I was quite glad at the prospect of leaving Puno. Based on my previous experiences we had already seen the best bits of Peru and I was looking forward to new experiences from La Paz onwards. We enjoyed a relatively short bus ride to the boarder of Bolivia. Upon arrival at the boarder we exchanged our Solas for Bolivianos and began the confusing process of entering different offices to get our passports stamped. The Bolivian authorities seemed a lot friendlier this time than in 2006 making jokes and small talk. All stamped and ready to go we boarded the bus for a second time, we were off to Copa, Copacabana, with music and laughter and something and something, da da, do do do da da... etc etc.

It was the usual mad scramble to fetch our bags from the rear of the bus. Ju had sourced a small hotel on the water front which cost around £17 for a double. The complex seemed empty and the standard of accommodation was what we had come to expect. Our room was basic with sockets taped up and a toilet which let out a nasty smell, much to Ju's disgust. At least we had a good view of the lake and the beach below. I was feeling pretty tired and cranky today - the Malarone has been giving me vivid dreams and as usual the altitude still wakes you in the night with a dry mouth and blocked nose. Ju was feeling better today which was a relief. It was her turn to carry me!

We decided to go on a short walk along the beach and soak up the atmosphere along the way. Copacabana is set in a pretty location overlooking the lake. We sat and watched the boats bob up and down on the waves. We saw ducks swimming around and the odd boat fishing. The sun was high and provided warmth against the cool breeze which blew in across the lake. Copacabana isn't just a tourist hotspot it's also a weekend getaway for families from La Paz. We saw women in traditional dress sporting their little top hats sat on the beach in groups as children played and husbands drank. A few groups huddled by their vehicles drinking and eating listening to loud music. The cars were decorated with flowers and at first I thought it may have been to do with a wedding, but this was not the case as every vehicle was adorned with the national flower. The setting couldn't have been more perfect - we'll that's not strictly true. The ambiance was shattered by Ju pointing out that a local male from one of the groups was taking a slash on the beach. We had tried to ignore the litter, broken glass and the odd pile of dog poo on the beach. To top it all we saw two Bolivian women in traditional dress squat down next to a swan pedalo to answer the call of nature - if needs must I thought! We chuckled to ourselves and tried to apply logic to the situation - but we couldn't. Travelling opens your eyes to the world and it makes you appreciate the standards we have back home, even though at times there seems like there's too many rules. We later sat and took in a beautiful sunset as we leisurely walked into town to grab bite to eat.

We found a cracking little restaurant on the main high street, it's walls and ceilings decorated with jetsm and flotsam. The owner was a sweet gentle man that spoke with a quiet voice. I ordered a Mexican Taco dish whilst Ju ordered a Buritto. The food was delicious - probably one of the best dishes I have had in South America. We were later joined by an Australian couple called Bernie and Claire who we had met on the bus earlier in the day. As the restaurant filled I watched the owner multi task, waiting tables, cooking the food, and humouring the guests whilst maintaining the same well rehearsed steady tempo. His gentle manner was a source of inspiration as I sipped on my Bolivian beer. I later enjoyed a few games of solitaire on the laptop before turning in for the night.

One thing I had failed to mentioned in my earlier blogs from Puerto Maldonado was that damp had got into my Tamron lense whilst we were in the jungle. The auto focus was working on an intermittent basis. I still managed to use the lense by manually focusing which actually helped when taking shots of insects. Autofocus doesn't always necessarily focus on what you want. This is only apparent when you return home to look at the shots on the laptop and zoom in accessing the detail. Luckily the D80 and standard lense are fine. Unfortunately my tripod has taken a bash in transit as well breaking the threads which join the housing to the legs. I will have to do some tests when we get time to see if it will support the heavy D80 body and lense - if not I will have to bin it. Oh well, it gives me an excuse to buy a new one!