4x4s,geysers & salt flats....the usual
Trip Start
Dec 29, 2007
1
9
15
Trip End
Feb 17, 2008
La Paz,
Bolivia
Thursday, January 17, 2008
We are currently residing at roughly 3700m in la Paz, the capital of Bolivia, and are trying to stay awake after a harrowing 12 hr bus ride from Uyuni. You would not believe the roads out here, it was like we were experiencing the worst plane turbulence ever but on the road! We were bumping and grinding for the entire bus ride over unpaved dusty tracks driving across the desert, occassionly needing help to cross swollen rivers! Thank g-d for sleeping tablets!
The journey had to be done because we ended our 3 day 4x4 jeep tour of the mountains in Uyuni, Bolivia. We had started the tour from San Pedro, Chile and had climbed over 3000m to a maximum of 5000m at the point we visited the geysers. Wow, we could not belive our eyes when we had full access to the geysers, hot clay bubbling right below our feet, it was amazing. The smell wasnt though, hence i becoming sick with altitude sickness. Once back down at our accomodtion for the night at the edge of the red lagoon, my wonderful fiancee mad me some coca leaf tea and brought me back round! what a star!..... (they use coca leaves here to combat altitude sickness - and it really works!).
Itīs fee here now..... Our accomodation for the first night consisted of staying with a small bolivian family/village(?) in dorm rooms within some small concrete buildings, in the middle of nowhere! Quite wierd, especially having to bunk up all cosy like with our new found tour buddies.
Overall the tour consisted of seeing every kind of colour lagoon you can think of, each full of pink flamingos, vicunas (wild skinny llamas), and occassionally a flock of Llamas with pretty pink ribbons in their ears (very cute!). Oh yeah, and lots of crazy desert rock formations, beautiful snow capped volcanoes, and driving like mad across the desert driven by a slightly mad bolivian driver (guides are not included! it was every man for himself!)
The highlight of the trip was on the third day visiting the salt plain just outside of Uyuini.
Accomodation for the night - very basic!
This is the largest of its kind in the world. Unfortunatly by day 3 i had succumbed to sickness (again), and woke up vomitting at 6.30 in the morning (food poisoning i believe this time - can even be from raw veges washed in the water). So after a brief moment of "i canīt move", i pulled myself together, medicated myself and we headed off.As you can see by the photos, the coolest things about the salt flats are the crazy photos you can take (i mean who cares about the amazing geology and all that!!)! The expanse of the salt means you lose all concept of horizon!
anyway, enough blabbing on, there is so much to tell, but we dont want to bore you too much!
so now, we have 3 nights in La Paz staying at a hostel which has its only microbrewed beer - free to residents supposedly. Also, we have decided we are going to do the īRoad of Death bike ride!! Please dont worry mothers, cause it is all sweet now, as it closed to cars and trucks.
Scotty - guy thought your email was great, live forever Scooter!
Galley - i have been more sick than guy, so he says leave him alone!! (but i know what you mean!!)
guy and fee
xx
Comments
From Auntie Pam & Eddie Klammer
You look and sound as if you are having a great time.Keep enjoying and look after yourselves see you in NZ lots of love
WOW!
Wow, Wow and Wow again, the places you're visiting look amazing! We've booked our tickets to NZ, we'll be there for about 4 weeks + can't wait, I want to go everywhere!..just hope we can squeeze it all in. We're going to Thailand + Cambodia on the way back.
Carry on having fun + take care
Loads of love
Vik + John xxxxxx
Bolivia Rocks
I love Bolivia, its one insane country. Wait to you get to Rurre. Good luck for the Road of Death then the 27 bus ride to follow. You think the bus ride to La Paz was bad. Make sure you check your brakes on your bikes!
GREEN WITH........
Seriously, how do you expect me to concentrate on marking the 90 assignments sat in front of me (before Monday) when you keep posting interesting and exciting blogs for me to read? All I can hear is kids screaming and the local Youth Team lads causing chaos in the room next to me, and then to make matters worse you go and post some fantastic pictures (love the one of Fee on the salt with the sky etc)and words to match. How is a teacher supposed to get any work done around here.........!!
x