Hotel La Quinta Santa Cruz

... to walk him alone in the afternoon and would be joined by B1 in the mornings. And thus we set off with Ruary, the soon-to-depart previous `keeper`, to walk with Carlos around his short trail - our training session. It was pretty brief, Ruary got dragged into the laguna during a momentary lapse of concentration, Carlos got snagged up in a tree...and before we knew it, we were all back at the cage. I got the cat keys - that afternoon he was all mine. Or was i all his? I was ...

... companies, who well are Bolivian. From what i have learned throughout my trip is to never go with the overpriced American companies. Why would i want to spend twice as much for awesome protection on the worlds most dangerous road. They suit you up in so much padding, you don't have nearly as much control. And when there are 2000 ft cliffs surrounding you, I'm pretty sure you will turn into powder either way. I came to south America to ...

... restant et nous prenons le bus. Nous sommes tous les deux un peu nostalgiques devant ce bordel typiquement bolivien. Ca sent de plus en plus la fin et ca fait bizarre. Le bus est a moitie vide et nous avons toute la place necessaire en plus il y a un bar avec cafes et soda en libre service.

... were kind of surprised when all I had for luggage was a backpack for carry-on though. And Jacqui didn't have anything with her. The CGR airport may be international...but just barely. There is only one gate for international departures and only one immigration official who works it. Going through exit immigration in Brasil wasn't much of an issue. Though since we've been to Brasil so many times now we have to help show the ...

Well we have survived the Death Train and are now in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. The travelling doesnīt stop here though - after this brief internet/food stop we are getting another bus to Uyuni this afternoon which will arrive tomorrow afternoon. Thhe 22 hr bus journey from Sao Paulo to the Bolivian border was bearable - nice reclining seats, regular stops and air conditioning. Once into Bolivia it was a slightly different story - as ...

... it has a relaxed tropical atmosphere (it has the largest population diversity in the country). Attractions: Cathedral, Dancers Peaceful Protest Ice Cream Parlours FACT: Santa Cruz is the hub of Bolivia's richest region and is the most populous and cosmopolitan city in the country. Altitude of 416 meters (climate is tropical). It was founded in 1561. The city's main aim was to supply the rest of ...

... in the group had paid porters to carry their things. We hiked for around 10Ks on day one. Some sections were uphill, others were on the flats and with the added weight of my pack it was relatively hard, even though day one was classed as easy! Anyway, we stopped at several spectacular Inka ruins and also stopped for lunch. The main things that amazed me, apart from the spectacular sights along the way, was the porters. They carry an amazing amount ...

... Weather was very very hot and had a nice pool in the hostel. Was glad to have survived Boliva without getting sick, most people get some sort of food poisoning there. The country as a whole is very poor and very cheap for travellers. The highlights are definately Death Road, the Salt Plains and the mines at Potosi although there is long distances between each one. However it is a country definately worth visiting if you have the time

In Santa Cruz for a few days, we arrived just before a bank holidays so really everything was shut. People dressed in green and white are everywhere with flags and fireworks manifesting for the independance of Santa Cruz (i had read they wanted it, didnīt know so badly) all over the main square. Today the town is much more pleasant, all the shops are opened again and itīs sunny. We are leaving tonight for ...

... the families.
We also spent a whole afternoon making and baking bread!! I had never done this before so it was a great learning experience. We made over 400 rolls and over 70 empenadas with Onion and Cheese which are handed out to 5 families per day until the ingredients run out
Other roles i played was entertaining the kids. I played cards, marbles (bola as they call it) and football (or Pelota as Bolivians call it).
The ...