Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....
Trip Start
Mar 25, 2008
1
21
54
Trip End
Nov 22, 2008
La Paz,
La Paz,
Bolivia
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
We arrived into La Paz at nearly 2am to a beautiful sight of the city lights spread out below us....LaPAz is in a basin of surrounding mountains perched up as the highest city in South America, 3700metres above sea level, the airport is actually above the city and then you come down the mountains into the bowl of fairy lights. Itīs freezing cold a this time of night thats for sure ...hoping it warms up a little in the morning!
We have booked into Loki Hostel, a place owned by 3 Irish lads...so you can only imagine the scene!! haha... actually at 2.30am it was very quiet and we got a private room for 110bs which is about 7-8 bucks each for the night...we will stay here 4 nights trying to sort out our plan and book a few things
Me in LaPaz..our first morning!
! Itīs actually a hotel converted to a hostel...the bar area is great all decked out in red velet curtains it looks all quite from another era. Looking a the book-in board this place sleeps about 200 people...but you never really see or hear that many.The first morning we ventured out into a blue skied crisp cool day....the sun makes everything look fantastic ...the city is not as noisey as the big cities in Ecuador...altho the pollution from the old busses etc is disgusting, diesel fumes pluming out everywhere!
We have no real plans except to find the Witches Market and have Indian for lunch....so with those two things in mind we set out from the hostel. Soon enough we are in the thick of things...Llama fetus anyone????...they are very good luck if buried at the cornerstone of your home. Of course, I am not sure what customs would do with me if I tried to bring one home...hmmm...maybe not today thanks!!! *grin* They had plenty of other statues etc that could help out with many things if you didnt fancy the dead animal offerings. I might actually buy some of those and send them home! There were also a lot of my favorite ĻjunkĻ shops selling lots of old things that I would have loved to have bought but hey we all know I canīt carry it and I donīt really have a home as such so accumulating even more stuff doesnīt seem so sensible!!...but then again when have I been sensible about shopping!!?
We were lucky enough to be in LaPAz on a day that we could see the three peaked mountian whose name escapes me but it was very beautiful snow capped and huge..
LaPaz Church
. looming much higher than we are situated. Not being able to fly to the Amazon this week we have decided to do the Worlds Most Dangerous Road bike ride and then get out of Dodge and head south to check out some of the countryside then return to LaPaz to fly to the jungle. La Paz and Bolivia as a whole is a draw card to tons of tourist...some here to see this amazing country in all is hues...snow capped mountains...red deserts and green mountians ranges ...others are here for the cheap Bolivian snow which is fairly evident in the number of gap year kids walking around looking particularly unkept and in a complete daze.....their parents would be sooo proud if they knew what they were funding!!..each to their own tho...unfortunaley the downside is that some do die here trying to find their nivana as was the fact a week or so ago with a young Aussie guy that toppled to his death whilst leaning too far back on a balcony railing......the coke and ketamine didnīt directly kill him but his affected behaviour certainly did! Sad for everyone!! Something for those overdulging to think about. Onto other things...
THE WORLD MOST DANGEROUS ROAD BIKE ride....yes I know there are plenty of you out there that doubt my abilty to not fall off a bike on a 600metre cliff edge..(mostly those that have seen me affected by rum - my nivana, and with the wobbly boots on!! uh ohhhh!!).....and at some points I was concerned I might not be able to stay the distance on the road...namely because a big leaf...and I mean SCARY BIG leaf....yes...jumped off a tree and fell on my head putting the speed wobbles into the bike action for a minute there!!!! Oh boy!!!!!!!!!...but from the days when I won...yes won... the school...(primary school- a while ago I know)...bike rally, I knew a dangerous road would be in my destiny...and only my mum had complete faith that I would survive this one ...she wanted to come too..
I´m off to the witches mrkt..I´m sure i´ll fit in!
. so there to the rest of you wimps... we are built of tougher stuff!!! haha!! Soo Jo and Georgie you can rest easy I survived and am still comming back to torment you all in July!!! The scenery is beautiful...you just have to remember to only look when you have stopped as it is easy to ride off the edge as a few peeps have unfortunately done in the last month or so....OUCH!!...of course they get you to ride on the left hand side of the road which is the closest to the edge...go figure!!! haha!!...anyway the first 20ks in on bituman ...the warm up...then itīs pretty much rocky gravelly dusty road on the edge of no where...stunning!!...for the next 40ks...we went with Gravity Bolivia and I have to say the guys that were our guides were great and very safety concious...checking our bikes every time we stopped and giving us instructions on where to look when riding ...the bike follows your eyes people so no star gazing!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike and Jubert were great fun and I would highly recommend doing the trip with them...thanks Kiwi Mel in Cayman for the tip there!! :o) It was an all day event ...we left at 8am in the morning and then got home about 9.30pm....the ride home is 3 hours and the drive was almost as harrowing on those mountain roads as the bike ride....how bloody high can you make roads I mean really ...we were up very very high and the mountains surrounding us were still towering!!!!...the stars in these parts are AMAZING and it is always makes me smile to see the southern cross!!
Oh course, as per usual, if we have done something extremely tiring we always seem to have plans to be up at sparrows the next day...and this time it was to catch a plane...yes we are cheating in the backpakcing world but bugger it itīs only US$80 and saves 16hours in a bus which I have to admit is fast becoming my least favorite way of traveling!!!...bring me a helipcoter someone..and I mean NOW!!!...of thats right I am homeless, jobless and clueless so no $$ for the heli but a plane ticket at $80 I can still afford for now...so itīs off to Santa Cruz for then another bus ride to a wee town called Samaipata....said Sammypatter...if you say it right everyone doesnīt stare at you like you are from Mars!!!!!....more hiking to be done here...so check the next instalment to see me once again practice for Everest...oh I mean Machu Pichu!!!...I still prefer bikes (downhill) and horses....but the hiking is still fun and very beautiful!
