About time for an entry i think!

Trip Start Mar 18, 2008

Trip End Ongoing

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Flag of Bolivia Santa cruz, Bolivia
Saturday, April 19, 2008

Well i have really neglected this site. What with Facebook, Hotmail and keeping up with the sports scores i just never get around to it! Well i have certainly done a lot since the last entry. Namely the big Inca Trail to Machhu Picchu which seems like months ago. It was certainly an eye opener as well as a leg killer! The weather was reasonably kind to us though so the passage to the sun gate on the last day was trouble free. Now only if they would hold back the lazybones people who take the bus up there until the hardcore trekker guys had seen it then things would be perfect! Of course i have to say this though! Great effort by the porters and our guide on that trip! A mention has to go to the folks of Peru rail who on the trip back to Ollytaytambo presented us with what has to be the most bizzarre onboard entertainment ever. Starting with a guy dressed up in the weirdest outfit ever and carrying a stuffed plush llama. This guy paraded down the carriage to music being even creepier than the child cathcer from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Cusco square

! This was followed by a fashion show giving us a glimpse of Peru rails finest clothing ranges! The models didn�t look in the least bit embarrassed. No sir they did not! I�ll pop some pics on here at one point.

Well what else has happend? Well let me do a quick list:

Cusco- great time, great city and a good way to acclimatise for the trail. Less said about the numerous offers of massage the better. Err why did you not warn me miss tour leader what these offers really were!

Amazonique Adventure - Well this was billed by GAP to be a trip down the Amazon but turned out to be a river in the �mazon basin�! Still a great adventure but the real thing is to come.Oh and came face to face with a coral snake. Then to be told later there was no antidote available for it if i got bitten!!

Lake Titicaca - Brill visit to the lake. We did the touristy thing of staying with a local family on one of the islands and my sister bless her had to dress up in traditional dress whist i got away with just a poncho. I did suffer the indignity though of being totally knackered on the football pitch and retreating to goal whist one of our group Sarah stil carried on the torch on the field

The start of the Inca Trail

! It was the altitude honest! Visited the floating reed islands too which is a concept i do not think will catch on in the UK to solve the housing crisis!

La Paz - An absolutely mental and overwhelming city. Way too busy and not really my cup of tea. Was only there 2 days but to escape the hustle i decided to go cycling down �the worlds most dangerous road� which i must say was not that dangerous! Mountain bike beneath me i managed to conquer the death defying turns easily enough. Ok the guide wouldnt let us go that fast but only an idiot would fall off into the abyss below! A great contrast of being above the clouds and cold at the start and then ending up in lush, tropical jungle with breathtaking views and then a final dip in a handy swimming pool!

Salt Flats - Wel after the usual tortuous bus and train journeys that define the Bolivian leg of the trip it was time for the Salt Flats. As far as the eye could see it was a blinding white experience caused by the drying of seas years and years ago and glaciers melting or something. I sort of lost the real explanation! We spent a day there then moved onto the contrast of the Bolivian desert. Great mountain ranges, volcanoes and lakes. Too much really to describe here but 3 great days in the desert and a numb bum from all the jeep parts

Top of dead womans pass. Nearly dead man!

!

Potosi and Sucre - Well the trip to Potosi was one of torture. You can sort of tell im not a fan of the bus bits! The road was akin to a construction site that went on for 6 hours so there was no chance for rest. Only chance for you to time your movements with the bumps in the road! Potosi itself is a mining town. Well it was thriving once with the exploitation of silver in the nearly mountain and the unforgivable exploitation of the indigenous population. Nowadays it gets by by mining other minerals. I had a tour of the mine with my GAP pals and even helped in some way towards a hole for some dynamite so i did my bit for the day and hopefully didnt get in the way! Horrendous conditions and its hard to believe kids of 12 could be working there. I needed to see it first hand though. Sucre by contrast was a time to relax, hit the bars and do some proper traveller drinking. A very nice place to start our descent from the oxygen stealing heights we had previously been at!

All in all the last few weeks have been a blur. I know i have missed so much out. What i have missed so far are the people i have made friends with and then had to say goodbye to when their tour ended. A shout has to go out to Simon who was my beer buddy and source of great amusement. He is sorely missed. Also said goodbye yeaterday to more travellers. My adventure buddies Hannah and Petra. My sis and i are now travelling with 4 norwegian girls and Alison who is a gallant hanger on from the first day in Lima. We will all finish together in Rio in 2 weeks. Had some great experiences but there are so many more to come. Will try to write again...soon...i promise!