La Paz, and the end of our tour
Trip Start
Nov 15, 2008
1
27
68
Trip End
Jun 15, 2009
La Paz,
Bolivia
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Lake Titicaca was another huge drive away, and we got to Puno the largest port on the Peruvian side that night. We had picked up a new truck in Cuzco so the seats were a bit more comfortable, but it was still a big day. We left for a trip around the Lake the next day getting a lift down to the port in peddle Took Tooks, which was quite fun.
The Lake is the highest Navigable lake in the world and it is about 125kms long and 65kms wide, and at its deepest it is 300mts deep. We got on a boat that only went about 5kms an hour and headed the 35kms to our first stop the island of Taquile where we had lunch and wandered about the island. The second island we went to was Amantani where we were going to stay with a local family. We got given to a lady called Juana who took me and Dave to her house and dumped us in a bedroom. When it was time she came and got us and took us up to play soccer with the locals. We were all given Beannies to wear and hardly any of us suited them. I didn't end up playing soccer, it was all looking a bit to serious, and the only girl who was playing used to represent Australia for the under 20's team, so I felt it better to sit it out. We won in the end so the boys were pretty happy with themselves.
Juana took us back to her house where we were meant to have a family dinner together. Instead we got put in the kitchen with the cook (or mother in law, couldn't tell) and got to eat tea with a chicken sitting on one chair and a cat below me on the floor. By this time it was freezing cold and raining, but the night wasn't over yet. We now were getting dressed up into local clothing and going to a dance. Dave got a lovely poncho and I got a huge skirt and top and a shawl that all smelt like wet dog.. I felt pretty ridiculous until we turned up at the hall to see everyone else looking the same. It wasn't a bad night, but everyone was pretty stuffed, so after a few dances everyone went to their separate homes.
We got back onto the boat the next morning and headed slowly to the floating reed islands. These places were truly weird. They were islands made completely of reeds, just floating on the lake. They were small, they stank and were damp. About 20 people lived on each island, and they looked more like a ride or display in a theme park then somewhere you would live. We stayed for about 20 mins and then left on our extremely slow and now broken down boat.
It was then off to Bolivia and to the end of our tour. The border crossing was much easier and tamer then the Ecuador-Peru one, and we got through with out trouble, just the usual where are you from, me saying Australia and them saying AHHH KANGAROOS. Is it really the only thing people know about Australia!? We got to La Paz late in the arvo and settled into our hotel. That night we went out for our last big night out. We had tea on the roof terrace which included all the wine you could drink and then went to a few clubs ending up in a basement bar. It was a good, but different night in what some people call the most unique city in the world.
We wandered around La Paz the next day taking in the major sites, there was a referendum going on so a lot of people were about protesting, mainly indigenous people in their traditional clothing, so it made a unique march to watch. We wandered through the witches market which was a bit gross with snake and mammal skins hung up everywhere and Llama Foetuses all about the place. That night we met up with Dave's Dad for the last time in South America and said goodbye to the people on our tour.
One of the things we were told to do while in Bolivia was to do a bike ride down the world's most dangerous road, so called because hundreds of people died each year on this thin gravel road. The Road was actually closed to Vehicles a few years ago because they built a new much better road, but a few cars and trucks still drive along it to get to small villages along the way.
The way to go down it now is by mountain bike, and it is 68kms long and down hill the whole time. This was so much fun, but was a bit scary at times when you are going 30kms/hr on a bike right past a cliff edge. It was very beautiful riding under waterfalls and looking down onto the Amazon rain forest. But when we first started at 4,700mts it was snowing and sooooooo cold, I thought I would never feel my fingers again. If you do do this in the wet season, make sure you wear water proof trousers, my pants were soaked through! It is a must do though, and now there are hardly any cars it is pretty safe, just don't go faster then you want too.
