Morning all,

So, just one more update before I fly back home. Just some thoughts about my trip. First of all, pigeons fly differently here in South America. Don't give me that look, I have observed it! They glide more, it's like they're pretending to be condors.

Secondly, your body never gets used to the lack of oxygen at altitude! I climbed another peak yesterday. It was the highest ski slope ever (or something llike that, at this end of the trip I have stoppped paying attention to the details!) until global warming ruined the area and now there is no snow, or at least not enough for skiing. We were driven up to 5200m in a rickety old van by what looked like a 17year old driver, along narrow, windy, bumpy roads with sheer drops on one side (not scary at all) to where one lone ski chalet (from the 70s if the decor is anything to go by) serve hot cocoa tea before we trudged aother 180 m to a total height of 5380m (my highest alitiude yet). Now I am not a massive fan of heights. It's not so much the height as the fear that I might throw myself from it. (Think about it next time you're up high, it makes sense). Anyway, the path to the peak was gravely, rocky and narrow with a steep drop on one side and the wind seemed to be trying to blow me over; going up was tricky, coming down was terrifying! Still, now when I am an old and grey, I can say that I climbed to 5380m above sea level though I'll probably still be wonderig why even then.

Thirdly, drivers in South America are a law unto themselves. In Peru, the only rule of the road, whether you're a pedestrian or a driver is don't hesitate. Just go and let everyone else look after themselves. Oh, and use your horn. Liberally. In Peru, they seem to use the car horn for a multitude of purposes: to imply frustration, to suggest you drive like an idiot, to ask you to get out of the way, to tell you to hurry up because the lights are already on amber and about to go green and you haven't started moving yet, to say hello, to warn you at a junction that they are coming (because they will not slow down and not give way!) or to say "I'm a taxi, want a ride?" Taxi's are the most annoying because they just drive along hooting and beeping incessantly in order to attract customers. When you consider that it is estimated that 1 in 7 cars in Lima is a taxi, that's a lot of car horns! However to give you an idea of the insane chaos that is Bolivian driving, La Paz is the city where Peruvians visit to tut and sigh at the depicable state of Bolivian driving! Again, the rule is: don't hesitate!

So, I have learnt some valuable lessons on my trip and I am looking back to getting back to sea level. Until then I have the afternoon to do some last minute shopping (if I can get across the roads), dinner with the last few remaining members of the tour group and then, at 2.30am tomorrow morning a taxi comes to take me to La Paz airport. I'll be home Wednesday, see you all soon x