August 31, 2013 - Peru to Bolivia
We caught the bus from Puno to Copacabana. Just before Copacabana we had to cross the border from Peru to La Paz. Now, Bolivia makes it more difficult for Americans to get in than most other countries. They call it "reciprocal".
Visa Fee: $135US, valid for 90 days a year for 5 years
Have to fill out extra paperwork, have a photo copy of your passport, a bank statement, proof of hotel reservation, and a photo of yourself. This is just for Americans. Everyone else is free and only needs a stamp.
Exchange Rate: 6.9 Bolivianos = 1USD
Even with all my research I did not know that we needed a copy of our passport to turn into the officials. We quickly had to run across the street and pay 1B to get a copy made and then run back. Thankfully the guy gave us 2B to buy the copies because we had no local currency at that point. He had to check all our paperwork and all our dollar bills for authenticity. The bills also had to be just about perfect with out rips or tears. Poor Brittney had several bills that the guy would not accept and it took time to finally get us both paid up and stamped into the country. I exited the office first to see our bus pull off and start driving AWAY! I yelled and started running with my small luggage and fortunately got the driver to stop for us to board. After another 15 minutes in the bus we stopped in the town of Copacabana. We had an hour to grab some lunch and look around a little before catching the next bus to La Paz.
It was meant to be a quick ride from Copacabana to La Paz but for some reason it wasnt quick at all. The bus had to do a lot of off roading on very uneven terrain. A couple of times a guy had to get our and help direct the bus over humps or around rocks. It was crazy and at times laughable at what we were having to drive over in the huge bus. THEN, all of a sudden we come to a complete stop and the bus driver says we have to purchase a ferry ticket across a thin part of the lake. Its a 2B ferry ride in a small boat with about 15 people. Easy. Or so we thought. In line with the rest of the events of the day the boat motors stops about 20 yards from the other side. The driver has to remove the motor cover and fiddle with some things and then pull the starter rope several times but we get going again and hop off on the dock. The bus takes its own, larger, ferry then picks us back up and we continue on our way.
We arrive in La Paz just a few hours late and head to Loki hostel. Our beds for the night. The elevation of La Paz is around 4000m. We immediately notice this as its tough to breathe and we tire quickly.
We caught the bus from Puno to Copacabana. Just before Copacabana we had to cross the border from Peru to La Paz. Now, Bolivia makes it more difficult for Americans to get in than most other countries. They call it "reciprocal".
Visa Fee: $135US, valid for 90 days a year for 5 years
Have to fill out extra paperwork, have a photo copy of your passport, a bank statement, proof of hotel reservation, and a photo of yourself. This is just for Americans. Everyone else is free and only needs a stamp.
Exchange Rate: 6.9 Bolivianos = 1USD
Even with all my research I did not know that we needed a copy of our passport to turn into the officials. We quickly had to run across the street and pay 1B to get a copy made and then run back. Thankfully the guy gave us 2B to buy the copies because we had no local currency at that point. He had to check all our paperwork and all our dollar bills for authenticity. The bills also had to be just about perfect with out rips or tears. Poor Brittney had several bills that the guy would not accept and it took time to finally get us both paid up and stamped into the country. I exited the office first to see our bus pull off and start driving AWAY! I yelled and started running with my small luggage and fortunately got the driver to stop for us to board. After another 15 minutes in the bus we stopped in the town of Copacabana. We had an hour to grab some lunch and look around a little before catching the next bus to La Paz.
It was meant to be a quick ride from Copacabana to La Paz but for some reason it wasnt quick at all. The bus had to do a lot of off roading on very uneven terrain. A couple of times a guy had to get our and help direct the bus over humps or around rocks. It was crazy and at times laughable at what we were having to drive over in the huge bus. THEN, all of a sudden we come to a complete stop and the bus driver says we have to purchase a ferry ticket across a thin part of the lake. Its a 2B ferry ride in a small boat with about 15 people. Easy. Or so we thought. In line with the rest of the events of the day the boat motors stops about 20 yards from the other side. The driver has to remove the motor cover and fiddle with some things and then pull the starter rope several times but we get going again and hop off on the dock. The bus takes its own, larger, ferry then picks us back up and we continue on our way.
We arrive in La Paz just a few hours late and head to Loki hostel. Our beds for the night. The elevation of La Paz is around 4000m. We immediately notice this as its tough to breathe and we tire quickly.
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