Lake Titicaca is the world's largest high-altitude lake on 3808 m, measuring 15 times the size of Lake Geneva. The Inka considered it their birthplace of civilization. Today it lays within the territory of the Aymará; 60% within Peru's and 40% within Bolivia's borders. The lake is famous for its islands: Isla del Sol and Los Uros. When we arrived in Puno, we were amazed by the sunny and warm weather. Pair this with the stunning views over the scintillating Lake Titicaca and you might understand why it felt marvellous after a cold and rainy day in Cusco!
Instead we walked along the lakeside promenade, strolled through the lively Saturday market (on weekends the daily markets in Peru are enlarged and instead of offering food only, you can find clothes, shoes, household equipment and other fancy stuff such as chicken, cuy, dryed body parts of various animals etc.), witnessed two weddings with Marachi bands in front of churches and visited the Catedral. For our last evening in Peru - since we would be crossing the border to Bolivia the next day - we indulged into a delicious French-Peruvian-Cuisine Menu with a glass of perfectly matching Malbec. Life was very good:-)! For the first time, we tasted "cuy", but it wasn't love at first bite... "Alpaca a la plancha" and "Lomo saltado" are still our favourites. Crossing the border into Bolivia was tedious and involved a lot of filling in forms and queuing, but else, it was rather unspectacular. Happy to have received 30 days stay permit without any hassle, we arrived in the quaint town of Copacabana. Copacabana (yes, the beach in Brazil is named after this small town at the shores of Lake Titicaca) is famous for its shrine of the "Virgen de Copacabana" from the 16th century, which stands in the Basilica and is the reason for pilgrimage still today. The small town is a tourist attraction in Bolivia, mostly because of its public beach and the numerous restaurants offering rainbow trout from the lake. For us, staying in Copacabana, allowed for an extra bit of luxury and relaxation. We had rented a fancy bungalow for three days at the properties of "Las Olas" and enjoyed unwinding there. The views on the lake from the hammocks were priceless and we also profited of having our own small kitchen (all the fruit and veggies on the market we could finally buy and eat and not only look at!!) and especially the cosy fireplace in the evening.
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