First day back in La Paz I had a fairly relaxed day, with a look around a series of small museums in the beautifully preserved Calle Jaen giving some of the history of the city and the battle for independence, complete with costumes and a tour of the house of one of the first martyrs for the cause, with a lovely courtyard and much original furniture, and personal effects making it bring the time alive.
The following day the start of a 2 day trip to Laguna Titicaca with the first stop Cocacabana ( the original one apparently). Though in fact there was a stop when we had to cross the Tiquina straights from San Pablo to San Pedro. This is only 700m, a narrow neck between the large and small lakes of Titicaca. The bus crossed on a barge and the passengers have to cross in small boats, the 2 bolivianos fee per person (20p) no doubt keeps the 2 villages solvent.
It is the largest high altitude lake (3808m) in the world at 8400km2 area, set between Peru where the floating reed islands are, and Bolivia. The sight is mesmerising with the reflections of the cordillera real of the Andes divided around both sides of the lake and reflected in the clear Andean light in its waters. Small wonder that the inhabitants from probably as far back as 6000BC ascribed mystical powers to the lake and believed the sun had arisen from it, the Incas believing it to be the birthplace of their civilisation.
Cocacabana, meaning lake view in Aymara, the language and name of the local peoples, has long been a place of pilgrimage with stories attributed to the carving of the wooden Dark Virgin of the lake by the priest Francisco Tito Yupanqui, and the miracles which occurred following her installation in the cathedral of Cocacabana. The cathedral has beautifully carved wooden door, and murals depicting the entire story in addition to the original carving in her niche above the altar.
The town is a haven for tourists with the main base for boat trips to the sacred island of the Sun ' Isla del Sol'. We took the boat over after an excellent almuerzo of truncha del logo, or lake trout as the main dish- very tasty! 1.5h on the roof of the launch on the calm waters in the sun, with views across to Peru and the snow covered peaks of the Andes was very relaxing. The original name of the island was Titi Kharka, or Rock of the Puma (small indigenous puma or tiger like animal), and it is from this that the lake takes its name.
Arrival at the island is a lovely garden and waterfall leading to the escalera de las Incas (staircase). This climbs over 200m in about 1km, a test for the lungs at that altitude! We climbed over 400 steps to reach the fountain of youth, which gave a feeling of the sacredness in which it was held by those who built them. The fountain has never run dry and the water is beautifully pure - I filled my water bottle and it's delicious - though its source remains a mystery. The three outlets, from an Inca proverb represent Ama sua, Ama llulla, and Ama khella, or don't lie, don't steal, don't be lazy. The locals were filling their water containers to take home by donkey as this is the only source of water on the island. Electricity arrived about 10 years ago though the next Island of the Moon does not have any. We continued on the zig zag path above the fountain towards our hostel, still a tough climb of another 200m taking us to just over 4000m. But the 360 degree views over the lake to Peru and the Bolivian Cordillera were fantastic!
Our hostel was on the ridge, with trapezoidal windows I noticed in many of the local buildings, an Inca tradition. A welcome cup of tea on arrival and a private room with terrace to enjoy the views in the remaining sunlight - what more could you ask...
I walked up to the mirador at the peak just before sunset to get the ultimate view and see the ruins at the top, with no backpack a pleasant walk through the local houses with donkeys strolling around, a few llamas grazing, dogs, people trying to sell their handicrafts even there at the top of the hill. And a few other walkers, though none of my group. I didn't stay for the sunset as it had clouded over covering the sun completely.
My group included Bernadita and James, from Chile, with Bernie's cousin Luciano who were very friendly and as Bernie is an English teacher she was delighted to be able to practice with me. New friends and an invitation to Chile (also reciprocal for them to come to France) and good for my Spanish over meal times with our excellent guide Jodi, where we had some very interesting discussions.
At night the temperature dropped to around freezing, with no heating and little insulation, luckily plenty of blankets so once in bed it was fine. As this is summer I'm not sure how cold it is in winter! It rained during the night and was still raining at breakfast, fortunately only very slightly as we started our descent to the Inca temple of the puma. We walked through terraces of potatoes and broad beans, with wild flowers and lake views. The temple itself with its trapezoidal openings was originally Two storey but either heavy snow or deliberate destruction leaves only a single vaulted storey now. The east side is aligned to allow the entry of the equinoctial sun and the southern side is aligned for the moon, which the Incas also worshipped along with Pachamama or Mother Earth. There was an atmosphere of reverence at the site, and peace.
We continued down to the coast to catch our return launch, by which time the sun was starting to pierce the clouds so by the time we reached Cocacobana again it was quite warm for our visit to the cathedral, followed by almuerzo in a different local restaurant, another opportunity to enjoy the local trout. I passed the return coach trip chatting to Bernie about our respective lives and homes, very interesting.
The following day, Friday, we were all on the same trip to Chacaltaya, or cold peak. At 5405m it deserves its name, it was the highest ski resort, now closed, with an astronomical physics lab as its main activity, manned by US, Russian and Japanese scientists. The Minibus took us up the dirt track with views back to La Paz and El Alto, and over myriad lakes on the climb, as well as the higher snow covered peak of Potosi at 6800m.
We climbed the last 200m to the summit, slowly as altitude saps the energy very fast! It was in mist with snow patches and eerie remain of ski lift mechanics around, but felt an achievement to reach 5405m, the highest I've been. Only 2 degrees so we needed our warmest clothes, but warmed up on the descent. The ski season would have started in February as in winter there is no precipitation so no snow.
We then continued by descending 2000m to the valley of the moon just south of La Paz, and much warmer at around 15 degrees! A real lunar landscape with a 45 min trail through the tall conical peaks with deep wells between, definitely out of this world.
On our return I had to say goodbye to my Chilean friends who head home tomorrow. I noted to visit the hairdressers to get a haircut before I fly down to Trinidad on Sunday to tart my volunteer work at the Blue-throated Macaw Conservation Centre. My story will continue from there...
Friday 30 January 2015
Thursday 29 January 2015
I'm sitting in the hostal bar in La Paz, with a Pina Colada and a freshly prepared bowl of wok fried veg and chicken to eat, ready to continue my writings.
So the visit to the mines in Potosi, once the richest town of South America when the Spanish discovered the silver and other minerals in the rocks there. After independence of Bolivia in 1825 the government ran the mines, installing equipment still in use today. But as the seams grew less profitable they turned the mines over to cooperatives of the miners themselves. Today therefore the miners have to buy their own tools from the miners' shop, and every man works for one of the many co-ops, paid by the amount of ore they extract each day. We visited the shop and learned the history and the current, pretty horrendous conditions the miners work under, particularly related to poor heath and diseases such as silicosis, shortening their lives. We were able to buy supplies as gifts to the miners - dynamite and fuses, coca leaves and other goods which give a little relief and enable tourist visits to be accepted by most miners.
Then we visited the area where the crushed rock is brought in order to pulverise it further and extract the silver or other mineral. The mechanisms, mainly wooden were fascinating, with series of cogs, riddles and filters enhanced with toxic chemicals such as mercury ( also greatly reducing life expectancy) and settling tanks. Finally our minibus took us to the top of the mountain (nearly 4000m altitude) to the main mine entrance . There we could see the tunnel with a railway track and trucks hand pushed full of broken rocks being brought out by teams usually of 3 men. Often the truck derailed as the lines were old and in places broken, then a huge effort was require to put them back. We entered the tunnels, fully equipped with jackets, trousers, miners hats and lamps, with instructions to move off the tracks to make way for any trucks.
And the speed they move on the slight downhills was impressive, you wouldn't want to be in the path. Returning empty trucks also had to give way and were tipped sideways off the tracks, not without some effort to put back after, hard work when done at the rate of 10 truck loads per shift.
We then were able to climb up a steep shaft to where one team of father and son, 17yr were drilling holes for dynamiting - very narrow confined space for working. We saw the explosives and fuses in place then retired to safe distance to experience the explosion reverberating through the rock- quite intimidating! We spoke to the miner and found his son had great respect for the work his father did but it had shown him the value of studying and he intended to leave to continue his studies. Overall we were 2 h underground, doing little but walk which took enough effort, yet they have to exert themselves hard for long shifts, even if the pay is more than they can get elsewhere. Think of this when you next put on some silver jewellery!
I then caught the afternoon bus on to the political capital
Sucre, a 3 h journey through some fascinating geology, with rocks of many forms and colours in the steep hills between. Sucre is lower down, and not so steep though still fairly hilly, so I shared a taxi with Danny an Isobel up from the bus station, who were again on the same bus, though I opted for a different hostel. For £9 a night I had a complete suite of rooms with kitchen so finally I could make myself tea and coffee ad lib! And cook myself some vegetables for supper too!
Sucre ( not sugar in Spanish, that is azucar!) is now protected as a world heritage site due to its beautiful architecture, mainly in white, so current building is in keeping with the older buildings - a definite benefit, and a picturesque city. I spent one day exploring the city and visiting some churches and museums of ethnic culture and took a tour to the Sunday market at Tarabuca, a small town about 1.5 h by bus where the people still live by the old traditions, with some tourism thrown in. Their costumes were so varied, with many different hats, skirts and shawls and also a variety of different musical instruments, which form an important part of their traditions. The markets were interesting to browse, with wandering donkeys in the side streets, children playing around the stalls or helping sell the wares, and a typically Bolivian almuerzo (lunch) of quinoa soup, then saice - meat and potato in a spicy sauce. Given this is the home of the potato - there are over 3000 varieties for every occasion - they are good!
I left that evening on the overnight bus for Cochabamba, again a sleeper bus. Cochabamba grew with Potosi's increase in size by pricing the food it needed as Cochabamba has fertile fields at much lower altitude 2553m, and bcae the country's bread basket. Now it is declining as Potosi produces less too.
But 9km from arrival in the morning we stopped. Apparently following the death of a taxi driver the police had failed to act and the taxi drivers were on strike, blocking the roads into and throughout the city. So talking to the other passengers, we decided we should start walking, so I teamed up with a French couple and a Dutch girl and after about 1km we managed to get a mini bus to the edge of town. In the end I found the trek I hoped to do wasn't available and the chaos of the blockages made much visiting impossible so I made my way to the bus station by taxi and took the next bus back to La Paz.
Having carried my large and small backpacks around for much of the day my shoulders were glad to arrive at my hostel and take a hot shower. That's when the Strawberry Daiquiri and the chicken and vegetable wok first caught my eye on the bar menu so I indulged myself, as wine by the bottle is not too convenient when travelling and the beer comes in huge bottles I can't drink on my own. A good night's sleep followed...
So the visit to the mines in Potosi, once the richest town of South America when the Spanish discovered the silver and other minerals in the rocks there. After independence of Bolivia in 1825 the government ran the mines, installing equipment still in use today. But as the seams grew less profitable they turned the mines over to cooperatives of the miners themselves. Today therefore the miners have to buy their own tools from the miners' shop, and every man works for one of the many co-ops, paid by the amount of ore they extract each day. We visited the shop and learned the history and the current, pretty horrendous conditions the miners work under, particularly related to poor heath and diseases such as silicosis, shortening their lives. We were able to buy supplies as gifts to the miners - dynamite and fuses, coca leaves and other goods which give a little relief and enable tourist visits to be accepted by most miners.
Then we visited the area where the crushed rock is brought in order to pulverise it further and extract the silver or other mineral. The mechanisms, mainly wooden were fascinating, with series of cogs, riddles and filters enhanced with toxic chemicals such as mercury ( also greatly reducing life expectancy) and settling tanks. Finally our minibus took us to the top of the mountain (nearly 4000m altitude) to the main mine entrance . There we could see the tunnel with a railway track and trucks hand pushed full of broken rocks being brought out by teams usually of 3 men. Often the truck derailed as the lines were old and in places broken, then a huge effort was require to put them back. We entered the tunnels, fully equipped with jackets, trousers, miners hats and lamps, with instructions to move off the tracks to make way for any trucks.
And the speed they move on the slight downhills was impressive, you wouldn't want to be in the path. Returning empty trucks also had to give way and were tipped sideways off the tracks, not without some effort to put back after, hard work when done at the rate of 10 truck loads per shift.
We then were able to climb up a steep shaft to where one team of father and son, 17yr were drilling holes for dynamiting - very narrow confined space for working. We saw the explosives and fuses in place then retired to safe distance to experience the explosion reverberating through the rock- quite intimidating! We spoke to the miner and found his son had great respect for the work his father did but it had shown him the value of studying and he intended to leave to continue his studies. Overall we were 2 h underground, doing little but walk which took enough effort, yet they have to exert themselves hard for long shifts, even if the pay is more than they can get elsewhere. Think of this when you next put on some silver jewellery!
I then caught the afternoon bus on to the political capital
Sucre, a 3 h journey through some fascinating geology, with rocks of many forms and colours in the steep hills between. Sucre is lower down, and not so steep though still fairly hilly, so I shared a taxi with Danny an Isobel up from the bus station, who were again on the same bus, though I opted for a different hostel. For £9 a night I had a complete suite of rooms with kitchen so finally I could make myself tea and coffee ad lib! And cook myself some vegetables for supper too!
Sucre ( not sugar in Spanish, that is azucar!) is now protected as a world heritage site due to its beautiful architecture, mainly in white, so current building is in keeping with the older buildings - a definite benefit, and a picturesque city. I spent one day exploring the city and visiting some churches and museums of ethnic culture and took a tour to the Sunday market at Tarabuca, a small town about 1.5 h by bus where the people still live by the old traditions, with some tourism thrown in. Their costumes were so varied, with many different hats, skirts and shawls and also a variety of different musical instruments, which form an important part of their traditions. The markets were interesting to browse, with wandering donkeys in the side streets, children playing around the stalls or helping sell the wares, and a typically Bolivian almuerzo (lunch) of quinoa soup, then saice - meat and potato in a spicy sauce. Given this is the home of the potato - there are over 3000 varieties for every occasion - they are good!
I left that evening on the overnight bus for Cochabamba, again a sleeper bus. Cochabamba grew with Potosi's increase in size by pricing the food it needed as Cochabamba has fertile fields at much lower altitude 2553m, and bcae the country's bread basket. Now it is declining as Potosi produces less too.
But 9km from arrival in the morning we stopped. Apparently following the death of a taxi driver the police had failed to act and the taxi drivers were on strike, blocking the roads into and throughout the city. So talking to the other passengers, we decided we should start walking, so I teamed up with a French couple and a Dutch girl and after about 1km we managed to get a mini bus to the edge of town. In the end I found the trek I hoped to do wasn't available and the chaos of the blockages made much visiting impossible so I made my way to the bus station by taxi and took the next bus back to La Paz.
Having carried my large and small backpacks around for much of the day my shoulders were glad to arrive at my hostel and take a hot shower. That's when the Strawberry Daiquiri and the chicken and vegetable wok first caught my eye on the bar menu so I indulged myself, as wine by the bottle is not too convenient when travelling and the beer comes in huge bottles I can't drink on my own. A good night's sleep followed...
Tuesday 27 January 2015
Uyuni to Potosi and Sucre
The overnight bus was reasonably comfortable though the road surface deteriorated as we moved further from La Paz (it is the financial capital so has better roads, though Sucre is the political capital). Uyuni, in contrast, is stuck up on the Altiplano in the middle of a huge salt lake/salt flats depending on the time of year - a virtual desert! Arrived on time at 7am, so went to look for some breakfast at the comedor (dining hall) of the local market where llama stew was on offer - very tasty after the journey! Then went to find the agency organising the tour which didn't open till 9am. There was some confusion as the other bus from La Paz, containing the guide and one client, had broken down en route 3 times and didn't arrive till 11am, so we were late leaving. But the guide Paul was great and the others in the group - Isobel and Danny from Australia, CJ from Canada and Andy from Switzerland (Italian) - were all good fun too.
We first visited the train cemetery, where steam trains and rail cars dating back to 18th century sit decaying and graffiti- ised. Uyuni used to have a rail car factory. The wind was cold, temps often reach -15 at night but they were an impressive sight and fun to climb on. Then on to the Salar de Uyuni which was covered with about 5cm of water - a vast area 12,106 km2 and the world's largest salt flat, at altitude 3653m. The surface perfectly reflects the clouds, we walked through barefoot and climbed the piles of salt made by locals for selling when dried out, nearly 20,000 tons per year. They also extract lithium, which should fuel their economy for the next 100 years (and our computers, iPods, phones etc) Other areas were dry and pure white, with cracks in hexagonal patterns formed as the water evaporated, others there were long lines or completely flat, quite eerie to drive across for miles. The Daakar rally passes here and they have made a monument to it all from salt blocks. The nearby restaurant where we ate was also made from salt blocks, the floor of loose salt and salt in the cracks - amazing construction but comfortable, even if not too well insulated at night!
Our meals were simple chicken and salad, with fruit and fizzy drinks (mmm, water for me!) and it took the rest of the day to cross the flats as you can't go fast through the water or the 4x4 s don't last the season. In fact the one we were in with owner/driver was from 1997 and since imported from USA was automatic - not brilliant on the steep dirt roads but no choice as
European vehicles cost more to import.
Our posada (rest house) was also made of salt and very nice, with welcome cup of tea and biscuits and dorm room for our group. Had to queue for the showers as only one was working for around 60 guests! I got in just before dinner thankfully, especially having spent the previous night on the bus! Very good meal of chicken and chips ( a lot of chicken over here) then lights out at 10pm as generator turned off.
Up early at 6am for breakfast, disappointed with poor bread and jam plus coca tea ( excellent for altitude sickness! ). Then off again through slightly more fertile zones with fields of quinoa, sparse, but about the only crop at that altitude. On the hills it was mainly cactus, tall and sometimes branched, with some low scrubby bushes. On to the Laguna Colorado and other lakes where the highlight is the flamingoes. There were pink, James' and Bolivian species, along with llama, black headed seagulls (so far from the sea), a variety of ducks and other bird species. We also saw groups of wild vicuna along the way, protected so not too shy though apparently extremely fast when those with licences want to catch and shear them!!
An interesting set of rock formations including one called the petrified tree was the signal for my camera battery to run out so no photos... But worth seeing
The posada for the second night offered us a room that stank of diesel so we decided after a short 15 minute walk around the lake shores with its huge natural heaps of white borax (like ice or snow banks) around the rims, that we would continue to another hotel. But Danny had taken a longer walk and we only managed to retrieve him an hour later, so our choice was limited to the next closest one, a bit basic but OK. Spaghetti for dinner and fruit so not bad, washed down with Argentinian wine provided by the guide VG and some Bolivian wine we bought. Some people had a real night of it!! The bathrooms in the morning showed the evidence...
Even earlier start, with breakfast at 5.30am (pancakes, cereal and yoghurt!) And on the road to see the geysers of Sol de Manana (morning sun). You could put your hand in one, or run through it as it spouted 4m or more up into the air. But most of them and the boiling hot mud pools were far too hot to approach that closely - impressive though and a good walk. Next stop the thermal waters, where despite being only just above freezing in the air, the springs were beautifully hot, like a bath that doesn't cool down. A delight after deciding not to chance the showers the previous evening on the basis of this dip! There was a flock of llamas that crossed the lake just nearnthensring pool, and flamingoes further up, magnificent setting. We looked for the local Bolivian rhea or Yandu, but no sightings so far.
Through the canyon of Vischachos ( Bolivian chinchilla like creature, very cute, and just sitting out on edges you could get very close) and on to Laguna Verde which was blue, not green and Laguna blanca, which had some white. A quick diversion to the Chilean border to drop off CJ who was getting a bus from there before heading back towards Uyuni, via the other side of the laguna Verde (slightly greener in the afternoon light). We stopped at another group of rock formations including one said to be like Homer Simpson or the Bolivian Presidente Evo Morales (?) I thought there was a brilliant vulture one. And finally two sightings of Yandu - quite small, perhaps 1m tall, in comparison to the rhea but great to see them in the wild. A family of partridge crossed the road too, very sweet, and we also saw a fox which stopped by our vehicle, obviously looked for food. It must be hard surviving out in that desert, with the cold and so little growing. The 7 coloured peak we saw covered with snow, quite unusual apparently, so missed most of its colour. Various volcanoes but cloud prevented us seeing the only active one.
Safe arrival back in Uyuni after such a wealth of sights, thanks to our excellent driver Franz, who didn't drink I'm glad to say. And then to the bus station in the company of Danny and Isobel to get the 6pm bus to Potosi (4h). Fascinating geology on the route, plus interesting signs like llamas crossing, and Yandu crossing, till darkness fell at around 7 pm.
We arrived and took a taxi together to the hostel Koala Den, which fortunately had space, was brilliant, booked us on a
Silver Mine tour for the morning, and provided free breakfast (including scrambled eggs!) All for £5!!!!! And good internet and charging facilities too. A good night's sleep after a lovely hot shower, mmmm!
We first visited the train cemetery, where steam trains and rail cars dating back to 18th century sit decaying and graffiti- ised. Uyuni used to have a rail car factory. The wind was cold, temps often reach -15 at night but they were an impressive sight and fun to climb on. Then on to the Salar de Uyuni which was covered with about 5cm of water - a vast area 12,106 km2 and the world's largest salt flat, at altitude 3653m. The surface perfectly reflects the clouds, we walked through barefoot and climbed the piles of salt made by locals for selling when dried out, nearly 20,000 tons per year. They also extract lithium, which should fuel their economy for the next 100 years (and our computers, iPods, phones etc) Other areas were dry and pure white, with cracks in hexagonal patterns formed as the water evaporated, others there were long lines or completely flat, quite eerie to drive across for miles. The Daakar rally passes here and they have made a monument to it all from salt blocks. The nearby restaurant where we ate was also made from salt blocks, the floor of loose salt and salt in the cracks - amazing construction but comfortable, even if not too well insulated at night!
Our meals were simple chicken and salad, with fruit and fizzy drinks (mmm, water for me!) and it took the rest of the day to cross the flats as you can't go fast through the water or the 4x4 s don't last the season. In fact the one we were in with owner/driver was from 1997 and since imported from USA was automatic - not brilliant on the steep dirt roads but no choice as
European vehicles cost more to import.
Our posada (rest house) was also made of salt and very nice, with welcome cup of tea and biscuits and dorm room for our group. Had to queue for the showers as only one was working for around 60 guests! I got in just before dinner thankfully, especially having spent the previous night on the bus! Very good meal of chicken and chips ( a lot of chicken over here) then lights out at 10pm as generator turned off.
Up early at 6am for breakfast, disappointed with poor bread and jam plus coca tea ( excellent for altitude sickness! ). Then off again through slightly more fertile zones with fields of quinoa, sparse, but about the only crop at that altitude. On the hills it was mainly cactus, tall and sometimes branched, with some low scrubby bushes. On to the Laguna Colorado and other lakes where the highlight is the flamingoes. There were pink, James' and Bolivian species, along with llama, black headed seagulls (so far from the sea), a variety of ducks and other bird species. We also saw groups of wild vicuna along the way, protected so not too shy though apparently extremely fast when those with licences want to catch and shear them!!
An interesting set of rock formations including one called the petrified tree was the signal for my camera battery to run out so no photos... But worth seeing
The posada for the second night offered us a room that stank of diesel so we decided after a short 15 minute walk around the lake shores with its huge natural heaps of white borax (like ice or snow banks) around the rims, that we would continue to another hotel. But Danny had taken a longer walk and we only managed to retrieve him an hour later, so our choice was limited to the next closest one, a bit basic but OK. Spaghetti for dinner and fruit so not bad, washed down with Argentinian wine provided by the guide VG and some Bolivian wine we bought. Some people had a real night of it!! The bathrooms in the morning showed the evidence...
Even earlier start, with breakfast at 5.30am (pancakes, cereal and yoghurt!) And on the road to see the geysers of Sol de Manana (morning sun). You could put your hand in one, or run through it as it spouted 4m or more up into the air. But most of them and the boiling hot mud pools were far too hot to approach that closely - impressive though and a good walk. Next stop the thermal waters, where despite being only just above freezing in the air, the springs were beautifully hot, like a bath that doesn't cool down. A delight after deciding not to chance the showers the previous evening on the basis of this dip! There was a flock of llamas that crossed the lake just nearnthensring pool, and flamingoes further up, magnificent setting. We looked for the local Bolivian rhea or Yandu, but no sightings so far.
Through the canyon of Vischachos ( Bolivian chinchilla like creature, very cute, and just sitting out on edges you could get very close) and on to Laguna Verde which was blue, not green and Laguna blanca, which had some white. A quick diversion to the Chilean border to drop off CJ who was getting a bus from there before heading back towards Uyuni, via the other side of the laguna Verde (slightly greener in the afternoon light). We stopped at another group of rock formations including one said to be like Homer Simpson or the Bolivian Presidente Evo Morales (?) I thought there was a brilliant vulture one. And finally two sightings of Yandu - quite small, perhaps 1m tall, in comparison to the rhea but great to see them in the wild. A family of partridge crossed the road too, very sweet, and we also saw a fox which stopped by our vehicle, obviously looked for food. It must be hard surviving out in that desert, with the cold and so little growing. The 7 coloured peak we saw covered with snow, quite unusual apparently, so missed most of its colour. Various volcanoes but cloud prevented us seeing the only active one.
Safe arrival back in Uyuni after such a wealth of sights, thanks to our excellent driver Franz, who didn't drink I'm glad to say. And then to the bus station in the company of Danny and Isobel to get the 6pm bus to Potosi (4h). Fascinating geology on the route, plus interesting signs like llamas crossing, and Yandu crossing, till darkness fell at around 7 pm.
We arrived and took a taxi together to the hostel Koala Den, which fortunately had space, was brilliant, booked us on a
Silver Mine tour for the morning, and provided free breakfast (including scrambled eggs!) All for £5!!!!! And good internet and charging facilities too. A good night's sleep after a lovely hot shower, mmmm!
15 Jan Lima, Peru
My first time blogging so it may take a while to get up to speed! After flight from Heathrow to Madrid, then 12h wait, my next plane to Lima was delayed by 3.5h till 3am. So the 12.5 h flight arrived just as my connecting flight to La Paz left!!
There were 5 of us who then had to wait till the next day for a flight to La Paz. So I had 24h at a very pleasant hotel, with good food, temperature of 25 degrees and time to take a long walk in the sun along the coast through the lovely gardens of the Miraflores region of Lima with Carine ( who runs a bakery and restaurant on lake Annecy). So it could have been worse and the exercise was very welcome!
Coming into La Paz is amazing having flown over the Andes (spectacular in scale and beauty) to land at nearly 4000m where the air is so thin special tyres and longer runways are needed. And you really feel the lack of oxygen, every step I take an effort, especially with baggage. I shared a taxi to my hotel with Anselm from Berlin ( he cycles tourists around in a rickshaw, when not on cycle or other amazing foreign trips), he wanted to rest before going to meet his friend.
The hotel was very pleasant, private room with shared shower facilities, breakfast included for £10 a night. Lots of hostels are cheaper and food is not expensive either so you can live quite cheaply. Anselm and I explored La Paz on foot - quite slowly as the streets are vertigenous everywhere, it sits in a very steep sided valley with lots of steps. At 3660m it takes a while to acclimatise. We visited the Plaza San Francisco with its beautiful church and museum, in a little park we came across what appeared to be a demonstration with a group of men playing local instruments ( very interesting to stop and listen to) in local costume, the ladies nearby chatting and collecting signatures.
The street markets included loads of shop and stalls selling local crafts, the typical hats, llama wool clothing, and woven shale, belts etc - very beautiful and good value, but I have little room in my luggage... Many of the older ladies wear traditional dress with the top hats (black or Brown and not held on, just balanced!) Carrying goods on their backs in brightly coloured woven squares, or babies using the same techniques.
What about the weather? It's tropical, and their 'summer' though they call it winter as it is the wet season (Jan to April). Mostly it is dry in the mornings, clouding more in the afternoon with some showers, with temperatures dropping around zero overnight and rising to 12-14 degrees by midday - considering the altitude, very pleasant! One shower that first day...
Anselm and I had our evening meal together at a typical little restaurant close to the hotel, steak with rice and vegetables, washed down with local paceno beer, which comes in large bottles, OK if there are 2 of you! The people of La Paz are also called Paceno ( should have the ny sound but can't find the way to do special characters on my tablet). Since then I have found the Potosi beer is called Potosino too)
Anselm left the next morning to get the bus to his friend's house 3 h away. I visited the Ethnography and Folklore musem which was very interesting, giving an insight into all the different tribes in Bolivia, their culture and dress and customs, music and festivals. Their ability to live in close proximity without waging war is a good lesson to modern dominator cultures like our own. I had an almuerzo (3 course set lunch) in a lovely little restaurant - noodle soup, chicken with potatoes and salad, and opted for a coffee instead of the dessert.
Some rain in the afternoon, but not long lasting, so went to organise a trip to Tiwanaku for Sunday
I was collected from my hotel at 8.30am by Patti, our guide, for the 1.5h minibus trip to the site, where there is a village and church largely built from stones from the ruins. The gold was looted by the Spanish, and most of the pottery and other artefacts spread to the four corners of the world. Little is known about the people who constructed the ceremonial centre on the eastern shores of lake Titicaca, but it is at the geographic centre of the peoples of the Altiplano (high pail between the cordilleras of the Andes) from what is now part of Peru to Argentina, and would have been very important 1000 years ago. Its construction would have well under way by 700AD but by 1200AD was declining, and eventually became part of the Inca empire. The museum had an incredible collection of ceramics, jewellery, and information about in the way of life of the peoples there. There was also the stone museum, which included the 7.3m Monolitho Bennett Pachamama and various other statues.
The ruins of the Akapana pyramid showed 7 platform levels each of 3m with stones held together by metal staples, though only partially excavated with impressive monolithic stone gateways and ditches. The Kalasasaya 130 x 120m ritual platform with carved stone walls, drainage systems and corners aligning with gateways to mark the solstices and the equinoxes had an altar still used by the locals today . There were 5 different Tiwanaku periods, each with its own architectural achievements. They also made advances in maths and astronomy well before the Inca period, reaching a population of 20,000.
The final site we visited as the clouds loomed darkly was Puma Punku or temple of the puma with megaliths of over 130 tons. Here the hail started to fall as we ll raced for the minibus and thence to the restaurant, where the noise of the hail on the tin roof was deafening. But the meal was excellent with llama steak on the menu - very tasty!
Monday I left the hotel who kindly looked after my big back pack till the evening. I enjoyed a walk to and through the park Raul Salmon de La Barra in southern La Paz, with good views of the city, took some photos, but so far cannot find a way to transfer them to my tablet so can't put them on this blog. I booked on the overnight semi-cama (reclining seats) bus to Uyuni for the start of a 3 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats and surrounding area, so had an early dinner and made my way to the bus station for the 7pm bus. A temporary goodbye to La Paz...
There were 5 of us who then had to wait till the next day for a flight to La Paz. So I had 24h at a very pleasant hotel, with good food, temperature of 25 degrees and time to take a long walk in the sun along the coast through the lovely gardens of the Miraflores region of Lima with Carine ( who runs a bakery and restaurant on lake Annecy). So it could have been worse and the exercise was very welcome!
Coming into La Paz is amazing having flown over the Andes (spectacular in scale and beauty) to land at nearly 4000m where the air is so thin special tyres and longer runways are needed. And you really feel the lack of oxygen, every step I take an effort, especially with baggage. I shared a taxi to my hotel with Anselm from Berlin ( he cycles tourists around in a rickshaw, when not on cycle or other amazing foreign trips), he wanted to rest before going to meet his friend.
The hotel was very pleasant, private room with shared shower facilities, breakfast included for £10 a night. Lots of hostels are cheaper and food is not expensive either so you can live quite cheaply. Anselm and I explored La Paz on foot - quite slowly as the streets are vertigenous everywhere, it sits in a very steep sided valley with lots of steps. At 3660m it takes a while to acclimatise. We visited the Plaza San Francisco with its beautiful church and museum, in a little park we came across what appeared to be a demonstration with a group of men playing local instruments ( very interesting to stop and listen to) in local costume, the ladies nearby chatting and collecting signatures.
The street markets included loads of shop and stalls selling local crafts, the typical hats, llama wool clothing, and woven shale, belts etc - very beautiful and good value, but I have little room in my luggage... Many of the older ladies wear traditional dress with the top hats (black or Brown and not held on, just balanced!) Carrying goods on their backs in brightly coloured woven squares, or babies using the same techniques.
What about the weather? It's tropical, and their 'summer' though they call it winter as it is the wet season (Jan to April). Mostly it is dry in the mornings, clouding more in the afternoon with some showers, with temperatures dropping around zero overnight and rising to 12-14 degrees by midday - considering the altitude, very pleasant! One shower that first day...
Anselm and I had our evening meal together at a typical little restaurant close to the hotel, steak with rice and vegetables, washed down with local paceno beer, which comes in large bottles, OK if there are 2 of you! The people of La Paz are also called Paceno ( should have the ny sound but can't find the way to do special characters on my tablet). Since then I have found the Potosi beer is called Potosino too)
Anselm left the next morning to get the bus to his friend's house 3 h away. I visited the Ethnography and Folklore musem which was very interesting, giving an insight into all the different tribes in Bolivia, their culture and dress and customs, music and festivals. Their ability to live in close proximity without waging war is a good lesson to modern dominator cultures like our own. I had an almuerzo (3 course set lunch) in a lovely little restaurant - noodle soup, chicken with potatoes and salad, and opted for a coffee instead of the dessert.
Some rain in the afternoon, but not long lasting, so went to organise a trip to Tiwanaku for Sunday
I was collected from my hotel at 8.30am by Patti, our guide, for the 1.5h minibus trip to the site, where there is a village and church largely built from stones from the ruins. The gold was looted by the Spanish, and most of the pottery and other artefacts spread to the four corners of the world. Little is known about the people who constructed the ceremonial centre on the eastern shores of lake Titicaca, but it is at the geographic centre of the peoples of the Altiplano (high pail between the cordilleras of the Andes) from what is now part of Peru to Argentina, and would have been very important 1000 years ago. Its construction would have well under way by 700AD but by 1200AD was declining, and eventually became part of the Inca empire. The museum had an incredible collection of ceramics, jewellery, and information about in the way of life of the peoples there. There was also the stone museum, which included the 7.3m Monolitho Bennett Pachamama and various other statues.
The ruins of the Akapana pyramid showed 7 platform levels each of 3m with stones held together by metal staples, though only partially excavated with impressive monolithic stone gateways and ditches. The Kalasasaya 130 x 120m ritual platform with carved stone walls, drainage systems and corners aligning with gateways to mark the solstices and the equinoxes had an altar still used by the locals today . There were 5 different Tiwanaku periods, each with its own architectural achievements. They also made advances in maths and astronomy well before the Inca period, reaching a population of 20,000.
The final site we visited as the clouds loomed darkly was Puma Punku or temple of the puma with megaliths of over 130 tons. Here the hail started to fall as we ll raced for the minibus and thence to the restaurant, where the noise of the hail on the tin roof was deafening. But the meal was excellent with llama steak on the menu - very tasty!
Monday I left the hotel who kindly looked after my big back pack till the evening. I enjoyed a walk to and through the park Raul Salmon de La Barra in southern La Paz, with good views of the city, took some photos, but so far cannot find a way to transfer them to my tablet so can't put them on this blog. I booked on the overnight semi-cama (reclining seats) bus to Uyuni for the start of a 3 day tour of the Uyuni salt flats and surrounding area, so had an early dinner and made my way to the bus station for the 7pm bus. A temporary goodbye to La Paz...
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