The grand finale - La Paz and home!
Trip Start
Jun 01, 2008
1
21
22
Trip End
Jul 27, 2008
La Paz,
Bolivia
Friday, July 25, 2008
Here we are back in La Paz after a flight from Sucre with the lovely local airline Aerosur. Well, they have nice colours anyway - purple and green. Shame about the dodgy takeoff and landing. At least no bits fell off the plane! (Sorry Qantas)! We actually nearly didn't make it to the airport at all - in true Bolivian fashion a snap strike was called and the roads to the airport at Sucre were blocked. Lucky we left early in the morning before the strike force was at its full compliment. Consequently our bus driver managed to find an unoccupied route 'around the back way'. Lucky us!
Back at the Hotel Rosario with Boris (our best friend away from home) and Ximena. We're in for some last minute shopping at the markets only to be told to get home quickly because the 'bandits' are coming out tonight
Airport - Iquique, Chile. It's all happening here!
. Whoever the bandits are. Anyway, we scurry home after a decent meal at the Tucan restaurant (opposite Olivers the British Pub - what? Where else would you expect to find a British Pub but in a city in Bolivia??). About 10 o'clock, sure enough, there's lots of yelling and shouting in the streets which escalates into gunfire an hour or so later. Glad we made it back to the hotel!Next day we're off to the airport and guess what, more strikes! And a marching band (actually a series of about 16 marching bands). We wait patiently (which is more than our taxi driver does as he lays on his horn). Lucky we anticipated this and left an hour earlier than necessary! Hit a dog on the road at the entrance to the airport. Great! Then get told by the lovely lady at the Lan Chile counter that we have tickets from La Paz to Iquique and Santiago but no further...........mmmm.........don't panic........worst case scenario is Nic doesn't get to work on Monday! Anyway, off we go for 45 minutes where we land in Iquique - a bizarre 'installation' on the north coast of Chile. From what we gather this is just a mustering station and immigration clearance point. We all get off the plane, clear Chilean immigration and then get back on the plane again. Well, that was worthwhile..! Get to Santiago where our reservations were 'found'...amazing! From here - home!
Adios amigos!
nic & Pam
