I met my family in La Paz airport. They got in a little late, so we didn´t make the last bus to Lake Titicaca, so we decided to spend the night at a hotel in La Paz and see a bit of the city. We got a double and a triple for super cheap, all 5 of us kids in the triple and my parents in the double, that was really fun! We went to San Francisco church for Christmas Mass together, it was HUGE and their nativity was awesome, however, this is when people started feeling altitude sick. Scot was already a little sick before the trip as well. We all made it at least through communion, except for Robert and my mom. After walking a bit through the market, back to the hotel just my dad, katrina and I went to dinner. We found a pizza place close by and brought some back for the sick. the next morning we had some breakfast and then went to the bus station to make our way to Copacabana.
What was supposed to be 3 hours, was actually 4. The problem with the roads here in bolivia, especially in the mountaineous areas, is that the main ones actually are paved but they wind around diff. parts of the lake and around the mountains so things take a bit longer. About an hour from Copacabana, we had to cross part of the Lake on a boat. We didn´t know why everyone got off, so we stayed on the bus and were a little worried if we would make it or not..huge bus on little barco...hm..well turns out everyone else went on a seperate barco across to meet the bus...prob. because it´s a little safer, afterthought. . . we´ll have to remember that on the way back. We found a hotel, dropped off our stuff, and see the sites! Us sisters climbed calvario to see the best view of the city and the water. it was gorgeous and there were stations of the corss all the way up. The top is where their virgin appeared. We got mom and dad, had a little lunch while the boys rested and dad went back to rest. Threw a bunch of coca tea down their throats and i got a few meds to help while the girls continued to trot around the town.
The city was beautiful, we saw Incan ruins and later Mom, Victoria and I climbed el horca del Inca, it was huge! On the way back we stopped by the big San Francisco church there (yes St. Francis is EVERYWHERE in Bolivia), it was really pretty as well and went back to the hotel while shopping a bit and hiding from the rain when we could. I went with Scot to get dinner, as we found him and kat playing checkers in the lobby. we had a nice chat and even saw pics of this great Incan bathrooms nearby copacabana, but never made it over there. Darn haha. that would have made my trip.
The next morning, we had a nice breakfast. They even gave us pancake (rare), cereal (also rare ish), yogurt and eggs and bread with marmalade and of course, coca tea I think we lived on that stuff our whole stay in La Paz area. It is sup. to help with altitutude stuff as well and perk you up just a bit. not addictive no worries. . . us girls took a boat to Isla del Sol and saw an Fuente de Incas (fountain of youth of sorts), an Incan temple, gardens, and some lovely sights on the boat. We sat on top and had a nice chat with two french guys who are doing a 3 month South American tour since they finished their studies. mom also made a friend with a familiy from santa cruz. Then we walked the beach and got ready to go back on the bus to La Paz. I wished we had more time on the island, but we still had a lot of fun and the bus ride back was only 3 hours, so despite me vomiting up my snack in the back of the bus, it was a nice ride.
Turns out I left my backpack on the bus, Tell me why I Held on to my back of vomit until we got to the airport, but somehow did not notice I left my bag until like almost 30 min. later!! UGH
so Katrina and I went straight from airport (when i realized it) to a taxi to find the bus at it´s next stop in the city. Offices were closed and it was getting a little late by now so after we circle the area a bit and see many buses of the same company but not the right one, we eventually randomly find this guy. We show this man the picture of our bus and turns out he knows the driver, so he gets in the cab and takes us to his house...i´m like is this safe? What´s going on? But we finally make it up this hill in a sketch part of town and see the bus, the right numbers and everything and the driver is about to leave. I run out and knock on the door and run to the very back and find my backpack! So we hurry back to the airport and end up waiting a bit to check in, thinking we still have plenty of time WRONG!! For some reason in my head I think the flight is later. i´m an idiot, so I plead with the people at BOA and we are allowed on the 8:10 flight to Coch. Turns out that my little backpack had nothing important in it, but clothes because everything else I had put in my main backpack, everything replaceable and why my family didn´t check in while I was gone, i dunno i was going to tell them to. DOUBLE UGH! I was more upset than any of them because I bought the tix, arranged this part of the trip, I am an adult and wanted to be responsible, plus i am the translator and it was all very frustrating and all my fault. We had to call Hermana to tell her not to get us and we miss a great welcome to coch, have to spend money on a hotel that is guaranteed to have hot water for my dad and a good breakfast. Things take longer in bolivia, you should always doublecheck your stuff, you should let everyone in on the plans ahead of time (which I was doing a good job of, except for the flight bc in my head the time I knew was wrong)! No one else complained, we met a lot of taxi drivers haha and we had a nice night in the hotel and a nice BIG buffet breakfast early enough for us to eat, not be too rushed and our cab drivers even said they´d come get us in the morning so it was all taken care of!
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