It’s now Christmas Eve and we are now another world away, comfortably settled in the wilds of rural Cumbria for a couple of weeks and we are now in anticipation of our first UK Christmas in 10 years.
If it wasn’t already very obvious, we have had an absolute blast during our month in SA. We have met some fabulous people along the way and have had many memorable moments (OK – and a few low ones too!), only some of which made it to the blog.
Listed below are a few stats about our trip and a summary of highlights. Thanks to everyone for reading about our adventures and merry Christmas and a happy and healthy 2008 to all our amigos.
Jackie
XX
Trip statistics:
No. of beds slept in: 18 (+ 4 overnight buses!)
No. of airlines flown on: 7
No. of actual flying hours (by the time we get home): 106
No. of times Ben wasn’t served last in a restaurant: 3
No. of times Ben didn’t order Italian or Mexican food: 0
No. of times Mum told ‘los chicos’ that one day they would look back on this and laugh/appreciate it: off the scale
No. of McDonald restaurants seen in South America: 1
Top 3 highlights:
Jackie: Machu Picchu, Salar de Uyuni, Lake Titicaca
Bruce: ‘Spending 24/7 with my beloved wife’
Sam: Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, Horse Riding at Tupiza
Ben: Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, Asuncion
Lowest Point
J: Overnight bus trip during Bolivian landslide
B: Meeting the locals on the outskirts of La Boca, Buenos Aires on the first day
S: Villa Montes
B: Villa Montes
Best meal:
J: La Rosa Nautica, Lima
B: Bar San Rocque, Asuncion
S: La Rosa Nautica, Lima
B: Minute Man Pizza, Uyuni
Worst meal:
J: Spaghetti Bolognaise on the second night of Isla Del Sol
B: Spaghetti Bolognaise on the second night of Isla Del Sol
S: Spaghetti Bolognaise at the ‘Extreme Fun Bar’ Uyuni
B: Spaghetti Bolognaise at the ‘Extreme Fun Bar’ Uyuni
Best hotel:
J: La Rosario, La Paz
B: Hotel del Sol, Tarija
S: Hotel del Sol, Tarija
B: Hotel del Sol, Tarija
Worst hotel:
J: ‘Hostel’ behind the bus station, Villa Montes
B: ‘Hostel’ behind the bus station, Villa Montes
S: ‘Hostel’ behind the bus station, Villa Montes
B: ‘Hostel’ behind the bus station, Villa Montes
Strangest experience
J: Paraguayan immigration with snoring man
B: Dancing man with Llama on train from Aguas Calientes
S: Being robbed
B: Being in Paraguay
Funniest moment:
J: Sale of enormous pair of underpants in Paraguay
B: Sale of enormous pair of underpants in Paraguay
S: Man dancing with Llama on train
B: Woman falling over at Machu Picchu
Favourite country:
J: Bolivia
B: Bolivia
S: Bolivia
B: Peru
Favourite place:
J: Lake Titicaca, Bolivian side
B: South-West corner of Bolivia
S: Machu Picchu
B: Machu Picchu
Monday, December 24, 2007
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Stairway to heaven
To start off our trip toMP, we had an early start and uncomfortable train ride (though I expect the journey was even more uncomfortable for Hiram Bingham) and arrived in Aguas Calientes which is much nicer than we expected (LP wrong again).
It was a lovely day and in the afternoon, having organised our tickets to MP the following day
(MP is a huge commercial enterprise and they can - and do - charge whatever they like for train, bus, trekking and entry fees, knowing full well that the demand is there and people will pay) we thought we´d climb Putucusi mountain on the outskirts of AC. Sounds easy doesn´t it? No kidding, the path went UP A CLIFF FACE and into the clouds. At times the incline can´t have been much less than 80 degrees and for many of the sections we had to climb up rickety wooden ladders, one of which had over 100 steps! The going was very heavy and hard work but the higher we climbed the more spectacular were the views. Frankly, I´m amazed that we all made it (especially me - Bruce was extremely surprised to see me when I appeared on the top!) but we did know the reward that was waiting for us at the summit: a stunning view across the valley to MP. Our first view of it and had we not already been breathless, it would surely have taken our breath away. As it was, I cried, just overcome to think that after all the planning and dreaming about seeing it, there it was just over there. It looked so beautiful and peaceful, such a stunning and spectacular location and so near (as the crow flies - I was envying the crow) and yet so remote and difficult to access, perched on and spilling down the mountainside.
The next day we got up - in pouring rain, natch - to catch the 5.30am bus up. Although the weather was a bit disappointing (you might even say it was inca-venient) we still saw everything and got tons of photos and in fact the way that the clouds kept on parting to reveal those amazing surrounding mountains and then closing in and hiding them again just added to the drama. But I did feel for the trekkers who had endured 4 days of walking in the rain only to finally arrive and not be able to see anything! at least we saw it in sunshine the day before. We spent about 7 hours exploring the ruins,which are more extensive than I had thought and in incredibly good shape - it´s a shame there are no inca builders around now,they certainly knew their stuff! Just two questions kept going through my mind: how and why?? some of those stones are just immense, how could they possibly get them up there and what was it all about anyway? the mystery surrounding it all of course just adding to the appeal.
We were all pretty stiff and sore from our climb the day before so I´m afraid we didn´t climb up to the Sun Gate nor Wayne (as we called Huayna Picchu), also the path up to Wayne would have been very slippery. Even walking around the site was quite hard at times as I was so stiff from the day before, those incas certainly loved their staircases!
And so in the evening we made our way back to Cuzco. The excitement was not yet over for the day for it was time to find out the boys´ UAI results (we got the HSC results the night before in Aguas Calientes but they make you want another day to find out the UAI). I´m pleased to say that they both got the results that they need to do what they want at Uni (Sam a BA at Newcastle, Ben a B. International studies in Sydney) , so´it´s all good and they are both relieved and happy. As am I!
We now have the rest of the day in Cuzco and the plan is to finsih the christmas shopping. Peru is wonderful and exhilerating and challenging but the constant interruptions of people wanting to sell us stuff is starting to wear a bit thin. In 5 minutes on the Plaza de Armas this morning we could have bought jewelry, ceramics, cigarettes, paintings, postcards, bananas, t-shirts, llama finger puppets, a charango (sort of ukelele), had our shoes shined, booked a tour to MP, had a massage, or donated to a deaf woman´s charity and into a old man´s hat. The shopping is fantastic but you don´t´get a chance to do anything more than glance before the real hard sell begins. It was much easier (and a fair bit cheaper) in Bolivia and Paraguay where they just left us alone to browse. Though we did have to do a mercy dash to the Aguas Calientes market to buy Ben a belt yesterday because his jeans were actually falling down to his knees - I know we´ve all lost weight on this trip but I feel bad because Sam and Ben really have nothing to lose!
Tomorrow we fly to Lima and then on to England for Christmas and New Year with Mum and Dad.
Ciao for now.
J
XX
It was a lovely day and in the afternoon, having organised our tickets to MP the following day
(MP is a huge commercial enterprise and they can - and do - charge whatever they like for train, bus, trekking and entry fees, knowing full well that the demand is there and people will pay) we thought we´d climb Putucusi mountain on the outskirts of AC. Sounds easy doesn´t it? No kidding, the path went UP A CLIFF FACE and into the clouds. At times the incline can´t have been much less than 80 degrees and for many of the sections we had to climb up rickety wooden ladders, one of which had over 100 steps! The going was very heavy and hard work but the higher we climbed the more spectacular were the views. Frankly, I´m amazed that we all made it (especially me - Bruce was extremely surprised to see me when I appeared on the top!) but we did know the reward that was waiting for us at the summit: a stunning view across the valley to MP. Our first view of it and had we not already been breathless, it would surely have taken our breath away. As it was, I cried, just overcome to think that after all the planning and dreaming about seeing it, there it was just over there. It looked so beautiful and peaceful, such a stunning and spectacular location and so near (as the crow flies - I was envying the crow) and yet so remote and difficult to access, perched on and spilling down the mountainside.
The next day we got up - in pouring rain, natch - to catch the 5.30am bus up. Although the weather was a bit disappointing (you might even say it was inca-venient) we still saw everything and got tons of photos and in fact the way that the clouds kept on parting to reveal those amazing surrounding mountains and then closing in and hiding them again just added to the drama. But I did feel for the trekkers who had endured 4 days of walking in the rain only to finally arrive and not be able to see anything! at least we saw it in sunshine the day before. We spent about 7 hours exploring the ruins,which are more extensive than I had thought and in incredibly good shape - it´s a shame there are no inca builders around now,they certainly knew their stuff! Just two questions kept going through my mind: how and why?? some of those stones are just immense, how could they possibly get them up there and what was it all about anyway? the mystery surrounding it all of course just adding to the appeal.
We were all pretty stiff and sore from our climb the day before so I´m afraid we didn´t climb up to the Sun Gate nor Wayne (as we called Huayna Picchu), also the path up to Wayne would have been very slippery. Even walking around the site was quite hard at times as I was so stiff from the day before, those incas certainly loved their staircases!
And so in the evening we made our way back to Cuzco. The excitement was not yet over for the day for it was time to find out the boys´ UAI results (we got the HSC results the night before in Aguas Calientes but they make you want another day to find out the UAI). I´m pleased to say that they both got the results that they need to do what they want at Uni (Sam a BA at Newcastle, Ben a B. International studies in Sydney) , so´it´s all good and they are both relieved and happy. As am I!
We now have the rest of the day in Cuzco and the plan is to finsih the christmas shopping. Peru is wonderful and exhilerating and challenging but the constant interruptions of people wanting to sell us stuff is starting to wear a bit thin. In 5 minutes on the Plaza de Armas this morning we could have bought jewelry, ceramics, cigarettes, paintings, postcards, bananas, t-shirts, llama finger puppets, a charango (sort of ukelele), had our shoes shined, booked a tour to MP, had a massage, or donated to a deaf woman´s charity and into a old man´s hat. The shopping is fantastic but you don´t´get a chance to do anything more than glance before the real hard sell begins. It was much easier (and a fair bit cheaper) in Bolivia and Paraguay where they just left us alone to browse. Though we did have to do a mercy dash to the Aguas Calientes market to buy Ben a belt yesterday because his jeans were actually falling down to his knees - I know we´ve all lost weight on this trip but I feel bad because Sam and Ben really have nothing to lose!
Tomorrow we fly to Lima and then on to England for Christmas and New Year with Mum and Dad.
Ciao for now.
J
XX
Monday, December 17, 2007
Food glorious food
Well,you would hardly think it possible but our second diningexperience on Isla del Sol made Hagrid´s Hut look worthy of several Michelin stars! At least Hagrid´s food was nice when it eventually arrived (I´m prepared to overlook the cold vegetables). The second night, at a LP recommended establishment) we had exactly thesame long wait, same woolly hatted waiter, same lack of menu only this time there was no trout available and the little food thatwas on offer turnedout to be truly awful AND twice the price of Hagrid´s. The best that canbe said is that it didn´t actually make us ill. Given that in Bolivia taxis aren´t metered, and often the price isn´t known until it´s actually time to pay, this was our first nasty surprise (and we´re only talking about 15 dollars!) and so all things considered, I thinkwegot off quite lightly.
We spent a long day travelling to Puno. On the bus we were adopted by a tour agency who arranged everything for the next couple of days for us- accommodation in Puno, trip to the islands, " executive" bus to Cusco and first night accommodation in Cusco. This isn´t really our style and we felt rather like sheep but it was good to not have to do all the finding out and chasing around ourselves and everything turned out to be fine. They were profusely apologetic to us at the bus station in Puno for reasons that were completely unknown to us however we allowed them to grovel suitably and graciously accepted their apologies.
Puno is, there is no other word for it, a dump. The lake is very polluted around there and I have to say the Bolivian side of the lake is much prettier. The Islas Flotantes or floating islands, however, were fascinating. they are only a 20min boat ride from Puno, very heavily visited by tourists which presumably provides their income to allow them to continue their existence. There are about 40 islands, all entirely made out of the reeds which grow profusely in that area of the lake,and each island with around 12-15 houses on them, together with a central living and cooking area. The islands all float very close together. They are quite springy to walk on and because they rot from below,the islanders have to continually add new layers of reeds to the top. There was some concession to progress in that a few houses had solar panels which provided enough power for one small lightbulb but the cooking is all done outside on open fires. We didn´t ever find out about how they wash or go to the loo, maybe it goes straight into the lake or perhaps they use a pringles tin. They were quite friendly to us, esp. when I bought some handicrafts, and we got a great photo of us with the islanders.
It had been a long day but we were so determined to eat well that night. We chose v. carefully and I am very pleased to report that the steamed trout with chinese vegetables and pureed potatoes with spinach accompanied by a pisco sour(cocktail with grape brandy, lime juice,egg white and sugar) hit the spot very nicely indeed.
On our bus to Cuzco we stopped at various points of interest - museums, various inca relics and other archeological sites along the way. Or, as Ben put it, "old pots and stuff". Fair to say some of the stops were more interesting than others. We had an English speaking guide but the only problem was that his accent was so thick and he spoke so fast that we only got about 1 word in every 10 so a great deal was lost in translation. He was quite earnest and strait-laced and one of the places he was telling us about was called Saqsaywarman... which when spoken sounds very like Sexy Woman, so needless to say we were in stitches.
And so we arrived in Cuzco and despite the rain yesterday it is really beautiful . When we saw the scenery around here we wished that we were doing the trek to MP but no time now and we have organised our train tickets for tomorrow, to visit MP on Wednesday (it had better have stopped raining by then). It is so close now we can almost smell it!! We ate dinner last night - can you tell that I have my appetite back now?! - on a balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas and our hotel is in San Blas, a breathless walk just a few blocks away (we did intend to stay in El Balcon, Fiona, but we are on the other side of town, and it´s just too much hassle to move with all our stuff. )
Time for some lunch, ciao for now.
J
XX
We spent a long day travelling to Puno. On the bus we were adopted by a tour agency who arranged everything for the next couple of days for us- accommodation in Puno, trip to the islands, " executive" bus to Cusco and first night accommodation in Cusco. This isn´t really our style and we felt rather like sheep but it was good to not have to do all the finding out and chasing around ourselves and everything turned out to be fine. They were profusely apologetic to us at the bus station in Puno for reasons that were completely unknown to us however we allowed them to grovel suitably and graciously accepted their apologies.
Puno is, there is no other word for it, a dump. The lake is very polluted around there and I have to say the Bolivian side of the lake is much prettier. The Islas Flotantes or floating islands, however, were fascinating. they are only a 20min boat ride from Puno, very heavily visited by tourists which presumably provides their income to allow them to continue their existence. There are about 40 islands, all entirely made out of the reeds which grow profusely in that area of the lake,and each island with around 12-15 houses on them, together with a central living and cooking area. The islands all float very close together. They are quite springy to walk on and because they rot from below,the islanders have to continually add new layers of reeds to the top. There was some concession to progress in that a few houses had solar panels which provided enough power for one small lightbulb but the cooking is all done outside on open fires. We didn´t ever find out about how they wash or go to the loo, maybe it goes straight into the lake or perhaps they use a pringles tin. They were quite friendly to us, esp. when I bought some handicrafts, and we got a great photo of us with the islanders.
It had been a long day but we were so determined to eat well that night. We chose v. carefully and I am very pleased to report that the steamed trout with chinese vegetables and pureed potatoes with spinach accompanied by a pisco sour(cocktail with grape brandy, lime juice,egg white and sugar) hit the spot very nicely indeed.
On our bus to Cuzco we stopped at various points of interest - museums, various inca relics and other archeological sites along the way. Or, as Ben put it, "old pots and stuff". Fair to say some of the stops were more interesting than others. We had an English speaking guide but the only problem was that his accent was so thick and he spoke so fast that we only got about 1 word in every 10 so a great deal was lost in translation. He was quite earnest and strait-laced and one of the places he was telling us about was called Saqsaywarman... which when spoken sounds very like Sexy Woman, so needless to say we were in stitches.
And so we arrived in Cuzco and despite the rain yesterday it is really beautiful . When we saw the scenery around here we wished that we were doing the trek to MP but no time now and we have organised our train tickets for tomorrow, to visit MP on Wednesday (it had better have stopped raining by then). It is so close now we can almost smell it!! We ate dinner last night - can you tell that I have my appetite back now?! - on a balcony overlooking the Plaza de Armas and our hotel is in San Blas, a breathless walk just a few blocks away (we did intend to stay in El Balcon, Fiona, but we are on the other side of town, and it´s just too much hassle to move with all our stuff. )
Time for some lunch, ciao for now.
J
XX
Friday, December 14, 2007
La Isla Bonita
Isla del Sol is beautiful and just what the doctor ordered. Apart from the snow-covered Andes in the distance, you could easily believe you´re on a Greek island here. The island has steep rugged and rocky cliffs with lots of little bays interspersed with tiny mudbrick villages and lots of donkeys and llamas. You would never think you are at 4000 metres but the sun burn we got today will attest that we are indeed that high: despite plastering ourselves with factor 25, we all look like Rudolph... the UV rays are very intense at this altitude.
Our village, Yumani, is at the top of the hill with a panoramic 360 view of the whole island and although getting up here yesteday with our packs was no fun (esp. for me - I was huffing and puffing with every step. It´s the altitude of course:-)) the view outside our rooms is just to die for and well worth the effort: our verandah (which we have just to ourselves) looks out from high over the lake towards the mountains and across to Peru . The lake is just vast and the most wonderful shade of blue. Yesterday evening, I just sat on the verandah wrapped in my sleeping bag (evenings is when you remember how high up you are) and watched the most spectacular sunset. I don´t think I moved for about 3 hours.
Last night we had one of the more unusual meals of our trip. Service is not a high priority here in Bolivia (which is actually quite refreshing) but I think a new record may have been set. The "restaurant" resembled Hagrid´s Hut in HP. It advertised itself as offering a varied menu and altough 3 of us wanted trout (for which Lake Titicaca is well known - it´s farmed here), Ben was hoping for some other options. However... firstly there was no menu and secondly there was no *kitchen* - kind of useful to have in a restaurant. The place was just a round mud brick hut with a grass roof. "Hagrid" duly appeared (ever been served by a waiter in woolly hat?) and told us that trout was indeed on the menu. In fact it was the *only* thing on the menu. Eventually he decided that chicken might be a possibility. OK said Ben. Our tummies were rumbling because we´d missed lunch yet again. (In all SA countries they eat a big lunch at 12 and then nothing till dinner no sooner than 7pm. We are hardly ever hungry at 12 because breakfast is usually included in the price of the room so we usually miss lunch completely ) And so we waited. And waited. And waited some more. There was some bursts of activity, and various comings and goings by the woolly hatted one, his wife, varous children and I believe he may have brought in the neighbours at one point. Then they all disappeared for about 20 minutes. At one point we smelled garlic cooking and started salivating but no it was not for us, it was for the only other customers, a Portugese couple. We all laughed. We wondered whether he was having to catch the trout, or dig up - or possibly grow - the potatoes for the chips. Eventually, the grandmother was brought in and finally, after AN HOUR AND A HALF AFTER ORDERING our food appeared with no explanation, apology or any sense of embarrassment. Fortunately, the trout turned out to be delicious and although the bill was only about 8 bucks, we didn´t leave a tip. I think we´ll try somewhere else for dinner tonight.
Today, after a rude shock discovering there was no hot water in our rooms (yes, there being only one tap in the shower really should have given us a clue) we hiked to the north side of the island for about 5 hours through wonderful scenery. We saw lots of llamas and donkeys, were chased by a few dogs who hadn´t had so much excitement in weeks, then caught a boat back to the Escalera del Inca for the long hike back up the hill and to our rooms. This is the first time we have slept in the same bed for more than one might in almost 2 weeks so it almost feels like home.
We are now starting to feel we are running out of time and although I would love to stay longer here the days are flying by so tomorrow we will travel to Puno in Peru at the other side of the lake where we will visit the Islas Flotantes or the reed islands of Lake Titi, and from there to Cuzco. The Holy Grail is getting ever nearer!
Ciao amigos.
Jackie
XX
Our village, Yumani, is at the top of the hill with a panoramic 360 view of the whole island and although getting up here yesteday with our packs was no fun (esp. for me - I was huffing and puffing with every step. It´s the altitude of course:-)) the view outside our rooms is just to die for and well worth the effort: our verandah (which we have just to ourselves) looks out from high over the lake towards the mountains and across to Peru . The lake is just vast and the most wonderful shade of blue. Yesterday evening, I just sat on the verandah wrapped in my sleeping bag (evenings is when you remember how high up you are) and watched the most spectacular sunset. I don´t think I moved for about 3 hours.
Last night we had one of the more unusual meals of our trip. Service is not a high priority here in Bolivia (which is actually quite refreshing) but I think a new record may have been set. The "restaurant" resembled Hagrid´s Hut in HP. It advertised itself as offering a varied menu and altough 3 of us wanted trout (for which Lake Titicaca is well known - it´s farmed here), Ben was hoping for some other options. However... firstly there was no menu and secondly there was no *kitchen* - kind of useful to have in a restaurant. The place was just a round mud brick hut with a grass roof. "Hagrid" duly appeared (ever been served by a waiter in woolly hat?) and told us that trout was indeed on the menu. In fact it was the *only* thing on the menu. Eventually he decided that chicken might be a possibility. OK said Ben. Our tummies were rumbling because we´d missed lunch yet again. (In all SA countries they eat a big lunch at 12 and then nothing till dinner no sooner than 7pm. We are hardly ever hungry at 12 because breakfast is usually included in the price of the room so we usually miss lunch completely ) And so we waited. And waited. And waited some more. There was some bursts of activity, and various comings and goings by the woolly hatted one, his wife, varous children and I believe he may have brought in the neighbours at one point. Then they all disappeared for about 20 minutes. At one point we smelled garlic cooking and started salivating but no it was not for us, it was for the only other customers, a Portugese couple. We all laughed. We wondered whether he was having to catch the trout, or dig up - or possibly grow - the potatoes for the chips. Eventually, the grandmother was brought in and finally, after AN HOUR AND A HALF AFTER ORDERING our food appeared with no explanation, apology or any sense of embarrassment. Fortunately, the trout turned out to be delicious and although the bill was only about 8 bucks, we didn´t leave a tip. I think we´ll try somewhere else for dinner tonight.
Today, after a rude shock discovering there was no hot water in our rooms (yes, there being only one tap in the shower really should have given us a clue) we hiked to the north side of the island for about 5 hours through wonderful scenery. We saw lots of llamas and donkeys, were chased by a few dogs who hadn´t had so much excitement in weeks, then caught a boat back to the Escalera del Inca for the long hike back up the hill and to our rooms. This is the first time we have slept in the same bed for more than one might in almost 2 weeks so it almost feels like home.
We are now starting to feel we are running out of time and although I would love to stay longer here the days are flying by so tomorrow we will travel to Puno in Peru at the other side of the lake where we will visit the Islas Flotantes or the reed islands of Lake Titi, and from there to Cuzco. The Holy Grail is getting ever nearer!
Ciao amigos.
Jackie
XX
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Dried llama foetus, anyone?
We are staying at a wonderful colonial style hotel in La Paz, the best of the trip so far and we are all enjoying not being on a bus, the comforts of hot water, bbc world service, friendly english speaking staff, a lovely cafe and lots of little patios that are dotted around the place for us to sit in and read. We need it because some of us are not really 100% and we are all very tired (bus ride last night was OK but the road was typically Bolivian ie unpaved a lot of the way and the first half of the ride was a real boneshaker). Bruce has kindly given me his streaming cold and I have kindly given my gippy insides to Ben. We like to share!
We arrived here at 6am. Luckily we got a taxi to the hotel as we had thought we would walk from the bus station since it was not far but the streets were incredibly congested with a huge market area that felt more like Delhi than La Paz and (we later learned) the area is not really safe at that time of day. Safety is our top priority after BA! Later on, we explored the witches market nearby - not pointy black hat sort of witchery, more herbal medicine and folk remedies. Dried llama foetus anyone? or perhaps a dried frog or cat? the former is sold to be buried underneath the front door when building a new home to encourage prosperity and happiness, the latter I think are used for their aphrodisicac properties but could be wrong. There were certainly plenty of love potions for sale but I was more interested in the beautiful colourful handicrafts for sale at simply amazing prices. This is the first real opportunity I´ve had on the trip to shop so I did most of my Christmas shopping in about 20 minutes, had to buy a new bag to carry it all in. S & B tell Bruce and I that we look like Kath and Kel in our matching Andean hats with pom poms! Oh yes, I had to dodge a falling live wire that was about to land on my head, lucky Bruce spotted it coming. (The wiring here would give you a heart attack, Pete!) I do quite like La Paz, it´s certainly wonderful when you turn a corner and are greeted with with unexpected view of the Andes. The streets are very steep and there´s always lots of activity. And lots of beggars.
Tomorrow we are off to Copa, Copacabana! no, not *that* Copacabana, there is another one on Lake Titicaca, and from there to Isla del Sol, a small island on the lake. We are hoping to spend a couple of days there before heading to Peru, lots of people have told us it´s beautiful and Lonely Planet says it´s like an Aegean island. I´m not holding my breath as LP is prone to exaggeration at times (remember Villamontes?) but it sounds nice and just what we need at the moment. Not sure what internet access will be like there so the next update may well be from Peru.
Ciao amigos
Jackie
XX
We arrived here at 6am. Luckily we got a taxi to the hotel as we had thought we would walk from the bus station since it was not far but the streets were incredibly congested with a huge market area that felt more like Delhi than La Paz and (we later learned) the area is not really safe at that time of day. Safety is our top priority after BA! Later on, we explored the witches market nearby - not pointy black hat sort of witchery, more herbal medicine and folk remedies. Dried llama foetus anyone? or perhaps a dried frog or cat? the former is sold to be buried underneath the front door when building a new home to encourage prosperity and happiness, the latter I think are used for their aphrodisicac properties but could be wrong. There were certainly plenty of love potions for sale but I was more interested in the beautiful colourful handicrafts for sale at simply amazing prices. This is the first real opportunity I´ve had on the trip to shop so I did most of my Christmas shopping in about 20 minutes, had to buy a new bag to carry it all in. S & B tell Bruce and I that we look like Kath and Kel in our matching Andean hats with pom poms! Oh yes, I had to dodge a falling live wire that was about to land on my head, lucky Bruce spotted it coming. (The wiring here would give you a heart attack, Pete!) I do quite like La Paz, it´s certainly wonderful when you turn a corner and are greeted with with unexpected view of the Andes. The streets are very steep and there´s always lots of activity. And lots of beggars.
Tomorrow we are off to Copa, Copacabana! no, not *that* Copacabana, there is another one on Lake Titicaca, and from there to Isla del Sol, a small island on the lake. We are hoping to spend a couple of days there before heading to Peru, lots of people have told us it´s beautiful and Lonely Planet says it´s like an Aegean island. I´m not holding my breath as LP is prone to exaggeration at times (remember Villamontes?) but it sounds nice and just what we need at the moment. Not sure what internet access will be like there so the next update may well be from Peru.
Ciao amigos
Jackie
XX
Monday, December 10, 2007
lunar landscapes and lunching with llamas
Well we are now back in relative civilisation after our 5 day adventure in the remote SW corner of Bolivia and boy it does feel good to have had a shower and to be in clean clothes! We have travelled through incredibly stark, very beautiful and constantly changing mountainous scenery at altitudes of up to 5000 m on bouncy, single track dirt roads the entire way. We saw 1000s of llamas, many flocks of various types of flamingos, lots of ostriches, chameleons, coloured birds and a weird sort of rabbit with a tail . We saw brilliant coloured lagoons (red, blue, green - the Laguna verde was a spectacular shade of swimming pool aquamarine but at 5000 metres (that´s 16000 or 17000 feet people!) nobody was swimming and in any case the water is very toxic because it´s at the foot of a volcano. We swam in a thermal pool where the temperature was like bath water (lucky we remembered to pack our bath suites). At times the scenery resembled the American wild west, at other times it was like Wastwater in the English lake district but much harsher and on a vast scale. We passed many snowcapped volcanoes near the Chilean border, some of which are still active and visibly smoking. We saw many strange rock formations, bubbling geysers , and drove through the occasional tiny mudbrick village, a few of which we stayed in. When they say the accommodation is muy basico they aren´t kidding - only at the salt hotel did we have any hot water and the last night didn´t even have any running water for most of the time.
The houses in the villages resembled crofter cottages of Scotland and Ireland with their grassed roofs except that they were made of mud brick. The inhabitants were also very picturesque esp. the women with their strange (to our eyes) but colourful costume of bowler hat, pleated skirt, apron, thick stockings with sandals and long black plaits tied togther with long tassels. Not sure the look will catch on outside Bolivia...
The night skies were unbelievable and well worth enduring the freezing night time temps for. The days were very sunny and quite warm (in fact we seriously underestimated the power of the sun rays at altitude with the result that we are all very sun and wind burned - we are still taking malaria pills which also exascerbate the effect of the sun.)
Bruce and I did suffer a bit with the altitude - insomnia, lack of appetite, breathlessness and just generally feeling a bit off. Bruce also picked up a nasty flu type virus which pretty well knocked him out on days 2 and 3. Los chicos (as S & B are now known) were absolutely fine - ah what it is to be young! Drinking mate de coca helped a bit (it´s OK Mum, it´s only the coca leaves, nothing to do with the chemical derived from them!)
Llamas are my new favourite animal (sorry Annabel, I do still love you). They are quite ubiquitous around here but we just love looking at their sweet, comical and friendly faces. The most photogenic ones have red rbbons in their ears and a few even wear a red bow around their neck. They are always happy to oblige with a smile for the camera. They actually taste quite nice too...
Its just as well they are so furry because being a llama farmer in the Andes would be a really tough existence.
Our driver and cook, husband and wife Cristina and Gerrardo, were fantastic. They didn´t speak English so we communicated in very short bursts but they looked after us very well. Gerrado drove safely and efficiently through really terrible roads, and was even smiling after 3 flat tyres in one day. Cristina produced what were, under the circumstances, really good meals - I can´t think how she managed it given the living conditions and she didn´t even mind when B and I couldn´t eat them. ´Only on the last day did I discover I´d been calling him by the wrong name the whole time - I am sure he introduced himself as Heraldo!
On the 3rd night we slept at the Salt hotel which although lacking in some of the comforts we had hoped it might have eg elecricity and power points to recharge camera batteries and ipods, it was still a novel and unique experience. During the evening meal (which resembled a medieval banquet) we were "treated" to the most appalling panpipe display by a group of the village kids. Maybe I shouldn´t be so dismissive - what they lacked in talent they made up for with volume. In the end we got the giggles and just gave them some bolivianos to go away and leave us in peace.
On the 4th day we set out across the Salar de Uyuni which I think is the most extraordinary place I´ve ever been, being there was a surreal and amazing experience. It is a massive salt flat,the largest in the world. It looks like a vast white lake surrounded by mountains dotted with islands covered in incredible cacti, some of which are 8 metres high! Horizon and sky merge and from a distance, the few vehicles driving along the salar seem to be levitating several metres off the ground. When we started driving along the salar for the first 15 mins of so it was covered in several inches of water (it´s the start of the wet season) and the mountains were perfectly reflected in the water. It felt like being in a boat.
We stopped off at Isla Incahuasi which is the prettiest island in the salar and took another 200 photos or so. Whilst there we talked to and were photographed by two danish journalists who had won a grant to travel to and write about countries to which Denmark provides aid. Nice work if you can get it! A few days ago they met an Afro-Bolivian king in a remote jungle village. So sometime soon the good people of Denmark will be reading over their cornflakes about an Afro-Bolivian king and the Walkom family´s travels. Strange thought!
We then went to the Tunupa volcano on the other side of the salar, at 5460m. The plan was to climb it and we set off man and womanfully. My insides however had other plans for me that afternoon and I conceded defeat pretty early on. Los chicos and Bruce continued on for a while but the going was tough and with Bruce´s reserves being already somewhat depleted they also had to give in without reaching the summit - first time ever for Bruce. We did however see some mummies in a cave in the hillside: 500 year old decayed bodies, creepily, one still with some hair and teeth. They were buried in a fetal position because it was believed they would be reborn in another life. Pretty gross actually, we didn´t linger too long!
It was certainly not a trip for the faint hearted. At times it was a real endurance test with the early starts, long days, bumpy roads and grotty accommodation . But the diverse scenery has been yet another highlight and well worth the discomfort, would not have missed it for the world (los chicos might give you a different response but we are now staying in, by recent standards anyway, a posh hotel so I think they will soon recover!) We are now catching up on some of life´s luxuries (hot showers! lights in the rooms! electric sockets! clean linen! ) and doing some housekeeping. At Ben´s suggestion, we gve a false name at the laundry place here in Uyuni as we were pretty revolting by the end of 5 days! tomorrow night we take the overnight bus to La Paz . Yep, another overnight bus is not cause for celebration but it will be the last one and it is supposed to be real luxury with meals, horizontal seats, heating and best of all, a loo! And it´s also safer than the train, another plus. The road should be paved most of the way so we are hopeful for no more landslides.
Adios for now, next update from La Paz.
Jackie
XX
PS I can confirm that Pringles tins are indeed watertight.
The houses in the villages resembled crofter cottages of Scotland and Ireland with their grassed roofs except that they were made of mud brick. The inhabitants were also very picturesque esp. the women with their strange (to our eyes) but colourful costume of bowler hat, pleated skirt, apron, thick stockings with sandals and long black plaits tied togther with long tassels. Not sure the look will catch on outside Bolivia...
The night skies were unbelievable and well worth enduring the freezing night time temps for. The days were very sunny and quite warm (in fact we seriously underestimated the power of the sun rays at altitude with the result that we are all very sun and wind burned - we are still taking malaria pills which also exascerbate the effect of the sun.)
Bruce and I did suffer a bit with the altitude - insomnia, lack of appetite, breathlessness and just generally feeling a bit off. Bruce also picked up a nasty flu type virus which pretty well knocked him out on days 2 and 3. Los chicos (as S & B are now known) were absolutely fine - ah what it is to be young! Drinking mate de coca helped a bit (it´s OK Mum, it´s only the coca leaves, nothing to do with the chemical derived from them!)
Llamas are my new favourite animal (sorry Annabel, I do still love you). They are quite ubiquitous around here but we just love looking at their sweet, comical and friendly faces. The most photogenic ones have red rbbons in their ears and a few even wear a red bow around their neck. They are always happy to oblige with a smile for the camera. They actually taste quite nice too...
Its just as well they are so furry because being a llama farmer in the Andes would be a really tough existence.
Our driver and cook, husband and wife Cristina and Gerrardo, were fantastic. They didn´t speak English so we communicated in very short bursts but they looked after us very well. Gerrado drove safely and efficiently through really terrible roads, and was even smiling after 3 flat tyres in one day. Cristina produced what were, under the circumstances, really good meals - I can´t think how she managed it given the living conditions and she didn´t even mind when B and I couldn´t eat them. ´Only on the last day did I discover I´d been calling him by the wrong name the whole time - I am sure he introduced himself as Heraldo!
On the 3rd night we slept at the Salt hotel which although lacking in some of the comforts we had hoped it might have eg elecricity and power points to recharge camera batteries and ipods, it was still a novel and unique experience. During the evening meal (which resembled a medieval banquet) we were "treated" to the most appalling panpipe display by a group of the village kids. Maybe I shouldn´t be so dismissive - what they lacked in talent they made up for with volume. In the end we got the giggles and just gave them some bolivianos to go away and leave us in peace.
On the 4th day we set out across the Salar de Uyuni which I think is the most extraordinary place I´ve ever been, being there was a surreal and amazing experience. It is a massive salt flat,the largest in the world. It looks like a vast white lake surrounded by mountains dotted with islands covered in incredible cacti, some of which are 8 metres high! Horizon and sky merge and from a distance, the few vehicles driving along the salar seem to be levitating several metres off the ground. When we started driving along the salar for the first 15 mins of so it was covered in several inches of water (it´s the start of the wet season) and the mountains were perfectly reflected in the water. It felt like being in a boat.
We stopped off at Isla Incahuasi which is the prettiest island in the salar and took another 200 photos or so. Whilst there we talked to and were photographed by two danish journalists who had won a grant to travel to and write about countries to which Denmark provides aid. Nice work if you can get it! A few days ago they met an Afro-Bolivian king in a remote jungle village. So sometime soon the good people of Denmark will be reading over their cornflakes about an Afro-Bolivian king and the Walkom family´s travels. Strange thought!
We then went to the Tunupa volcano on the other side of the salar, at 5460m. The plan was to climb it and we set off man and womanfully. My insides however had other plans for me that afternoon and I conceded defeat pretty early on. Los chicos and Bruce continued on for a while but the going was tough and with Bruce´s reserves being already somewhat depleted they also had to give in without reaching the summit - first time ever for Bruce. We did however see some mummies in a cave in the hillside: 500 year old decayed bodies, creepily, one still with some hair and teeth. They were buried in a fetal position because it was believed they would be reborn in another life. Pretty gross actually, we didn´t linger too long!
It was certainly not a trip for the faint hearted. At times it was a real endurance test with the early starts, long days, bumpy roads and grotty accommodation . But the diverse scenery has been yet another highlight and well worth the discomfort, would not have missed it for the world (los chicos might give you a different response but we are now staying in, by recent standards anyway, a posh hotel so I think they will soon recover!) We are now catching up on some of life´s luxuries (hot showers! lights in the rooms! electric sockets! clean linen! ) and doing some housekeeping. At Ben´s suggestion, we gve a false name at the laundry place here in Uyuni as we were pretty revolting by the end of 5 days! tomorrow night we take the overnight bus to La Paz . Yep, another overnight bus is not cause for celebration but it will be the last one and it is supposed to be real luxury with meals, horizontal seats, heating and best of all, a loo! And it´s also safer than the train, another plus. The road should be paved most of the way so we are hopeful for no more landslides.
Adios for now, next update from La Paz.
Jackie
XX
PS I can confirm that Pringles tins are indeed watertight.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
panpipes, peeing into Pringles tins and other high and low lights
Hi from Tupiza in the worst internet place yet - slow and dodgy keyboard - so forgive any typos. yes we have made it at last to the Altiplano and we are now at 3000 metres, quite low by Andean standards but still enough to make me a bit breathless whenwalking up a hill (that is my excuse and Im sticking to it, OK). We are now hearing lots of panpipe music. This place is simply stunning, we are in and have travelled through wild and rugged mountainous red barren landscapes studded with cacti on bonebreaking buses along white knuckle making narrow dirt roads with hairpin bends and steep drops down ravines 100s of metres deep. Yes I was scared!! The bus trip was meant to be 10 hours overnight from Tarija which was our last stop before here (our 3rd overnight bus ride in 4 nights - we pushed ourselves a bit far but there wasn´t really a chouice as that is when the bus left) . However, around midnight we just stopped inexplicably in pitch darkness. We are used to this by now so we just assumed the driver had an errand to run, was hungry, wanted a rest etc etc. However, after an hour or so of no activty, we just gave up wondering and tried to sleep. Naturally, there was a crying baby, someone with a cough and several loud snorers. Even tamazepam didn´t work this time, the bus was claustrophboic, windows didn´t open, the door was closed and we were at the back of the bus. THere were more pasesngers than seats and the whole aisle was blocked with people lying in the aisle. There was just no escape. I should also point out at this stage that bolivian buses do not have a loo and one of the walkom menfolk (who shall remain anonymous) was simply busting to go, to the point of desperation. Peeing out of the window was impossible as they didn´t open. Necessity being the mother of invention, I suggested the pringles tin but desperate as he was, in the end his modesty just wouldn´t allow him to do it even in the dark (and after all we hadn´t opened the tin yet). Eventually he got to the point about 4am where he just battled his way to the door, lit by the camera, not bothering about the grumbling people over whom he was trampling and escaped from the prison. The relief was immense! apologies about the toilet theme to anyone reading this of delicate nature but planning one´s bathroom visits becomes quite a issue in a country with virtually no public loos and even on the rare occasions when there is one, they are too revolting to use or to tell you about here.
Anyway, back to the bus having stopped inexplicably. At first light the reasons for the stop became clear: there had been a massive landslide on the road in front of us. We were about 6th in a line of buses, 4wDs and trucks. The queue was the same on the other side. It was pretty obvious that only a bulldozer would be able to clear it, yet to their credit, the bolivians got stuck in with shovels and picks trying to clear the debris and mud. Aftre a few hours, a few brave 4WDs were able to get through, the bus however was different matter, it was going nowhere. After much musing and dread about spending another night on the bus 8as well as cncern about our lack of food and watr), eventually around midday a plan was hatched (that I had thought of at 5am) for the buses on either side of the landslide to swap passengers, turn around and everyone is happy. So, about 1pm we were finally on our way again and eventually we bumped and rolled out way into Tupiza late afternoon yesterdy. The good side of the delay was that we got sme fantastic photos of the rescue effort and we saw this amazing scenery that we would have otherwise missed (they really should do a James Bond film here). Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid allegedly met their demise very near here. Along the road we saw several buses which had plunged down the ravines and the roadside was studded with many little crosses which did nothing for my peace of mind as we bumped along the narrow single lne dirt road. Now that we have survived it it makes a good story but it was pretty scary at the time.
We had the best night´s sleep last night and this afternoon we are horse riding (or doing a "walk to horse" according to the brochure!) in the surrounding area then tomorrow we are headng off on our 5 day jeep tour through the Salar de Uyuni, a very remote - and high - area even by Bolivian standads. It should be one of the highlights of our trip. We´ve paid extra to have the jeep to ourselves and to stay in a salt hotel for one of the nights (yes, everything entirely made out of salt .. well maybe not the loos and showers.) We have a driver and a cook with us. The brochure says to be sure to bring the "bath suite" so we can swim in the hot springs. My phone ísn´t working at all here and there will be no internet where we´re going so we will be out of contact for the next 5 days.
Next update will be from Uyuni from where we´ll make our way to La Paz.
Adios for now
Jackie
XX
Anyway, back to the bus having stopped inexplicably. At first light the reasons for the stop became clear: there had been a massive landslide on the road in front of us. We were about 6th in a line of buses, 4wDs and trucks. The queue was the same on the other side. It was pretty obvious that only a bulldozer would be able to clear it, yet to their credit, the bolivians got stuck in with shovels and picks trying to clear the debris and mud. Aftre a few hours, a few brave 4WDs were able to get through, the bus however was different matter, it was going nowhere. After much musing and dread about spending another night on the bus 8as well as cncern about our lack of food and watr), eventually around midday a plan was hatched (that I had thought of at 5am) for the buses on either side of the landslide to swap passengers, turn around and everyone is happy. So, about 1pm we were finally on our way again and eventually we bumped and rolled out way into Tupiza late afternoon yesterdy. The good side of the delay was that we got sme fantastic photos of the rescue effort and we saw this amazing scenery that we would have otherwise missed (they really should do a James Bond film here). Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid allegedly met their demise very near here. Along the road we saw several buses which had plunged down the ravines and the roadside was studded with many little crosses which did nothing for my peace of mind as we bumped along the narrow single lne dirt road. Now that we have survived it it makes a good story but it was pretty scary at the time.
We had the best night´s sleep last night and this afternoon we are horse riding (or doing a "walk to horse" according to the brochure!) in the surrounding area then tomorrow we are headng off on our 5 day jeep tour through the Salar de Uyuni, a very remote - and high - area even by Bolivian standads. It should be one of the highlights of our trip. We´ve paid extra to have the jeep to ourselves and to stay in a salt hotel for one of the nights (yes, everything entirely made out of salt .. well maybe not the loos and showers.) We have a driver and a cook with us. The brochure says to be sure to bring the "bath suite" so we can swim in the hot springs. My phone ísn´t working at all here and there will be no internet where we´re going so we will be out of contact for the next 5 days.
Next update will be from Uyuni from where we´ll make our way to La Paz.
Adios for now
Jackie
XX
Saturday, December 1, 2007
On the Gran Chaco highway, hot wind in my hair
...and red dirt, dust and sweat, and apologies to the Eagles. Well we were prepared for a long uncomfortable bus ride. We knew about the many stops and checkpoints along the way. We expected the bouncing and jolting and declined the salmonella on a plate that passed for dinner ("served" to us by a man who Bruce immediately christened the Maitre d - safe to say he won´t be winning any employee of the month prizes in the near future). But what we didn´t bank on was a bus with no air conditioning taking us to the hottest place in Bolivia! We did survive but good job we travelled through the night cos by the time we got to Villamontes another diverse ecosystem was growing in our feet and armpits. There were many inexplicable stops along the way - customs, police, immigration, other miscellaenous officials with guns checking us and our bags out. The Paraguayan migration office was in the official´s bedroom, strange experience to get our stamps with a man snoring in the top bunk a few feet away. We did sleep on the bus, thanks to Tamazepam which knocked us all out. Apart from the heat, it wasn´t actually as bad as I thought it might be, most of the way was paved. We saw the most fabulous night skies and a pink sunrise, also lots of birds and butterflies and what looked like a wild boar. All the other passengers were Bolivians but towards the end a family of Mennonites got on which was fascinating because of their clothing and blue eyes and fair hair. They dressed like Amishes. There are about 15000 of them living in the Chaco, of German origin, they were allowed to establish themselves here in this inhospitable place in return for autonomy and freedom. Villamontes, I´m sorry to say, has not impressed us! We didn´t plan on staying here but we are forced to spend a day here before getting our connection to Tarija tonight - yep another overnight bus ride yippee. The hot and sweaty people are in no danger of losing their hottest place in Bolivia title any time soon. Tarija should be nicer, it´s where we start our ascent to altitude and it´s also where we will have Brucés birthday celebrations deferred from today as there is not much to celebrate here!
Adios amigos
Jackie
XX
Adios amigos
Jackie
XX
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