Farewell to Peru

After almost 6 weeks I have moved on from Peru.It's not that there are no more sights to see or thigs to do in Peru - far from it - but time is moving on and I am starting to make calculations about how much time I have left before I am expected to play hockey in Rosario, Argentina.

So I am now in Copacabana, Bolivia. Like Puno in Peru, the town is on the shore of Lake Titicaca and so at the same height. I won't be leaving the altiplano for a while yet.

First impressions of Bolivia are not positive.

1. At the border I wanted to switch to my British passport. Brits get a longer visa-free stay, but the official insisted that I enter Bolivia on the passport that left Peru. It's not a big deal, but the same fussiness at the Paraguayan border later on could be expensive. NZers need a $50 visa for Paraguay.

2. Copacabana itself is mostly dirty and smelly. This is a tragedy because it occupies a very picturesque spot on the lake. The beach is probably the worst offender, with lots of litter and noxious pongs. And whilst my room in the YHA member hostel is fine, the showers and bathrooms are very dirty. Peru was hardly sterile, but nowhere was nearly as bad as this.

3. Then Internet access is five times as costly as in Peru. It is still cheap, on a world scale, but it was an unwelcome surprise. Peruvian Internet cafes are a global bargain. Still, the equipment I'm using now is at least as good as anything offered in Peru.

On the whole, I enjoyed my time in Peru. Of course their were inconveniences and annoyances, like lukewarm or cold showers (I'm not optimnistic that Bolivia will be much better) and petty swindles like the Internet cafe with a rigged timer and the shoeshine boy who quoted 3 soles and then demanded 20.

And then there were the many kindnesses I received from Peruvians and the deligtful travellers I met along the way.

The plan here is to visit Isla del Sol tomorrow, the alleged birthplace of the Inca empire, and then move on to La Paz.

I am very concious that my blog is well behind. Some days there are just too many other things to do. Thanks to those who have expressed appreciation of the photos. It makes the extra time to add them worthwhile.