On the Wednesday morning as we left La Paz, both Karl and Zoe were slightly feeling the effects of the splendid Bolivian cuisine, but decided to grim and bear the 3 hour bus journey (wow, what a doddle!) to Copacabana, on the shore of Lake Titicaca. Given the way we were feeling, we decided to "splurge" and treat ourselves to a really nice hotel room overlooking the lake, complete with hammocks and all! Given that a splurge in Bolivia still only means about 4 quid a night (for a room with private bathroom and kitchen!), it was hardly breaking the bank! After getting settled, a chillin out day was in order and so we left Karl in bed and caught some rays whilst swinging in a hammock, before Zoe and I headed out for a romantic meal for two, seen as Ballard was still being a wretch. Thursday morning was yet another early start as we caught a boat over to the Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) for a day of trekking in the glorious sunshine and seeing the various archaeological sites, before finding a lovely little hostel to stay over on the island in. It was a nice enough day until just after watching the sun go down from the balcony, out of nowhere a serious case of the squits came over me. Without going into any of the very gorey details, a disruptive night was followed in the morning by a grueling 2 hour return boat trip spent clentching as hard as I could! Thankfully I made it without any mishaps, and the rest of the day was spent in bed recouperating, although to this day I'm still not 100% - damn Bolivian tummy! Despite my state, my commitment did not wane 7am on Saturday morning as I dragged myself out of bed to find a place to watch United v Chelsea. After being let down by somewhere that said they had it, I spent an hour aimlessly wandering around town, but to no avail and so returned to my pit for some much needed rest (which maybe was a good thing given the result!). Copacabana is far from a party place, but Saturday afternoon was the start of the yearly festival of gold and was probably as much of a party as you get there! A day of street parades (and drinking) was then followed by a big party on the hillside where there was a really good atmosphere, and we got talking and dancing with some locals. My "condition" meant that I was tee total, which in turn meant that I had to turn Daddy and look after Ballard after he reached the point of complete and utter aneabreation. Onwards to Peru, I leave behind a country that despite the food and altitude, quite possibly has the friendliest people that I have met so far. Given how poor a lot of them are and how rich I must therefore seem to them, I think a lot of people could do a lot worse than look and learn from the hospitality and kind nature that they show, and that is something I will miss. Jonny