Hello Bolivia

Often called the Tibet of the Andes, this landlocked country has the most diverse landscape and is home to the soe of the highest cities in the world.

From Puno in Peru we crossed the border in to Bolivia the easy way ... on a tourist bus, so we were told by the conductor where to get our exit stamp, where to get our entrance stamp and where to met the bus, easy peasy!

Copacabamba is still on Lake Titicaca and couldnt have been more different from Puno. A small little village, with a clean blue waterfront, lined with restaurants and with kayaks and boats for hire. Its very popular with Bolivians as many have never been see the ocean and it´s the closest most will get in their lifetime. The village is an important Catholic pilgrimage site, with a large statue of Mary overlooking the lake. Unfortunately for us the rain was still on so we did not manage a trip out to the islands on the Bolivian side either. Inbetween the showers we discovered the local market with one street that had stalls selling only popcorn and puffed wheat and nothing else, rather bizarre! Sampled the local trout,nicely grilled and washed down with the local beer Huari, very tasty :)


No point lingering in the rain so we headed south to La Paz. A cool bustling city, full of markets and great for people watching. Set at 3500m above sea level, walking up and down the streets was not so taxing as we had already acclimatized at Lake Titicaca which is 3810m. On the first night we arrived it was St Paddys day but it seems La PAZ is the only city in the world that does not have an Irish pub. Second best option was the English bar, Mongos Rock Bottom Bar, but there was no Paddy day celebrations going on. Most were watching Bush make his speeech confirming we were going to war. Sometimes when we travel ignorance is bliss.


We were too busy soaking up the atmosphere of the city to go to any museums this time round but we did go to Tiwanaku which is quoted as the most monumental and intriguing archeoligical site in South America. Founded over 3000 year ago, Tiwanaku was the capital of a massive empire that lasted for almost 1000 years. It was home to over 50,000 people and the city is said to be in many ways the cradle of Andean civilaization and provided the inspiration for the Inca Empire. The key to the masive empire was their amazing agricultural system fo raised fields know as sukakullo. Using this method they raised parts of the land and put in canals inbetween, so as producing a micro climate and thus 6 times as many crops pre year than normal. Pretty awesome stuff for their time! Apparently now there is a new pilot scheme where they to use the Tiwanakua methods, the only draw back is it needs alot of manpower to creat the sukakullos.


Wanting to get off the beaten track a little we headed SW of La Paz to Sajama national park, 9km shy of the Chilean border. Our guide book said we could get a lift from the rangers station at the highway where the bus dropped us, not that day we couldnt. It was a 12km hike with ALL our stuff to the village of Sajama. Luckily for us it was a beautiful sunny morning so our walk, although, hard at times was rewarding. We were now in Bolivias Altiplano region with stark scenery, low level vegetation, but with a backdrop of snow capped volcanic peaks belonging to the Cordillera occidental Range and the centre piece being Volcan Sajame standing at 6542m. A useless piece of trivia... in 2001 the highest football match in the world was played in the crater at the top of Sajam between the local villagers and tour guides from La Paz. The game ended in a draw.


On arrival at the village we were starvin Marvins but first we had to register at the ranger station which seemed to be run by a 12 year old boy. Then we were assigned to our accomodation, so that all the tourist dosh is shared equally amongst the villagers and everyone reaps the rewards of tourism, a very good idea in th my opinion. Our lap of luxury for the evening cost us 10bs each equivilant of US$1.40 for a room that consisted of three single beds with matresses made of straw, a table with a candle for light as we had no electricity, bare concrete floors, part glass part plastic windows and a straw roof. No running water either and our toilet was an out house made of mud bricks with a long drop, just big enough for us to fit in. Really back to basics.


Bought some lunch at one of the local restaurants. A set lunch - almeurzo consist of a soup and a second course and a cup of tea. We got a pasta and vege soup and then a fried egg on rice with a piece of fried banana. Certainly not gourmay, but it filled the hole! Our plan after lunch was to hike to the geysers and hot springs 12km away but the heavens opened and the rain was coming down in sheets. Not alot else to do and we had been up since 5am, time for siesta! Awoke later and went for a stroll through the village which took a total of 5 minutes, but we chatted with some locals and took some photos of the local children, who are soooooooo cute and adorable!


Next morning awoke to find it had snowed overnight - bbrrr! The clouds were sill very low and there was a constant drizzle. Kim being a softie, she thinks its more practical, said we should have brekkie and then head further south as if our one pair of warm clothes got wet we had no place to dry them and we had no hot water to warm ourselves up. She got her way (this time) and we tracked down a lift to the highway to get a bus. Disappointed about leaving but I know if I am ever back in Bolivia I will have to return to Sajama as it was a truly beautiful.


At the highway the local children gleefully told us we had missed the morning bus and the next one was not for another 2.5 hours. Luckily 20 minutes alter we flagged down a 4wd with the driver from Chile and heading near where we were going - Oruro. It was great change cruising along in a 4WD, such luxury after all our bus travel and the lift was for free, even sweeter! As we drove on the rain came down harder and harder so the decision to leave Sajama was a good call.


When we got dropped off we had to wait 10 mintues for a bus to take us the final 37km to Oruro, where we got our train ticket for the Expreso del Sur to Uyuni, the jumping off point for a four day tour across the Sala de Uyuni (salt flats and to the Reserva de Fauna Adina Eduardo Avaroa. We got first class seats, with really comfy seat, loads of leg room, tv, fans and we even got a chicken salad sandwich and a drink for dinner, which was served to us by waiters in bow ties! The train was kept very clean by a guy who every half an hour kept coming through the carriage with a mop and bucket - the detergent he used smelt like cherry sherbert!!! The scenery during the trip was quite pretty, with lakes full of flamingoes and mountain ranges with loads of different colours, pinks, blues, greens, oranges, and browns.


During the last hour of the journey we were reading our guide book to find out where the ATM was to get more money out, but it seemed Uyuni had no ATM and we had limited Bolivianos left, no traveller cheques and no American dollars, oops! If we couldnt find a tour company that accepted VISA were we on the next bus to Potosi... 8 hours away - the closest city with an ATM.

Bugger!!!

Wonderful Peru

From the moment we got to Peru the people have been ever so friendly and very helpful. So much so we spent the first week trying to decide what they really wanted, which as it turned out was nothing, they were just nice!

The scenery was an instant shock coming from Ecuador which was lush and green to the barren, desert landscape of the Peruvian coast. It takes about 20 hours by bus to get from the border to Lima the capital so we decided to stop on route and see what was on offer.

Chiclayo was our first destination which is called by its residents the friendliest city in Peru. Just 30km oustide of Chiclayo is home to several ancient burial sites and two of the best museums in Peru that contain the artifacts found from the sites. The ancient city of Sipan was home to over 30 pyramids built upon tombs of the nobles. The tombs were discovered until 1987 when a huge number of beautiful artifacts that were taken from the tombs by the grave robbers started to appear on the black market. What we saw at the sites were replicas of what was discovered by the archeologists, not all tombs were discovered by the grave robbers. The mummies were very well preserved and the gifts they took with them to their afterlife were so detailed and in such good condition. Full head pieces, extravegant jewellery and weapons. From the site we went to the museums which now hold the originals along with loads of pottery from their time. The details on the pottery was awesome, different designs with swirls and lines but other of animals. The imagination and skill they possessed was unbelievable.

Having a full day of history and culture, I was on overload and so it was time for some outdoor fun. The plan was to head top Huaraz the home of hiking and climbing in Peru, but bus connetions were not in our favour so we ended up doing the 13 hours journey to Lima. Having heard many horror stories about being ripped off and robbed we were in and out in 12 hours after storing some of our stuff. You would think after all this travelling we could get our packing right by now, apparently not!

Now officially on the south coast of Peru we took a leisurely 2 hours bus ride to Lunahuana a tiny one horse town set on the Rio Canete River and renowned for its rafting, good seafood and wine and pisco making, obviously we had to try it all! Being the only guests at our hotel we bargined the owner down to the equ. of US$6pn, then organised a rafting trip for the next morning, class III rapids for 2 hours. The river was running very quickly or so it seemed from the banks. After 20 minutes of instructions on what to do when and what to do if someone goes in, I was feeling a little reassured. On the river it was a doodle. Loads of fun but next time bring on the level IV rapids! We met a lovely couple on the tour she was from the US and he was from Peru, so we ended up having our seafood lunch with them. Loads of shrimp and calamari, but way too much oil. That afternoon we set out to find the vineyards to see how the locals do it. On arrival we found everything is done by hand except the start when they use their feet to stomp on the grapes :) Our tour guide was the owners grand daughter a dainty little 5 year old who showed us arouund explaining everything in detail with an air of authority, while holding her pet kitten with each paw over her shoulder. She was such a cutie that we didnt have the heart to tell her we did not speak Spanish! At the end of the tour her older brother gave as the tastings, 2 reds, 1 white and a pisco. All the wines were very sweet, apparently they dont produce drys at their winery and the pisco straight at 40% tasted a cross between vodka and tequilla, yuk! That night we kicked back playing cards at the local general store which had tables inside and was run by a very old lady who kept on falling alseep on her stool. The beers were cold so what more could we ask for, and we got table service!

Next stop was Pisco home of Pisco sours and the jumping off point to the Islas Bellestas and Peninsula de Paracas. A great alternative to straight Pisco is Pisco sour cocktail which is a mix of pisco, egg white and lemonade, rather refreshing but very potent! Islas Bellestas was a beautiful island supporting a very large and very noisy sea lion colony. I did not know how much noise they could make! A few of them were quiet curious and come close-ish to the boat and practically poised for the cameras, so cute!!!
Later we had lunch in the National park which was mostly desert, but there was a nice little cove to swim in. The water was a bit cold but I swam out to a rock where there were some pelicans and seagulls getting some sun. I caused a bit of a comotion amoungst them until they realised I was no threat. Then from out of the crowd of birds waddles a penguin to see what was going on. It was only a meter away from me which was really cool !!! I was surprised how big it was, probabaly standing 60 - 70 cm high.

Back in Pisco we met up with some fellow travellers Rod from Oz and Katrina from the US, a few beers turned into a few more, then a few more over dinner. Not really any bars in Pisco so we ended up drinking in the main plaza across from our hostel (classy!!) to the wee hours, great night but we all paid for it the next day. Rod and Katrina were doing the tour we did that day and I could only imagine how bad it was for them on the boat as we were green on land!!!

When I finally got out of bed, we made our way to Huacachina, a tiny little village set around a greenish lagoon know for its healing properties (the colour alone made us stay clear) and surrounded by huge sand dunes ideal for dune buggies and dune surfing. Not up for much we chillled in our backpackers haven which had a swimming pool, pool side bath, bbq, hammocks, restaurant and internet cafe, so no one had to walk out the fromt door! After two days of recharging our batteries it was time to push, as it could have been easy to stay, some had been there for two weeks chilling out.

Time for another history lesson we arrived in Nazca and took a flight in a three seat cessna over the Nazca lines. The Nazca people existed between 200AD and 800AD approx and during this time they drew huge geometrical pictures and straight lines that went on for 25km in the desert. These are only visible be air. Pictures of a 90m long monkey, an astronaut, a 180m long lizard and many more. There are loads of theories as to why the pictures and lines were made, two of which are that the lines were an offering to the gods to send them rain as the region went without rain for a period of 40 years and the other is that they are extra terrestrial landing sites, who knows?!

Ofcourse we did the touristy thing and jump into a 4 seat light aircraft with a lawnmower for an engine and took a 1/2 hour flight over the lines. Although the animal shapes were impressive, for me the dead straight lines that went for miles... as far as the eye could see were more amazing. That fact that I had not been in a plane that small before was a bit of a thrill too. Especially as I was in the co-pilots seat and or pilot was giveing it loads in the corners, banking it to what seemed further than 90 degrees for the perfect view. I was happy to get back on the ground though, the old tum tum was getting a bit upset!!

Nothing else to keep us in Nazca we caught the night bus to Arequipa, a bit apprehensive as night buses are notorious for theft, but we got a decent night sleep and awoke with all our belonging, super!

Arequipa greated us with lovely blue skies, a beautiful old colonial town (the Spanish did leave something behind) surrounded by three snow capped volcanoes - Misti 5822m, Chachani 6075 and Pichu Pichu 5571m, and no we made no attempt to climb them! We booked a tour to the Colca Canyon as it seemed the easiest way to go, the canon being quoted as the deepeest canyon in the world with parts 3000m - 4000m deep, but more recently it has been discovered the Cotahiasi Canyon a further 385km (12 hours by bus no thanks) is even deeper. The agency we bougth the tour from promised 6 pepople on a small mini bus with time each day for hikes, we got 20 people on a bus and no time for hikes. Our tour guide could not have organised a p#ss up in a brewery, we were always running late and on the second day we had to be at the Condo Cross lookout at 8.30am as the condors are about early, we arrived at 9.15am too late, so no condor spotting for us. Crappy tour, left us jaded and not going on anymore tours unless there is no other way!

Back in Arequipa we bumped into Scott whom we had met in Pisco, oh forgot to tell you about the meal we had there. Scott and his friends Emily, Toby and Alex took us to a cervicheria, which only serves cerviche. Cerviche is a national dish made from white sea bass marinated in lemon, chilli and onions served with boiled potato or yam. I had never thought raw fish could taste so good! Yum, yum, yum :) Anyway back to Arequipa so we met Scott and took him to a restaurant we had found the night before which had a set bargin menu and happy hour from 2pm til 10pm, a very happy hour indeed! The set menu for 5 soles equi. US$1.50 was home made tomato soup (Dad you would have loved it) with croutons and spag bog or grilled chicken and salad for main. The bar/restaurant was pretty cool, all decked out in wood and with loads of posters of artisits from the 60s, but unfortunately there was no craic so we headed off to find some. Found another bar with loads of young locals and a girl from the table next to us befriended Scott instantly and so they were off, where dont know, but we hope he made it home in one piece and with all his valuables!

Last stop in Peru (for now anyway, we fly from Lima so we will hike the Inca Trail on the way back when the rain has stopped) was Puno. Set on the shores of Lake Titicaca, it had the potential to be really pretty. It wasn`t!!!

This ugly little town had to have a redeeming feature and so I came upon the guidebooks suggestion for a "lovely walk on the lakes shores to the next village where they build reed boats". So thinking this would be a romantic treat and earn me a few browny points, I grabbed Kim and headed out. The weather was hot and still, this should have been a good thing except out beautiful shores were polluted with sewage outfalls and rubbish dumps. What a STINK!!! We perserverd and it got better as we got out of town. When we arrived in village Chumi which produced the boats made of the reeds that grow on the lakes edge, no boat making was happening, BUGGER!!! We did get some excellent photos of local old women and children collecting the reeds. Being the wet season, the day after our "nice walk " it rained and rained so we did not vist the islands on the lake, which are supposed to be a highlight (something has to be!!), but will do it on our way back.

For now on to Bolivia!!!

Return of the Devil

Riobamba

We are here to go on the Devils Nose Train to Asuzla where we get to ride on the roof - cool, but not so cool as its for 6 hours! Luckily we hired a pillow for US$1 which our bums thought was money well spent. Along the way we were splashed by local women and children as it was the lead up to carnival. What makes this train journey famous is it's 7 switch backs. For those of you totally in the dark when it comes to switch backs (like I was), I will explain ... When a train goes down a hill which is to steep to turn and come back the other way further down the hill, the only way is for the line to be switched and the train reverses down to the next switch, then forward down ... and so on in a zig-zag or falling leaf motion. So what? I hear you say... Well, there are only 3 active train lines in the world that use this method ... your right, I'm not impressed either. But, for those budding train enthusists out there I'm sure this is a big deal. What was impressive for me was the ever changing scenery, from rich terressed farm land, snow capped peaks, shanty towns to arid dust bowl valleys. The wind in your hair, sun on your face, on the roof of a train with a bunch of crazy gringos.

We arrived at Asuzla at about 2pm and were keen to get our connecting bus to Guayaquil. A little to keen I'd say, since we nearly left our Backpacks in the cabose on the train, then didn't check if our bus was direct to Guayaquil ... it wasn't! Instead we took the 3 hours longer scenic route through the cloud forest ... or atleast it would have been if it wasn't for the cloud (I shouldn't have been surprised), then we were held up for an extra hour while a mudslide was being bulldozzed off the road.

More Passport Dilemas

Back in Guayaquil we return to the hated Australian Honorary Consulate to pick up my new passport. To our surprise it was there waiting for us. We have just one question (which I had emailed to them but recieved no reply), I need an entry stamp before I can get out of the country, where can I get one. Surprisingly, they had an answer for us ... go to the Immigration office opposite the bus station. WOW!
But we got excited all to soon. When I saw the dude at Immigration he said because we arrived in Quito I needed to get my new stamp in Quito - 8 hrs bus ride away and the opposite direction to where we want to go. If the consulate had told us this I could have had the passport sent to Quito and picked it up when I was there 2 weeks ago (Much swearing!!!) So, I ring our embassy in Venuzuela... much appologies given, but you may have to go to Quito. Is there ANY other way? We could send you a fax explaining in spanish what happened, please let him out of the country, If there are any problems please call me, Austrailian Consulate to Venuzuala.

"Great!" I say, "Send us the fax".

"Just remember, it may not work, They still may demand the correct documentation, inwhich case you will have to go back to Quito"

So we collected the fax, jumped on the Bus to the border and tried our luck ... surely it was about to change after all the shit we've been through in the last few weeks.

After an aprehensive 3 hours we reached the border. For some reason ecuadorians don't need to have their passports looked at to cross the border to Peru, so being the only gringos on the bus, the hostess escorted us into the passport control office. Kim got her exit stamp straight away ... now for my turn. I show him my brandnew passport, the police report and the fax. He ignores the two documents and flips through the passport looking for my entry stamp.

"No lo Tango" I say (I don't have it).

"¿Por que?" he asks in reply (Why?)

I indicate that my last passport was stolen and direct his attention to the other documents. Suddenly the hostess goes nuts yelling at the passport guard, he yells back and calls over a collegue.

"Shit woman, shut it we don't need more problems" I think to myself.

Again she starts yelling at both officials, it seems she wants them to hurry up or her bus will be late. I think because of this the guard stamps my passport as he still had not read the documents.

Excellent!! But I have to fill out an exit document... The hostess looses it, grabs Kim and runs out of the office. I can't follow I've must fill out the form.

When it's all filled out I head buck out to the bus, which is ... GONE!!! Kim is standing by the road with out bags at her side. Apparently the hossty couldn't wait.

We should have been angry, but we were just thankful I had my exit stamp and with in 2 minutes another bus came along and picked us up.

We are in Peru!

Travel as usual

Chugchilan and Laguna Quilatoa

This is a little bit out of order because we went here before Quito and the surgery drama...
From Baños we had a short bus ride to Latacunga and then a SLOW bumpy bus ride to Chugachilan, 4hrs to go 80km. This is supposed to be a spectacular trip, buit unfortunately the weather closed in so as we could bearly see the road. We stayed at the homely hostel of Mamma Hilda. Met a german girl who said she had not been robbed, we told her she was the first we've met who's not been robbed, paranoid she returned to her room to descover that her Camera had been stolen - Freaky!
The next day we trekked through the canyon and up the narrow path on the other side and continued up to Quilatoa Volcano. 4 hours after setting out we reach the rim of the crater and sat down to view the increadible emerald Laguna inside. So green due to the high alkalinity content of the waters, which cannot be drunk and supports no life. We spent the next hour walking around the rim to Quilatoa village and took the bus back to Mama's (another hour and a half).
Up at 3.30am the next morning to get the bus to Saquasili for the animal markets

Otavalo

So after narrowly escaping surgery we got the hell out of Quito (my least favorite place in the world) and headed north to Otavalo, known for it's huge Saturday Market, mostly selling tourist items. We arrived on a Friday so decided to go for a walk in the local national park.

The place smelt like Australia because it has been reforested with introduced Eucalyptus trees. The experts say itis an ecological disaster since none of the native wildlife and bugs can live off it ... maybe they should introduce koalas! Anyway, the main feature of this Park is the waterfall. So on our way to it 4 indian woman were sitting by a canal... To other Gringos passed us on bicycles, suddenly the Indian women were on their feet filling buckets of water and throwing them over the unsuspecting gringos. This is typical behaviour at the moment as it is canaval all throughout South America. Kim got a whole bucket of water over her head (she was not too impressed) while I got off lightly with water thrown over my leg ... maybe because my arm was in a sling. After enduring the soaking the Waterfall was a little disappointing, mainly due to the concrete modifications at the base to divert the water into a number of canals for agricultural purposes. However, it was great to watch the indian children playing in the clean fresh water.

The Market the next day took over the town in a kaleidoscope of colour and hussle bussle haggling for bargans. Some of the more attractive items (which we foolishly decided not to buy because we would have to carry them for another 3 months) were brightly coloured hand woven Hammocks for US$8; Hand carved chess sets with Spanish and Indian pieces; Alpaca woolen jumpers; Inca style woven rugs and cute childrens clothes to name but afew.

The Sunday we decided to go a bit off the beaten track to Cotacachi Laguna formed inside a volcano. We didn't quite know what to expect, so when we saw the crystal clear unpoluted lake we were stoked. It was absolutly stunning and practically unspoilt - a rare thing here! The only sign of civilisation being a solitary lake front restaurant and a tourist boat to take you around the lake viewing the birdlife, 3 volcanic islands and sulfur dioxide bubbling up from 200m below. After the boat ride we go a lift into town with a lovely Ecuadorian fellow (the only one in Ecuador I'd reckon) back into the town of Cotacachi which is known for it good quaility leatherwork.

Banos

Back in Banos for a few days to do a bit of hiking.

Banos turned out to be a tourist Mecca for 3 reasons.
(1)The Food, it has to be the best in Ecuador ... Why? because it isn't the usual deep fried crap the serve everywhere else. Dare I say it... it may even have been healthy! Probably because they didn't serve up Ecuadorian dishes (except guinea pig)... International dishes were the order of the day!! With a host of Funky Cafes and Bars to choose from.
(2)The Scenery, Set in a lush green valley below the countries nth largest Volcano (still active!!). Several magnificent waterfalls within walking distance, thermal baths and a bike ride down into the amazon... it's surprising this town wasn't purpose built for the backpacker
(3)The Price, As important to any budget as all other considerations. Accomodation, GOOD Food, Beer, and Tourist Activities were CHEAP!!

So what did we do?

We decided to walk up the mountain which towers above the town. On the way up we ran into the French couple we met at Mamma Hildas in Chugchilan. We got some fantastic views of the valley below, right before a torrential down pour saturated us to the bone ... a welcome change to the intense sun and heat!!

I didn't want to do the bike ride to Puno in the amazon (bit hard with my arm in a sling), so we caught a bus to the Rio Verde Waterfalls. As we decended into the jungle you could feel the humidity rise by the minute!!

And, ofcourse we couldn´t pass up ice cold beers with new found friends.

More on the Shoulder

While waiting for my passport (which was stolen with my bag) to get reissued (In Venuzualu since there is no Oz embassy in Ecuador) we traveled around the country(I´m in Ecuador passport in Ven.) ... on or first stop we went hiking up a volcano its over 6310m but we walked from 4800m to 5100m only 1km walk but it took us over an hour because of the altitude.

Then we rode bikes down...

after riding for about 30min we came to a village...

this stupid little 4yo kid ran out in front of me, so I put the brakes on hard so I didn´t hit him as a result I went over the handle bars and landed badly on my left shoulder.

I thought it was just bruised at first but noticed a massive lump there later when I too my shirt off.

Went to the docs and had a xray (after a 4 hr drive) and discovered I have a distended ligament in my shoulder causing my clavical to pop up about 1-2 cm. For those of you who understand medical jargon ... the clavical is seperated from the Scapular.

Was told to rest it for 3 weeks and it sould be fine, but I wanted to make sure that this hick doctor had made the right diagnosis.

When we got to the city I went to a good hospital and they gave me more xrays. After 1 1/2hrs they tell me I need Surgery Immidiatly or else I will have permanent disfunction in my arm .... SHIT !!!!!!!!!!

I start getting a bit woried I think that this is the end of the holiday, and I´ve really fuck up my arm AND I don´t want to be cut open in South America !!!!!!!!

Remember I can´t speak much spanish and They had little english which was worse because I didn´t know what was going on

Then another specialist came to examen me, he spoke english

He asks me to move my arm about, and then in disgust says "Who told you you need surgery? You don´t need an operation for this! let it rest and you will be fine

So I had 2 very different opinions to choose from, what wuold you do? .... I decided against surgery.

This happend about 3 weeks ago my shoulder is weak and a bit stiff at times, but I can use it just fine

I might need surgery in the future (in a year or so) but then I´ll be able to go to a western hospital .... much better than here