La Paz
Trip Start
Nov 30, 2003
1
5
8
Trip End
Ongoing
La Paz,
Bolivia
Sunday, May 23, 2004
Well after a bus ride from hell lasting 26 hours we arrive in Salta. A nice little city, with a very typical Argentinan feel but not much to do here. After a night in a hostel populated by us and about 20 Israelies who stole our bread and when spoken to replied with a grunt only otherwise heard from a North American Grizzly, we decided to headt straight to San Pedro in Chile. A further 12 hour bus ride reaching altitudes of 5000 metres!
This bus ride was absolutely stunning taking in Lamas and huge Cacti. After about 4000 metres we both started to feel considerably nauseas. Yes we were experiencing the pleasnt feeling of ALtitude Sickness! We arrive safely in San Pedro which is a tiny village mad of mud huts and dirt roads. Really cool, the first feeling that reminds you that you are in a very different culture! We stayed in a nice mud hut the night with our very only standard issue kitten!
Next day and we are ib a 4wd with 6 people heading out on a 3 day tour into Bolivia. This so far has to be the most amazing scenery to date. We start off heading through desert and beautiful lakes. THe only comparison i can make to its dramatic landscape is what pictures of Mars looks like! We pass through catching some hot pools and 135 degree geysers at 5600 metres. I felt like a 90 year old man trying to walk in this altitude, very strange feeling. Our first day was ended by seeing the red lake which was red due to the algae and some very pink Flamingos that are pink from eating the algae. Beautiful!! just beautiful!! We spent a night in the coldest accommodation i have ever been in(-15 inside). After a night of constant headache we awake for day 2.
Off again in our 4wd we take in some planet of the apes style landscape, a few more flamingos, volcanoes, and some more lakes. At the end of the day we arrive in a much warmer accommodation overlooking the biggest Salt Lake in the world.
Day 3 and we are on the Salt lake driving to an Island in the middle. I have never seen anything like this lake, salt as far as the eye can see!! The island in the middle is full of Cacti, dating back over 1200 years, one bein g 12 meters high. We have lunch and a game of footy in the middle of the lake and head to Uyuni for the end of our trip. Awesome, a real must for nayone going to South America!
We arrive in Uyuni to witness another protest from the miners. After a stick of Dynamite goes off about 5 meters away frmo us we depart pretty quick to La Paz. Another 12 hours overnight on the bumpiest road known to man with no toilet on the coach. It was a testing time of Bladder endurance! After 4 hours we stopped and i only just passsed, i tell you!
We are now in LA Paz resting after covering some serious miles. Bolivia is really cool and you really know you are in Bolivia here, very indiginous, lots of history and a very vibrant city.
More tails to follow
hasta luego
paul
