14th to 18th May, Lake Titicaca and La Paz, Bolivia

On our way to our hop off point for Lake Titicaca, we bush camped in the grounds of a little tourist spot for some funeral pyres. Notable because some of us 'upgraded' to camping inside the museum......with some interesting friends.
Feeling sleepy?




Jeanne says goodnight to Horace (he's the skeleton with the head; we didn't name the headless one/i>




A visit to the floating islands of Lake Titicaca. It seemed quite a nice place to live in summer but the reed islands wouldn't be quite as nice in the rainy winter. The inhabitants of the islands further out that the tourists don't visit survive on whatever they can fish, either for themselves or to trade. I confess to being a little disappointed at the commercialism of the islands we visited, with solar power, tv's and a bar but I'm sure their comfort is more important than my romantic ideas of what the floating islands should be. Still, with families living in tiny little huts, it's hardly cutting edge. The people we visited were very lovely and let us poke around in their homes.
The ladies welcome us to their family's island








Inside one of the family homes




Mikkel with one of the island kids




Want me to peel your reed for you? Yummy but stop eating the floor!




Next stop, another Border, this time into Bolivia. Super quick border. Hurrah. First stop was in Copacabana, a popular hop off point for the Islands of the Sun and Moon where the Sun and Moon were apparently born. A few popped over to those, whilst the rest of us mooched round town and enjoyed the sunshine.




Next stop La Paz, which we got to via a very choppy 10 minute boat ride. Anthony grabbed the only life jacket and whilst I didn't see him snatch it from the hands of a child, it's possible that did happen. Watching Kirsten watch the truck lilt violently on its own barge was cruelly entertaining to watch.
Ithaca getting on board her barge




Karen and Steve with a chilly looking local




Stayed in a shockingly decorated hotel with studded faux leather walls downstairs and sticky back plastic type stuff on the walls which I would say was designed for badly covering tables rather than walls. Tasty. A very hilly city with some amazing markets and a great view of the city from our roof.
Stylish




Plastic 'wallpaper' and gaffa taping the curtains to the wall to try to stop a draft (my own personal contribution)












The witches market.....baby llamas. :-(




Many types of potato



A trip to the Valley of the Moon. Can't imagine why it's called that