Good morning!
Good morning everyone.
It's bright and early today.
We're here at Copacabana and this is the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca.
We are going to an island called Isla del Sol which is the island of the sun.
And we almost didn't think we'd be able to go today.
We woke up and there is thunder and lightening.
There was all kinds of rain.
It was pouring.
It was pouring outside but it has really cleared up now and we're excited to see if we can
take the trip today.
So the island is somewhere off in the distance over there.
So we have just arrived in Isla del Sol and the sun came out just in time.
Now we're going to go visit some ruins and then we're planning to hike from the north
end of the island to the south end.
The first thing that struck us about Isla del Sol were the landscapes.
We had to climb some pretty steep inclines to reach the top of the island but once we
did we got some incredible views of our surroundings.
We also enjoyed making friends with lots of animals along the way including sleepy pigs
basking in the sunshine and a mix of horses and donkeys.
While we enjoyed our day trip to Isla del Sol we did feel our visit was a bit rushed.
We managed to walk the length of the island but we only made it back on the boat with
10 minutes to spare.
Crossing the island takes a lot longer than tour operators let on so if you really want
to visit and you don't mind a remote setting you may want to consider spending a night
or two on Isla del Sol.
So hello from Copacabana.
Hello!
We're not in the famed beach from Rio de Janeiro this is actually a small little town on the
Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca and we've been spending the past 5 days here.
Yeah.
Just relaxing, getting some rest and we actually left the vlogging until the very last day.
I know, unfortunately it is a rainy day.
Today is very overcast.
What can you do.
We're going to go out there and you show you the town anyway.
Yep.
Right here is the main drag of town.
You're going to find your restaurants, bars and live entertainment.
And lots of hippies.
(Live Music)
So we seemed to have found a little food market in here.
Do you want to lead us in?
Yeah, and I overlooked this place before.
Like I've been wandering around here for several days and I didn't even notice this place so
this is a hidden gem on our final day here in Copacabana.
If there is one meal that you absolutely must try when you visit Copacabana and that is
rainbow trout fished straight out of Lake Titicaca over there.
So you could choose an ordinary restaurant to have trout but where are we instead?
Yeah, we're along the boardwalk and there are a gazillion restaurants literally lined
along here.
There actually not even restaurants.
They are more like little stands.
Yeah, exactly.
Just like what you're seeing here.
Tarp walls.
And honestly we don't know where to go we just walked by a whole bunch of them and decided
okay let's pick the last one why don't we go there.
Yeah.
The food has arrived.
So if you look down at our plate here is our rainbow trout.
And we have some French Fries, we have a bit of salad and over on this side there is some
rice.
So it seems like a well balanced meal, right?
Yeah, the trout looks good.
I'm ready to dig into that.
Yeah.
So this is the first bite.
So what is this called locally?
Trucha.
We'll see.
You know South American trout reminds me a lot of salmon.
It's like the same color.
It has a really similar flavor.
It is just a smaller fish but it is really nice.
You know just grilled, very simple recipe, a little bit of lemon drizzled on top and
it is perfect.
Perfecto!
Hmmm.
So some of the restaurants in Copacabana are really hit and miss.
Some of them really cater towards backpackers.
We've honestly had some of our worst meals in a long time here.
You had that what the runny spaghetti.
Oh, yes.
But you know what trout is one dish that has not been messed up.
That is the exact point I wanted to make.
Trout has been awesome everywhere we've had it so I have high expectations for my trout
over here.
Always order the specialty.
Yes, order the local specialty.
That is our travel tip of the day.
Mmmm.
That is good.
That is so good.
Melt in your mouth good.
Really really tasty.
I grew up on Vancouver Island eating a lot of fish so I know what good quality fish tastes
like and this is excellent.
Oh, so he's a connoisseur all of a sudden.
A little bit of a fish snob.
So this is a very unusual dining location, is it not?
Yeah, we've got packs of stray dogs and we have teenagers hanging out on their motorbikes
and trying to act cool.
Yes, and we're breathing all of the fumes from their bikes.
Over there.
That's our side dish.
Alright, pup.
You want fish?
Fish skin?
This one is not interested.
This one doesn't like fish skin.
How about you friend?
Do you like fish?
Fish.
Yes, good boy.
Good boy.
Final thoughts?
Final thoughts.
Well, you know what.
The fish was pretty good.
I have to say the rice was a little bit bland.
It wasn't really seasoned.
The salad was okay.
It was just lettuce and tomatoes and then we had some greasy fries.
But I'd say the fish was the star of the meal and it is very budget friendly lunch.
We only paid 25 Bolivianos which you do the conversion.
That's just like over three dollars.
Over three dollars.
There you go.
Not bad at all.
So we just finished our meal.
Now it is time to go paddle boat riding because we're all about cheesy adventure activities.
Maybe we can get one that looks like a swan or a duck.
It'll be fun.
Yeah, let's do it.
Check out our sweet ride.
We are riding a swan around Lake Titicaca for 15 Bolivianos.
That'll get you thirty minutes on this little boat.
And honestly it is kind of an old boat and it doesn't steer very well.
So I don't know if we're going to like bump into something or crash or drown.
We forgot to ask for life jackets as well.
Whoops.
But it is shallow.
Relatively shallow, right?
So like we mentioned at the start of our vlog we haven't really been doing a whole lot in
Copacabana.
We've just been resting and relaxing and the highlight has actually been our accommodations.
We're staying at a pretty cool place called Las Olas where they have like these weird
cottages some of them look like tree houses, some of them are like little spirals and they
have domes and I don't know.
It just looks like this fantasy land so we're going to take you up and show you our cottage.
Yes, and we have some amazing views as well.
We do.
Great sunset views.
Another bonus!
Oh, cat.
So this has been our home for the past five days.
Our humble abode, right there.
Yeah, and we get hammocks and we have a pretty cool view of Copacabana.
So here we are just swaying on the hammocks.
Yep.
What are your final impressions of Copacabana since we're leaving tomorrow?
Well, Copacabana was everything we wanted it to be basically.
We had been hiking in Machu Picchu, you know hiking the Inca Trail and then we really had
a busy hiking tour while we were visiting Lake Titicaca on the Peruvian side.
So we just wanted to come to a place that was really chill, that had a kind of a relaxed
vibe and that was affordable.
And Copacabana checked off all three of those boxes.
And how about you Miss Audrey?
Miss Audrey.
What is the question?
The question is what are you final thoughts on your time here in Copacabana?
Final thoughts?
I also agree, this is a great place to relax because there isn't a whole lot to do here.
I mean aside from wandering the town and maybe taking a side trip to Isla del Sol.
So yeah, a great place to just rest and soak in the sunshine.
The only tip that I will share is there are so many hippies here and they love having
their drum and guitar circles right at bedtime.
So like sometimes you wake-up at 2, 3, 4 in the morning and you can still here them going.
So maybe choose a place that is like away from the beach.
Or pack your ear plugs.
Yeah, there you go.