Bolivia’s Fiestas Patrias
While in Copacabana, we also got a chance to see one of Bolivia's many Independence Day parades. We were particularly amused by the children's costumes: boys in full-fledged camouflaged military uniforms with plastic guns, girls in cholita skirts, scarves and hats or in nurses' uniforms, boys and girls in traditional carnival-type costumes, and even some special characters like a little Bolivar on a white pony.
La Virgen de Copacabana
The weekend we arrived in Copacabana happened to coincide with the beginning of a festival dedicated to the Virgin of Candelaria, when pilgrims flock the town during the week of Bolivia's independence day. Somewhat strangely, this lady is particularly popular with Peruvians, and hundreds and hundreds of them cross the border to come ask her for favors and/or thank her for prayers granted each year.
Copacabana
No, we did not decide to forget about the Inca and turn around to go laze on the beach in Brazil; Copacabana also happens to be the name of the main resort town on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. After fighting our way through “real Bolivia” for a few weeks, we decided we were going to stick to the “gringo trail” for a while, and mega-famous Lake Titicaca looked like the right destination to avoid getting off the beaten path. We even left La Paz on a tourist bus with pickup service from our hostel, for the first time since Antigua, 8 months ago already!