The GRANDE Family Holiday - Bolivia

On the 4th of Jan we had an incredibly early morning start to cross the border into Bolivia. We stopped in a few different places to see more Inca ruins and churches but by this point i was a little tired and just wanted to nap.

We stopped and saw yet another cathedral at Copacabana just near Lake Titicaca. Inside the cathedral was a statue of the dark virgin Mary but also there was a section where you could pray for your loved ones it was a section off the church where there were heaps of people crowded in with candles. They were all lighting their candles and sticking them in trays on wax, if you candle falls it is bad luck. Outside there were lots of stalls with what looked like games and toys but they are used as prayer offerings, if you want a new car you buy a toy one and pray for it and it will come true.

After our stops we took a catamaran across the lake which was great. It is HUGE! We stopped at one of the larger islands and looked at the museum and garden they had there. We saw how the natives lived and worked the land as well as the different plants they used and still do for different remedies.

After the catamaran we took a reed boat to one of the other islands to catch our catamaran back. The reed boat is an example of what they used to use. Dad had a go at rowing from the front and even put on the traditional outfit, very cool.

We returned to the Catamaran and took it to the other side of the lake which took most of the afternoon. Being a teen i slept most of the way as i had to regain energy from such an early morning but i did see some of the sights of the lake and it was very nice.

We then had a bus transfer to the city of La Paz. It was supposed to only be 2 hours but in the end took 3 to 4 as there was a protest on the roads and the people had blocked all the main roads into La Paz so we had to take back roads for a long time. By the time we arrived at the hotel we were all tired and hungry.

The next morning we had another city tour!!! Very fun and exciting we saw the main square which included a cathedral (we were very surprised) but it was not too bad. We also visited a national park with a landscape that resembled the moon, the ground was made out of a type of sand. Unfortunately it was raining so we couldn't walk all around the park but we went to an artists place instead and learnt all about the politics of Bolivia and a bit of history as well. We also took a turn around the markets and met up with some Kiwis and had lunch which we now believe led to us all getting tummy bugs later.....