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December 29, 2004

Day 82: Copacabana

I had to get up really early for the minibus, which came to pick me up at 7.30. Amazingly, it was there on time as well.

We drove to the Hotel Rosario, where the bus for Copacabana was waiting. I picked up a Jane Green book (chick lit) from the book exchange... more stuff to read while lounging on the... eh... beach.

A family of Bolivians was late, then started complaining because they couldn't sit together. But in the end, we took off at 8.15. The girl of the family was sitting next to me and she was already annoying me: taking up more than one seat, singing along to her walkman, fiddling with her mobile phone...

At some point she started talking to me, her name was Maria and she was 15. The family was travelling, they were from Cochabamba. Then she asked for my email address, obviously thinking I could be a penpal... It was a long three hours...

We got to the spot where you cross the lake and we all had to get off the bus, buy a ticket, get in a boat (with smelly motor) and wait for the bus on the other end, which was mounted on a kind of motorised raft (ferry is too generous a term).

At the other end, I ran into the Swiss couple I met on the Tiwanaku trip. We got back onto the bus and were winding our way through the mountains (asphalt and very wide), having great views of the lake. The girl got the family videocamera out and nearly clambered on top of me to get a good shot. Teenagers!

In Copacabana, I was slightly worried when four hostels told me they were full (well, one tried to sell me a bed in a three bed dorm - but I don't do dorms anymore). It felt very appropriate, around this Christmas time, to be told there was no room at the inn, but I had a big backpack and no mule. In the end, I got a double room for 40 bol, with great views from the rooftop of the hotel.

I went to Copacabana 'beach'. The Bolivians don't really do beach culture very well, although they try. There was a dirt track with cars, tricicles and horses, then a promenade (I use the term loosely) with stalls and tablefutbol, then about two metres of pebbles, then lapping water. At least they got that final part right...

The cholas were dressed in as many layers as ever, only a handful of people actually had short sleeves or shorts. There were no ice cream stalls or bicicles. Having said that, I can see the point of the tricicle driver who was chuckling over four white Germans going into the cold water in their swimming trunks.

I got talking to his colleague and he asked if, in Belgica, people had 'mucha plata', a lot of money. Looking around me I could only respond 'yes'. Compared to the average Bolivian, yup, absolutely. I am filthy rich. And so very lucky to be doing this...

Anywya, Copacabana seems to be a good place to spend my last week in Bolivia, and I am planning on spending New Year's Eve on Isla del Sol.

PS I checked my DHL package: it's gone from La Paz to Miami to Cincinnatti to New York. It was supposed to arrive yesterday in Belgium... Ha!

PS2 I just heard about the awful stuff happening in Asia... Not sure what to say really, it's just too big for words...

Posted by Nathalie on December 29, 2004 12:15 AM
Category: Bolivia
Comments

Dag dag Nathalie,
in mijn grote eindejaarsopkuisactie vind ik eindelijk dat ene mailtje van u terug met je webadres derin! we hebben op cjp al zwaar gezocht maar niemand vond het! Heej travelling babe! hoe gaat ie! wat een dagboek is dat hier! ongelooflijk gewoon. ik hoop dat alles goed met je is, ben wel blij dat je niet in Azië zit, het is daar zo afschuwelijk. Ik zit nu laatste dagje van dit jaar op CJP. vertrek sebiet naar de zee! joepie joepie.
heel dikke kus en galmende jingle bells van Claire (je vroegere collegaatje)

Posted by: claire on December 30, 2004 12:36 PM
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