Enter: Bolivia

Sunset over Lake Titicaca

After Machu Picchu we made tracks for Lake Titicaca. The highest lake in the world! Or was it the highest BIG lake in the world? No, I think its title is the highest "navigable" lake in the world. Whatever that means.

Call it what you want, Lake Titicaca is a really big lake at a really high altitude, with beautiful sunsets. The view above is from the terrace at our hostel in the Bolivian town called Copacabana.

We took a (very slow moving) motor boat to the Isle del Sol a few kilometres off the shore, to the right of the view in the picture. The Incan culture that existed in the rest of South America is said to have started on the Isle del Sol. There are some very old ruins on the island that suggest this may be true.

After two days on the island, I can see why its called the "Island of the Sun". The clouds never seem to cover the sun above the island. The views are beautiful.

Me posing on Isla del Sol with my sponsoring beverage brand.

Another gorgeous view of Lake Titicaca, with the Illampu Mountains in the back

After Lake Titicaca, we took another bus --thankfully much shorter than the previous few rides-- to the capital city of Bolivia, La Paz. La Paz is a beautiful city built inside a canyon. I would put a picture up for you, but unfortunately I haven't taken any of La Paz yet. I haven't found a view of La Paz that would do it justice.

La Paz is infinitely more enjoyable than any of the other big cities we've been to so far. The people here are genuinely nice, and aren't interested in squeezing every last penny out of travelers. In Peru and Ecuador I felt like every local I talked to was trying to swindle me, but in Bolivia I feel warmly welcomed by the locals. Interestingly, Bolivia is quite a bit poorer than both Peru and Bolivia, and is well known to be the least expensive country in South America.

James, Jordan and I spent one wonderful day just outside La Paz. We rented wheels (ATV's for James and Jordan, a dirt bike for me) and a guide took us out on dirt roads to explore the Valle de la Lune.

From left to right: Jordan, James, Adam

It was my first time riding a motorbike. Truth be told, it was pretty scary at first; the store owners, who were really nice, allowed me about 5 minutes to figure out how to work the clutch and get the thing moving, and then it was straight to the road. I really wanted to learn though, and by the end I was starting to get the hang of it.

We rode to the top of the canyon and had some breathtaking views of Bolivia. This is what Bolivia looks like (below):

Right now, James and Jordan are in the middle of an amazingly fun sounding jungle rafting/hiking trip into the Amazon. Unfortunately I've been sick for the last week, and was forced to cancel at the last minute. Fingers crossed, I'll be leaving on the same trip that they're on tomorrow morning. Two girls that were supposed to be on my trip got sick at the last minute and the trip had to be postponed a day. Alot of people seem to get sick in Bolivia.

To give you an idea of what the trip is like, we build our own rafts and camp in the jungle. That's about all I know so far, but a blog post will certainly be in order when I get back from the trip.

Also, for those of you that are curious, Friar James is in the history books, and his head is back to its dashing old self.

Caio amigos.