South by South America Tour – Bolivia Part 25
Friday, October 11, 2019
Copacabana, Bolivia
Colorful buildings in Copacabana, Bolivia.
Restaurant sign chaos in Copacabana, Bolivia.
An arch and a dog in Copacabana, Bolivia.
I spent most of my last day in Copacabana—and Bolivia, for that matter—inside the Hotel Utama, catching up on my Photoshopping and blogging duties, only venturing out for food. About an hour before sunset, I decided to try a different route up Cerro Calvario. I had already done the stone steps, and climbed down the rocky south face of the cliff, so I wanted to try the dirt trail that winds its way around the base. Said trail was really scenic, proceeding through a few wooded areas and out into the open, where the dramatic rock facade of Cerro Calvario was on full display. On the way, I burned quite a few calories thanks to several considerable elevation gains and losses as the trail bobbed up and down via hills and stairs.
A fancy garage door in Copacabana, Bolivia.
A trail that snakes around the bottom of Cerro Calvario in Copacabana, Bolivia.
Finally, after a half hour or so, I ended up at a really rustic marina comprised of several ramshackle wooden piers. As two or three vendor ladies toddled around, I continued on my way, past tons of litter scattered all over the ground everywhere. After passing a couple of small homesteads, the established trail effectively ended. All that I could see past that point was a really sketchy, barely visible goat trail that snaked its way down into the rocky shoreline. Since I didn’t have enough daylight to deal with that, I looked up on the rocky hillside of Cerro Calvario, but could spot no trails. So, I decided to climb part way up the face just to see how far I could make it before sunset.
A small marina on the west side of Cerro Calvario in Copacabana, Bolivia.
A pier in front of Cerro Calvario at sunset in Copacabana, Bolivia.
Sunset over Lake Titicaca in Copacabana, Bolivia.
A short while later, I found myself sitting on a big rock about 25% to 30% of the way up Cerro Calvario, when I realized there was no way I’d ever make it all the way to the top before sunset, so I climbed back down. By the time I reached the bottom, the ladies were gone and I was the only one around, save for a lone sea gull resting on the post of an old wooden pier. It was very serene watching the sun set over the placid waters of Lake Titicaca from there. As dusk approached, I quickly made my way back to town before dark.
Words and photos ©2019 Arcane Candy.
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