Copacabana

The second South American country I visited in 1999 was Bolivia. Landlocked and high in the Andes, the parts I saw were not as varied as Peru. But Bolivia was still quite surprising. Thinking back I still smile at the idea that I spent all my time in this country over 3800m, which is higher than most of the Alpine mountains I have climbed! I entered Bolivia from Peru and travelled south down the coast of Lake Titicaca to La Paz. I was in the country for about a week before I returned north to Peru.

I spent my first two nights in Bolivia in the town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titcaca. Despite the name its not a huge party town (we had trouble getting beer here after 10pm!) Its better known as a pilgrimage centre and has a large Cathedral. But its also a home to the Bolivian Navy.

To Bolivians the town is best known for its Cathedral. It looks a little unusual at first to see a Moorish style building such as this instead of the more traditional colonial hispanic churches.

This is the doorway to the Cathedral courtyard, facing out onto Copacabana's market square.

Pilgrims travel to the Catheddral to see the miraculous statue of the Virgin of Copacabana. This was carved from the wood of a maguey cactus in 1580 and is in a case above the alter.