Just a few hours from Puno we cross the border into Bolivia. It isn’t much of a border really, just a couple of offices to go through, few meters to walk under an arch and there you are! About 8 km down towards the lake is the small village of Copacabana, where we need to spend a couple of hours waiting for the bus to La Paz. The village is a crazy fake holiday street: plenty of bars and restaurants all in the hippy mood. Many Europeans are actually spending time here working in the bars and trying to sell some hand made stuff. But just a few blocks away the real Copacabana pops up, with the usual main plaza and the streets markets.

Just few minutes after leaving Copacabana, the route takes a crossing of the lake at its narrowest point, from San Pedro de Tiquina to San Pablo de Tiquina. The buses and other vehicles are transported on some floating panels while the passengers take a 5 minute boat ride!

After 3 more hours we are in the outskirt of the highest capital in the world, with an impressive 3650 meters above sea level. Coming from even higher, we don’t really feel any discomfort, a part from the incredible pollution in the air. I really don’t know how people can breath this air all day long all  their lives! The view entering the city is stunning: a deep valley full of houses, as many as it is possible to pack in a limited amount of space. Outside the valley the mountain group with Illimani, which is considered the guardian of the city, is dominating the scene. Only the city center is relatively rich, here you can see some nice parks and some more modern skyscrapers. Fortunately there are many Miradores from where it’s possible to admire the whole city, from the more modest houses in the back towards downtown.

The climate is more or less the same as we’ve had the last week or so, frying hot in the day and chilly during the night. I therefore decided to purchase some good Bolivian socks for the worst moments of this trip! Ok, they don’t really fit with my shoes, neither with my pants, but they are very warm and comfortable!