Costs pp: Bus Copacabana to La Paz 20b (the day before it was 15b, it's fiesta time so unsure of usual price), boat mid journey across Lake 1.5b.
We left Copacabana on a microbus and it took us along the shores of Lake Titicaca and we could see all the way down the lake. It is not the highest lake in the world (Peru and Chile have lakes higher) but it is big. We couldn't see the other end but could see two islands which may have been the islands out from Puno. Isle del Sol is another island near Copacabana where they believe the Inca civilisation began. Beyond the lake a line of mountains dusted with snow made a pretty picture.
We went about half an hour and drove to the edge of the neck at the top of the lake and everyone got out so so did we. We saw flat bottomed boats with huge buses in them crossing the water and so had to take pics then realised that all the other passengers had disappeared. Our bus was driving onto a barge and the passengers were in a line to cross the lake on a launch. We had to buy a ticket but when the guy asked for it for us to get on the launch Carol couldn't find them anywhere, the guy let us on as it was obvious we had paid but it was a mystery where they went.
In the countryside there were small mud houses with thatch roofs dotted about. The houses in Bolivian towns were mostly mud brick but red bricks are obviously the new building material and there are lots of houses and buildings half finished some of them quite modern and large. Some of the houses have their first story in mud brick and the next level up in red brick. We are not sure how long the mud brick lasts but don't think it would be as long as the red so wonder what will happen in the future there.
Also the second story is always built jutting out over the ground floor on the street side, looks like about 3 - 5 feet. We have looked at the building techniques in the different countries and wonder sometimes about the strength of the buildings but haven't ever seen any falling down...
Mid journey it started to hail and the countryside was covered in white like it had been snowing. The driver got up on the roof and put a cover on the gear on the roof of the microbus then as we drove along had to get out and clear the windscreen of ice (all this in shirtsleeves) because the wipers didn't work!
