Day 11: Sun Island to La Paz

Mood: Sleepy
Music: Various

Today was another early start, this time entirely of my own doing. Following my failure to capture a nice sunset from Sun Island over Lake Titcaca due to the rain clouds to the West, I decided I'd try to get a sun rise instead. Although I was woken several times during the night due to the awesomely heavy rain I still got up and out at just past 6am to attempt to see the sunrise. Sadly for me all I could see in that direction were the same group of rain clouds that had obscured the sunset and delivered such heavy rain overnight. I took a single photo in the low light and headed back to bed for a couple of hours.

After breakfast I walked up the hill a bit to one of the two internet cafes on the island (with 3 and 2 pcs respectively) in order to add yesterday's blog entry, only to find them both broken. Apparently the phone lines to the island weren't working that day so t'interweb was down too.

I spent the morning chatting to the other guests before being ushered down the hill, past the fountain of eternal youth, to the restaurant for lunch. After this we got back onto the hydrofoil and were met by a bus on the south edge of the main lake. This took us to another hotel on the south of the little lake where we saw a small museum of local culture and history. There was also a exhibition of the reed boats built in order to cross the ocean, including a scale replica (albeit 2m shorter) of the one that crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Rolf is pictured in a little one of these reed boats.

We then proceeded through El Alto to the city of La Paz itself. The photos on picasa show the view of La Paz as you enter it. The whole city is in a large geographical bowl.

This evening I went out of my hotel and managed to find myself a replacement lens cap for the one I lost on the train. After that I walked across town in an attempt to find a restaurant that was recommended by the travel company I'm here with. I have to say, I'm liking it here already... A 3 course meal in a nice restaurant with a cocktail and a glass of wine, listening to piano music being played in front of me, came to a whopping £14. The currency seems to be a little weak at the moment!

Time for bed for me. Night all.