The beginning of Bolivia

arrived safe and sound in bolivia!! got a 7 hour bus from peru (but with fold back chairs) and then a two hour stopover in puno (peru) and then back on the bus til the bolivian border.. it was slightly nervy but actually everything was easy as pie.. everyone (mostly all backpackers) got off the bus at the border, went thrughh customs and the like and walked another 300 metres across the border and then back on our original bus! not much had changed in those 300 metres, except that everything went down in price by 75 per cent, the roads looked a little more sandy and people were more reluctant to speak english! (which i was delighted about!) arrived in copacabana, on the bolivian side of lake titicaca, which was unreal. the lake looks like the sea it is so big, and evryone is out on the streets down to the port selling their trips to isla del sol or isla de la luna..decided we would do the isla without a tour this time..as needed some total chillout time! .had a hamburger and chips plus a glass of vino blanco for about 3 euro, and i think that was a pretty pricey restauarnt. and stayed the nite in a nice hostal with a view of the lake and then off to the isla del sol the next day...

stayed on isla del sol for 2 nites...prob one of the most beautuful tranquil place we have ever been (except for sometmes walking in leenane or kerry which can sometimes be similarly beautiful) but the sun adds the extra bit of happiness to it!It was probably helped by tthe fact that it wasn´t tourist season on the island either so there wern´t that many backpackers wandering about. Our hostal was right on the top of the island and looked out on the most incredable view..spent most of day one sitting out on our balcony reading and soaking up the incredable atmosphere and views..
.went for a walk on day two and ended stopping at a small village community off the beaten track..although originally our intention was just to get water here it turned out that the village was not engaged whatsoever with the tourism on the island, there were no shops or signs of anything from our last village Yumani, (like local ladies selling scarfs and twix bars).  We walked through the village, and reached the lake and went for a swim.  met 2 bolivian kids there, two sisters of nine and 4 who were playing on the beach. After about 20 mins a teenage boy who had been watching the whole thing decided to be brave enough to come and chat with us. isnt it gas that children are the same everywhere, and so little of their communication is through language..(whcih i learnt alot in belarus when i obviously cudnt speak the language but really so true).sat on the beach picking out the red stones with the kids and tried to throw them in the water to make ripples..think they couldn´t really get over our white skin, and when I say ``our´` white skin i mean ´mine`` seeing as ciara is getting the colour of her life!  its was such an odd situation, sitting chatting out in the middle of nowhere with these local kids in their element.. they had no clue where ireland is...europe is a push!and the teenage boy persisted to ask me was it hot or cold in ireland..we told him we had lots of rain..he told us they did not... it really was one of those moments you remember forever