Now in La Paz (approx 3700m above sea level) where we´ve got a few days to do as we feel. Options in this lively city include city tours, walks around the mountains outside of La Paz, witches markets, San Pedro jail, Coco leaf museum and just walking around La Paz itself (breathless of course… not because of the sights but due to the altitude; although we´re now vaguely acclimatised to the altitude after our stint around Lake Titicaca, being on the 4th floor of our hotel is still a good one to make sure your heart and lungs are still working!).
So, with so much to do I figured now would be as good a time as any to organise another case of the usual TD (traveller´s diarrheoa). Fun and games. Apart from the usual things you miss about home (showers that are hot, showers that drain, supermarkets, fridges, English programs on TV, ie the usual things…), I´m looking forward to once again getting sick for a reason (such as after eating Harry´s cooking perhaps), rather some random circumstance (which I obviously haven´t worked out yet 
). Maybe it´s just nature telling me to slow down and bore people wth this blog.
Anyway, this was just day 1 (feelng much better now) so hopefully I´ll have something slightly more interesting to report over the next few days
Isla Del Sol is an island in Lake Titicaca a few hours boat ride from Copacabana. Apart from some ruins, the birthplace of the sun itself (according to locals) and more Puma shaped rocks (according to same locals), I found it´s main draw card to be the scenery.
It sounds pretty cool with some of the “mountains” on the island being over 4000m above sealevel, but of course it´s easy to forget the lake is at 3800m give or take, reducing these mountains to some pretty easy going hills and making the walk we did around it pretty straightforward. Still, nice scenery and nice not to have to deal with the neverending stairs we grew accustomed on on the Inca Trail.
After a moderately painfree crossing into Bolivia we found ourselves in Copacabana, a small town on Lake Titicaca. Far more quaint and scenic than Puno, but no reed. Very disappointing (lack of reed, not Copacabana). Not so disappointing are the Bolivian prices though. OMG, it´s sooooo cheap here. Had a massive piece of trout (size of a small plate), cooked to perfection the other night. Damage: USD4. Not bad. Although apparently Chile is not as kind. Will have to make the most of it while it lasts.
Update on Bolivian political situation: all still good, so still on track and the expected itinerary change hasn´t quite eventuated
Puno´s main claim to fame are the Silustani Ruins and its vicinity to Uros island in Lake Titicaca (the highest lake in the world I believe at 3810m).
The Silustani Ruins are basically some rocks left over from Inca and pre-Inca times. Moderately interesting but a fair bit of imagination was required for some parts (some Peruvians can see puma´s in just about any rock).
Uros islands were far more interesting though. This is a group of approx 40 islands all made of reed. Lots of reed. All floating a little while off the coast from Puno. Quite a sight, especially when you see all the things one can make out of reed. Boats, huts, watch towers, trinkets, pens for the birds, etc, etc. You can apparently also eat it, although the few out of the group that tried that… well, let´s just say the reed didn´t quite have the dietary impact they were after. Anyway, just about the only things not made out of reed where the solar panels feeding TVs in some of the (reed) huts, but it didn´t detract from the overal setup. Pretty cool even if I did feel like a dirty big tourist again. Almost used to it.