to base.

The following day our goal was only one: to make the rounds of the various tourist agencies in the town to be able to organise the rest of our stay in Bolivia. No sooner said than done: the next morning, after a hearty breakfast, we began the procession to gather as much information as possible about our goal. We had in mind to get as far as La Paz and then continue the journey towards Uyuni and push on to the coloured lagoon, in southwestern Bolivia, on the border with Chile and Argentina. We immediately understood that the agency that could suit us was only one, and even so it was by no means simple to define the details of our excursion. The limited time at our disposal fitted badly with the transport and the enormous distances to be covered, but thanks to a bit of luck and careful planning we managed to work it out.

We would set off the next morning on the only tourist bus available, which would take us as far as La Paz, the capital of Bolivia.

La Paz

The journey to reach La Paz lasted about four hours and initially wound along the shores of Titicaca, which we then crossed by boat and left for good. We arrived at the gates of the city of La Paz in the late afternoon, but it was still light enough to enjoy a full view of the city. La Paz is built in an immense valley, and seen from above it seems to develop like a giant spiral that descends from the centre down to the bowels of the earth: the view is disarming, blocks of concrete that seem wedged one on top of another cover every corner of the mountain slope. The classic adobe dwellings, characteristic of the Andean area, here seem to give way to a more classic reddish brick that invades the whole valley: devastating! After stopping to take a few photos we began the slow descent that would lead us to the city centre.

La Paz, for obvious reasons, is a city built entirely on an incline, and once we got off the bus it was certainly not easy, with our backpacks on our shoulders, to move around in search of a hostel. In the end we opted for the Lobo, a hotel recommended to us earlier by the owner of the tourist agency in Copacabana. The characteristic and curious thing about this hotel was that it was inhabited almost exclusively by Israelis, and we were the only tourists who weren't. No matter, it was quite comfortable and equally cheap: it suited us! We dropped our backpacks in the room without even unpacking them, since the next day we would have to set off again for Uyuni. We treated ourselves only to a good shower and a good dinner eaten in the same restaurant inside the hotel; we would visit the city of La Paz on our return.