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Copacabana, a peaceful little town on the Bolivian shores of Lago Titicaca. Not when we were there! Festival of the Virgen of Copacabana, thousands of Peruvian pilgrims invade to make the pilgrimage up to the Virgen on the hill on the northern edge of town. Mental. A cross between a music festival and the slums of Calcutta. We entered in to the spirit wholeheartedly as we paraded around the square with the elaborately skirted women and bemasked men to the beat of the drummers and call of the trumpets.
Up we climbed to the epicentre of the pilgrimage paying our dues to Pacha Mama with rocks placed on the crosses as we climbed the hill, we marvelled at the pilgrims carrying their shops, trucks, houses, cars, frogs (?), exam papers to the top to be blessed for good luck (all models of course) being doused with shamen sprayed Huari beer along the way.
An afternooon stroll was in order along the lake shore to shrug off the blue tarpaulin shaded, fried offal smell of the morning madness. Think Costa del Sol without the hygiene and swan shapped pedlos whilst faux priests splash holy water on the gaudily garlanded cars, taxis and trucks. Bad pizza and fatigue meant an early bed was in order .
Bouyed by the thought of another days festivities we sprung from our bed. Soon deflated by drunks urinating outide the hostal at 9am, a norm for a street corner at this time of year. Nevertheless we booked our trip to the Isla del Sol and relaxed into an orange juice or two. This was not enough and spiritual calm needed to be sought so off to the Cathederal we went to seek solace from the Virgen herself. Mecca on a bad day! After witnessing an epileptic fit and being pinned a few too many times we forced our way to the nearest beer garden only to find Beelzebub waiting. "Alright Jack?", "Yeah, cool few beers later then?"
Isla del Sol never happened! The human crap stained shore and stench of stale beer forced us onto Peru the next day, begging the bus office to change our ticket through a head still full of Cubre Libres.
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