Diplomat Cochabamba

... bit more apprehensive but he finally did it aswell. The water was really refreshing as it was a really hot day and the scenery was spectacular. However, when we had finished playing we realised that we had to walk back up the canyon in that heat. There were about 800 steps and we thought we were back doing the Inca Trail!!!! We managed to make it in the end though and that afternoon we headed back to Cochabamba for a night bus to Sucre.

... i came that it would be hard. Again it is hygiene that is the biggest problem here and even just going on the bus or walking down the street is a task when there is rubbish all over the floor, smelly ppl everywhere (they dont wash often in bolivia) and stray dogs all over the place, so far ihave managed to avoid rabies! i have not yet walked down the street and not seen a stray dog!they are everywhere and often hang around in packs. I used to be a dog ...

... So we took a taxi to the collectivo station, bought tickets and provisions and got straight on our way. It was a bit cramped, and the minibus drove fast downhill on a winding, bumpy road. Not too comfortable, but for 20 kroner you can't complain! The view was spectacular as it changed from highland area to tropical rainforest, althouth our view was bit ...

Joel: So the protests and blokades were over as we reached the town of Uyuni. I had a long very satisfying shower and headed off to a nice local restuarant. 3 courses for 2 pounds and the food was surprisingly good. I tried unsuccessfully to book a train out of there - it turned out that the protesters had put rocks on the tracks so there would be no trains for a few days. So with no other choice I opted for a bolivian ...

... the city, whats not to like about the place? And it also has the added bonus of not really being the biggest tourist attraction in the country, therefore you can easily spend an entire day without seeing any other obvious tourists. Lovely. As a result, i have spent my two weeks (so far) here doing only a few things... Perusing the market, otherwise known as La Cancha, finding myself new and wonderful things to keep amused ...

... Attraktion der Stadt sind eben Touren in diese Mienen. Mann kann Dynamitstangen kaufen und damit rumboellern, und auf den Touren durch die Stollen (die total ohne Konzept und Sicherheitsmassnahmen mit mittelalterlichen Mitteln wahllos kreuz und quer durch den Berg getrieben werden), waehrend dort natuerlich immer noch gearbeitet wird, gibt es knietiefes Wasser, giftige Daempfe, Temperaturschwankungen von 0 bis 40 Grad ...

... Stunning. Overwhelming. Huge. Vast. Wild. Empty. Full. Diverse. You feel like you're travelling through 5 different universes! See facebook albums!! Day 1: First stop, the train cemetary. Lots of old old abandoned trains that used to transport minerals to Chile. Then the salt villaje of Colchani. Where salt is refined and packaged and sent off to various parts of Bolivia. The salt is not expported, and costs 9 Bolivianos (1.5CHF, 1.2$CAD) for 50kg. Not bad eh? Was thinking ...

... go get my bus to Uyuni (I'd been assured by the police at the bus station that they check all drivers before they leave the station...). All very worthwhile in the end and amazing. Uyuni. First of all, horrible bus. If you ever go, try to go one of the days that the train runs! Apparently much more comfortable, plus you get the view as they go during the day and the buses only at night. Arrived at 7am instead of 4am which worked out quite well cause it meant I didn't have ...

... besoek. Selv om jeg har tulla faelt med hvor dumt det er aa smugle narkotika i Latin-Amerika, var det jo ikke for aa "se paa dem" vi hadde kommet. Vi hadde diskutert dette ganske mye, og kommet fram til at hvis det hadde vaert oss som satt fengsla i Bolivia, hadde vi blitt ganske glade for besoek fra Norge. Og det tror jeg de ble ogsaa. Vi ble moett med klem, og litt spoerrende uttrykk. Etterpaa fant vi ut at de hadde blitt plaga masse av journalister fra hele verden, det samme ...

... news there might be. Ruddy and his cousin Cristian came back to visit my at the terminal and we had some beers. The road blockage didn't last all that long, luckily, and I was leaving Cochabamba at 22:30, though I nearly missed my bus, as Ruddy wanted to say goodbye, but he got stuck chatting to this lady - mother of a friend of theirs, so the bus had already left the parking lot and I had to run after it like a crazy person with my big backpack and a ...