All the locals we meet make it clear that we can camp pretty much where we like – and there is no fee. We choose and idyllic sandy beach directly below the incan ruins. For the two days that we are resident, apart from a large population of flying insects, the beach remains deserted.
On the picturesque walk from Copacabana we passed a number of small villages and for a short period we were joined by an elderly gentleman, who was on his way to church. He told us he was a devout christian and follower of El Señor. He didn´t even drink beer when I requested to know his favourite brand (a good bonding mechanism I erroneously thought). ´But surely you drink wine?´, I asked, desperately groping for common ground, pointing out that Jesus turned the water into wine. ´Pocotito, on special occasions´, he smilingly admitted.
We had crossed from the headland to the North of the island on a short and bankrupting boat ride, the local village having a monopoly of this route.
On our short walk to our campsite a local man had popped his head over a hedge and sold us a bunch of bananas at a very reasonable price.
Base Camp
The island is small with no roads. The four main villages are connected by a network of Incan roads the run from Copacaban to the incan temple ruins (remarkably well preserved) in the far north of the island.
Incan Ruins
Hiking SouthOn our final day we trek back to the south, passing a number of tax points along the way - some of these look more official than others. We were told that there are only 2 of these, but in the end we pay thrice, the last one, possibly, trying his luck. In the spirit of international relations I give him the benefit of the doubt.The South of the island is overrun with tourists and has a completely different character to the North. We eventually manage to get on a cheap (and severly overloaded) ferry back.Negotiating A Drink
