On the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca, the town of Copacabana is where the locals come to play. And play they do, on jet skis, paddle boats, kayaks, and boats of all sorts and sizes. 
Away from the lakeshore the town’s people get on with the business of making a living; selling their produce,
their services as guides, or tickets to La Paz —a four hour bus trip away.
We added Copacabana to our trip after chatting to other travellers, people we met in the heart of the Ecuadorian jungle — more about that another time. “It’s off the beaten track,” they said, and it is.
This is the town square — cacti grow well here, as they do all through the Altiplano (the Andean desert highlands of Peru and Bolivia).
The Church in the town square is dedicated to the Virgin of Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. The carved wooden door of the church tells the story of the arrival of Christianity to Bolivia and the history of the construction of the Basilica.
When we arrived in Copacabana time was running out for us. The luxury of fifteen weeks on the road was reduced to the last seven days. John and I were both bemused at how fast the time had gone and yet, for me at least, after weeks in the desert highlands of the Altiplano of Peru and Bolivia I was longing for the blue skies and green hills of home. Even some rain would have been welcome. (I’ve been home just over a week, it’s rained nearly every day – perhaps I should learn to be careful about what I wish for!)
Our travel friends told us to take the time to visit Isla del Sol. You’ll need two or three days to enjoy it they said. The travel guides all say the same thing. We had one day. In my next post I’ll tell you how we squeezed three days in to one!
For more doors on a Thursday visit Norm
Categories: Bolivia, Off-shore Adventures, South America
Jill's Scene 
You must be such excellent travelers – I’m such a homebody I can’t imagine being away for that long, but it’s lots of fun to hear about your trips!
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now those are some glorious doors! curious how you squeezed three days into one….
and i hear that word of mouth is sometimes the best way to find cool spots like Copacabana…
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Word of mouth is the best, Yvette! That door is amazing, isn’t it.
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😊☀️👌It
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Fabulous photos, Jill. I love those names, Titicaca, Copacabana. Love that big beautiful carved door, too.
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Thanks, Jean. Sadly, my photo doesn’t do justice to the door. It was absolutely stunning.
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Bolivia – what a colorful place. Lake “Titicaca” brings me back to high school where we got a chuckle from our childish interpretation for that name. Love the grand carved door.
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Hah —I suppose that name does lend itself to schoolyard chuckles. It’s a stunningly beautiful lake, although not easy to get to.
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So colourful — and that door is magnificent.
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Isn’t it just!! I didn’t have my camera with me that day, and oh how I wish I had.
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Isn’t it so often the way!
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The door is wonderful. The doors are one of my husbands favorite photos when we travel. This one is truly special. Thanks.
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This door is one of many I took during our trip. All through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia I was amazed by the detail in the doors. They make ours here at home seem very plain.
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Fifteen Weeks – wow, I wish we could do that! Bolivia is one of the places where I LOVE the art, because it’s woven into life. The door is gorgeous.
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Hello there, Jesh. You’re right art is woven into life there. In fact it seemed like that to us, all through Ecuador and Peru as well.
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Looks like a totally amazing place, but that door? Oh my that is spectacular! I just love the carvings. Thanks so much for sharing this one 🙂
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Hi Norm, I’m looking forward to sharing more doors from our trip. In fact in Cusco, I took a photo of a totally amazing door. The gentleman next to me did the same thing and said “That door is stunning.” I’ve wondered ever since if he was a Thursday Door follower!! Wish I’d asked him.
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Ooh, what a splendid door! I love it, the story and the carving, just amazing…
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Thanks 🙂
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I love that door. I’m trying to imaging carving a door to tell a story. It sounds like a daunting task. It’s good to catch up with you again. I think I might have missed a stop, I’ve been on the road a bunch lately (nothing as exciting as your trip) so don’t worry if you get some comments, out of order.
I love the pictures today, they are colorful and full of life. I hope you are continuing to enjoy your extensive journey. I would be profoundly homesick by now, but I’m enjoying the vicarious vacation (virtually) at your side.
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Hi Dan, We did some incredible things, saw some amazing sights, met some wonderful people on this trip but it’s very good to be home. But the the wifi was often very erratic. It made me realise just how fast our fibre based Wifi at home is! I’m enjoying catching up with the blogosphere now that I’ve got access to it again.
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Welcome home! I look forward to you filling in some of the blanks.
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That church door is wonderful and I love how colorful things are. The town square is impressive as well.
janet
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I just wish I could have stayed there for longer! At that altitude it’s impossible to rush around seeing the sights.
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