And so the story continues a 2 week vacation from climbing was to be had. With seriously killer hangovers from the night before myself and Jose were ready to go check out a couple of other countries. First stop Bolivia.
From San Pedro we jumped on the mini bus which took us through immigrations and connected us with our 4x4 jeep waiting at the Bolivian border, which is basically a shack at 4800m altitude in the middle of what seems to be now-where. Welcome to Bolivia!
We set off with our bags tied down to the roof of the jeep and begin our 3 day tour across the desserts. Accompanied by a few other nations- French (Steffanie), Korean (Sin and ……..?) and Bolivian (the driver) spirits were high (well mine and Jose´s were, France was worried about the cold and Korea was suffering from harsh altitude sickness). Bouncing around the jeep like jibber-jabbers on amphetamines with the blissful Spanish remixes of 80´s classics such as ´total eclipse of the heart´ we arrive at our first photogenic location – lagoona verde or the green lake amazingly enough its called that because its green! But seriously, the high volume of copper and various other minerals (again my Spanish fails me) gives the lake its green complexion. We drive on through more seemingly never-ending dessert landscape past some rocks that have some resemblance of Salvador Dahli´s art work, however we were so far away they just seemed like rocks that have a resemblance of far off rocks (a little disapointed with that stop). Anyway, onto the bubbling geysers, with thick clouds of steam and the ´sweet´ aroma of sulphur jutting out of little craters scattered across the floor. Then more 4x4 action and lunch, at what was to be our home for the night. A small collection of shelters in the dessert accompanied with cold winds and sinister llamas. Llamas are actually really sweet chilled out creatures, however conversation somehow led to the uncovering of a government experiment making a new race of super llamas which will eventually take over the world (think 28 days later but with llamas). Ok back to ´reality´, after lunch and siestas we had a short drive to lagoona Colorado, same deal as lagoona verde however this time red a really deep blood red (the plot thickens!) with a mass of bright pink flamingos littering the lake like fallen pink stars. This was the most beautiful lake of all we saw along this trip, really amazing and so full of life.
With the discovery of the jeeps aux output, only good music was to be listened to for the rest of our journey (80´s classics just doesn’t cut the mustard) and onto the lagoona Honda or the deep lake – its deep and it’s a lake, there you go! The next stop was one of my favourites, more Dahli rocks but this time up close and personal. Thousands of years of wind erosion create a stone monument more than worthy of the Tate Modern. Of course I had to inspect the bouldering capabilities, however only with my eyes as I believe this rock was more than just a boulder, also I believe that it would probably snap at the base with anymore excess weight and squash the subsequent climber (thus becoming even more worthy of the Tate Modern). A few more lakes followed packed with life from more flamingos, llamas and vicunas (a kind of llama but less hairy) and then the salt hotel- a hotel made of salt, its true!! The floor, the walls, the tables, chairs everything was made out of salt (I hear the pepper hotel is still under construction). We were the only occupants of the hotel, cattered with an awesome meal then after, the guide showed us a really hard hitting video about the life of a boy in Bolivia working to support his family and his own schooling- beautifully presented and so sad to see not just on the screen but for the next few days in the flesh. It amazes and deeply saddens me how one strip of land, a frontier or border can have such a dramatic impact on peoples lives.
The next and final day of the tour takes us to the salt flats of Uyni- the biggest salt flat in the world. Its here because once upon a time this part of the world was unde the sea and with the growth of the andes (which by the way is one of the youngest mountain ranges and is still growng) forms obviously mountains and therefore a ramp is created for the sea to run down and leave its salt(or something like that). The further we drive the less we see, only whiteness, everywhere, its like being in a dream. The sky is white with only a hint of blue and the ground a carpet of salt forming strange hexagonal patterns. A mystical place, and in what could be the middle an island (of earth) named Incahuasi translated roughly as Inca island, a bizarre land of rocks and cactus that just seem as though it shouldn’t really be there. After about another 20 minutes of driving the salt flats finish and the dreamy landscapes end.
We arrive in Uyni where we walk around the markets and the purchase of an almighty poncho takes place. We have food and some beers, say our farewells to Steff and arrange a bus to La Paz. This was the worst bus ride of my life, non stop pot holes restricting anykind of rest. Every now and again stopping to either help other vehicles that had broken down or stopping because we had broken down but eventually we made it.
Stumbling through the streets of La Paz to find a place to stay and straight away getting on with our 2 missions- sort out a visa for Jose and buy myself a camera, the former of the two proved most difficult for Jose. We spent the rest of the day wondering around the city continuously amused by the trigger happiness of the drivers horns. After a walk through the infamous witches markets where hanging carcus´ of llamas, skulls, many a talisman and potions reside we decided it time for food. After which a visit to an entertaining Jokers style Bolivian club.
Next day, without surprise more visa problems as the weekend was drawing nigh the embassy would not grant the documents for Jose until next week and so Jose would have to return to La Paz. We checked out and left our bags in storage, on return to the hostel to our dismay the building was closed and our bags locked inside (shit!). We soon found the reason why, a protest was being held by the street merchants. From what I can gather it was about the capital status being moved to another city and thus removing the tourist trade away from the merchants. However this was not your average protest more like a party was being held in the streets with fireworks and music.
We returned to the hostel a few hours later and luckily they had re-opened, grabbed our bags and paced to the bus station only to find no more busses were leaving were leaving to Copacabaña (a place which boasts the biggest lake at the higest altitude in south America, on the Peruvian and Bolivian border). Truly gutted, both of us not keen on spending another night in the city. Randomly I took a walk around the terminal and spotted a bus now leaving, with dodgey Spanish I manage to grab us a ride, awesome!
We were on our way for a couple of days of chilling by the lake front. And what a lake, you look at it and think it’s the sea, its just unimaginaly big! A nice session of slackline and a freezing boat ride to the island of the sun passed the days.
And so minus my Mexican amigo I venture off into Peru for a visit to some ancient city I hear a few people go to……
From San Pedro we jumped on the mini bus which took us through immigrations and connected us with our 4x4 jeep waiting at the Bolivian border, which is basically a shack at 4800m altitude in the middle of what seems to be now-where. Welcome to Bolivia!
We set off with our bags tied down to the roof of the jeep and begin our 3 day tour across the desserts. Accompanied by a few other nations- French (Steffanie), Korean (Sin and ……..?) and Bolivian (the driver) spirits were high (well mine and Jose´s were, France was worried about the cold and Korea was suffering from harsh altitude sickness). Bouncing around the jeep like jibber-jabbers on amphetamines with the blissful Spanish remixes of 80´s classics such as ´total eclipse of the heart´ we arrive at our first photogenic location – lagoona verde or the green lake amazingly enough its called that because its green! But seriously, the high volume of copper and various other minerals (again my Spanish fails me) gives the lake its green complexion. We drive on through more seemingly never-ending dessert landscape past some rocks that have some resemblance of Salvador Dahli´s art work, however we were so far away they just seemed like rocks that have a resemblance of far off rocks (a little disapointed with that stop). Anyway, onto the bubbling geysers, with thick clouds of steam and the ´sweet´ aroma of sulphur jutting out of little craters scattered across the floor. Then more 4x4 action and lunch, at what was to be our home for the night. A small collection of shelters in the dessert accompanied with cold winds and sinister llamas. Llamas are actually really sweet chilled out creatures, however conversation somehow led to the uncovering of a government experiment making a new race of super llamas which will eventually take over the world (think 28 days later but with llamas). Ok back to ´reality´, after lunch and siestas we had a short drive to lagoona Colorado, same deal as lagoona verde however this time red a really deep blood red (the plot thickens!) with a mass of bright pink flamingos littering the lake like fallen pink stars. This was the most beautiful lake of all we saw along this trip, really amazing and so full of life.
With the discovery of the jeeps aux output, only good music was to be listened to for the rest of our journey (80´s classics just doesn’t cut the mustard) and onto the lagoona Honda or the deep lake – its deep and it’s a lake, there you go! The next stop was one of my favourites, more Dahli rocks but this time up close and personal. Thousands of years of wind erosion create a stone monument more than worthy of the Tate Modern. Of course I had to inspect the bouldering capabilities, however only with my eyes as I believe this rock was more than just a boulder, also I believe that it would probably snap at the base with anymore excess weight and squash the subsequent climber (thus becoming even more worthy of the Tate Modern). A few more lakes followed packed with life from more flamingos, llamas and vicunas (a kind of llama but less hairy) and then the salt hotel- a hotel made of salt, its true!! The floor, the walls, the tables, chairs everything was made out of salt (I hear the pepper hotel is still under construction). We were the only occupants of the hotel, cattered with an awesome meal then after, the guide showed us a really hard hitting video about the life of a boy in Bolivia working to support his family and his own schooling- beautifully presented and so sad to see not just on the screen but for the next few days in the flesh. It amazes and deeply saddens me how one strip of land, a frontier or border can have such a dramatic impact on peoples lives.
The next and final day of the tour takes us to the salt flats of Uyni- the biggest salt flat in the world. Its here because once upon a time this part of the world was unde the sea and with the growth of the andes (which by the way is one of the youngest mountain ranges and is still growng) forms obviously mountains and therefore a ramp is created for the sea to run down and leave its salt(or something like that). The further we drive the less we see, only whiteness, everywhere, its like being in a dream. The sky is white with only a hint of blue and the ground a carpet of salt forming strange hexagonal patterns. A mystical place, and in what could be the middle an island (of earth) named Incahuasi translated roughly as Inca island, a bizarre land of rocks and cactus that just seem as though it shouldn’t really be there. After about another 20 minutes of driving the salt flats finish and the dreamy landscapes end.
We arrive in Uyni where we walk around the markets and the purchase of an almighty poncho takes place. We have food and some beers, say our farewells to Steff and arrange a bus to La Paz. This was the worst bus ride of my life, non stop pot holes restricting anykind of rest. Every now and again stopping to either help other vehicles that had broken down or stopping because we had broken down but eventually we made it.
Stumbling through the streets of La Paz to find a place to stay and straight away getting on with our 2 missions- sort out a visa for Jose and buy myself a camera, the former of the two proved most difficult for Jose. We spent the rest of the day wondering around the city continuously amused by the trigger happiness of the drivers horns. After a walk through the infamous witches markets where hanging carcus´ of llamas, skulls, many a talisman and potions reside we decided it time for food. After which a visit to an entertaining Jokers style Bolivian club.
Next day, without surprise more visa problems as the weekend was drawing nigh the embassy would not grant the documents for Jose until next week and so Jose would have to return to La Paz. We checked out and left our bags in storage, on return to the hostel to our dismay the building was closed and our bags locked inside (shit!). We soon found the reason why, a protest was being held by the street merchants. From what I can gather it was about the capital status being moved to another city and thus removing the tourist trade away from the merchants. However this was not your average protest more like a party was being held in the streets with fireworks and music.
We returned to the hostel a few hours later and luckily they had re-opened, grabbed our bags and paced to the bus station only to find no more busses were leaving were leaving to Copacabaña (a place which boasts the biggest lake at the higest altitude in south America, on the Peruvian and Bolivian border). Truly gutted, both of us not keen on spending another night in the city. Randomly I took a walk around the terminal and spotted a bus now leaving, with dodgey Spanish I manage to grab us a ride, awesome!
We were on our way for a couple of days of chilling by the lake front. And what a lake, you look at it and think it’s the sea, its just unimaginaly big! A nice session of slackline and a freezing boat ride to the island of the sun passed the days.
And so minus my Mexican amigo I venture off into Peru for a visit to some ancient city I hear a few people go to……
Thats the border.
lagoona verde.
Not much goin here.
Bubbling geysers
The llamas were no match for me!
The secret lair of the super llamas
Salavdor Sand.
Its all salt!!!
Bizzare salty island.
Dreamy whiteness
La Paz, check out the huge crag in the middle of the city!!
´Protest´.
The witches market.
Just chillin.
Island of the sun.
Lake Tikicaka
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