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Finally some time to write an update, it is no day 23 of our 28 day overland tour. Then we are on our own, trying to negotiate public transport!
Day 14 - Crossed the border from Argentina to Bolivia and gained another stamp in our passports. As soon as we had walked through we braved the local "Banos" aka toilets and paid our first boliviano out. Definitely not worth 10p! Hit the road in Bolivia and were shocked at the difference simply within a few metres. The roads were not tarmacked and often we had to drive off road as this was better than the main road. Crazy! A full day driving and arrived at our first stop Tupiza. A very small little place but they had an italian restaurant so that pleased us!
Day 15 - Tupiza is the place where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid performed their last hold up. But we decided as we were already short of breath from the altitude we wouldnt attempt horse riding so just had a nice lazy day.
Day 16 - Amazing drive to Uyuni through massive canyons and at very high altitude! Whole day of driving again in the truck, looking forward to these ending now. Arrived at our hostel which also had a pizza restaurant within it, so no need to brave the cold outside. We were welcomed by the local Army band playing, strange! So far really liking Bolivia, it is so different to anywhere we have been before. The women all dress in traditional clothing (I have tried to get some photos but no close ups as they get angry!). They walk around with all sorts tied to their backs with blankets (inc babies) and wear bowler hats!
Day 17 - Day trip to the Bolivian Salt flats. Amazing! As they are so massive, when taking photos, all perspective goes out the window so spend an hour taking photos with various props. Saw how they produce the salt, then went to an island in the middle of it covered in coral and cacti where we stopped for lunch. The chef came along in the 4 by 4 with us. Walked across the island (again hard to breath because of the altitude) but well worth the views. Headed for the salt hotel next (no longer a hotel) but got a flat tyre on the sharp salt. You would have thought they would make us get out of the car while they changed it but no, all passengers stayed on board. Made it back for our pizza restaurant again and realised we all had wind/sun burn from the salt flats. Oh well!
Day 18 - Another long drive in the truck, started off quite warm so we were all in shorts and flip flops etc. However when we stopped for our roadside lunch it was freeeezing with bits of snow, so piled on everything we owned. Saw some wild flamingos and lots of llamas, alpachas and other animals from the same family but cant remember what they are called! Arrived in Potosi, the highest city in the world at over 4000km above sea level. Freeeeeeeezing with snow on the mountain tops!Again our shower didnt work properly, but this time it was the cold tap. Missing our showers and being able to put loo roll down the toilet, in South America you have to put it in the bin as the sewage system isnt good enough. Who would have thought that would be a luxury!
Day 19 - 4 hour Public bus ride to Sucre, the capital of Bolivia. Mark went down a mine in the morning, a local working one. Kids start there at 12 and the environment is so bad that life expectancy of miners here is between 18 and 25. In these mines over 9 milliion people have died since they have been used. Not much silver left in them but still looking for other minerals. You had to pay for the trip then buy presents for the miners. This consisted of a bag of coca leaves, 97% alcohol, biscuits and your normal stick of dynamite! Mark had an altitude sickness headache on our long bus drive and was looking forward to a nap, however ended up with a speaker above his head blaring out good old spanish songs...
Arrived in Sucre and the sun was shining, the city was clean with no dog poo on the ground, rubbish or big holes to fall down. Mark suprisingly recovered, however the city is at lower altitude.
Went out for dinner which turned into a night out in the club above after. It is not often that we go out in walking boots, combats and fleeces... Our group definitely amused some of the locals though who were taking lots of photos. Desperate for water on the way home, with all the shops closed we went to an underground karaoke bar to stock up with water... the locals could not stop laughing at us.
Day 20 - Day in Sucre, shorts and t shirt (bit different to wearing everything we owned the day before). Wandered around, walked up to a view point and sat in a deck chair looking over the city. Lovely! However I did get burnt short marks. Hot shower, tv and a comfy bed, we didnt want to leave!
Day 21 - Back on the tourist bus which this time was more entertaining. They seem to pick up passengers from the bus station with proper tickets but then just outside the bus station do a back hander and fill the bus with too many passengers so that they are sitting in the aisles etc. They also piled 5 people into where the driver sat... amusing.. . The bus doesnt stop for the toilet or anything but seems to pick up hitch hikers for cash, stop for ice cream for himself and fill up diesel with everyone on board. Not to mention beeping his horn every two seconds at not sure what. Anyway we survived.
Day 22 - Leaving potosi, yay! Although it was a bit warmer and not raining so not as depressing at altitude. Another long drive but this time on a proper road. Still took 10 hours though. Had a lunch stop in a horrible town surrounded by litter. You would be amazed at the amount of litter ... they do not obviously have bins, and if they do, they must get dumped in the street. Arrived in La Paz, our last big city before the end of our tour. Went out for a curry, something different with spice, yay!
Day 23 - Mark is out for the day with the group doing the worlds most dangerous downhill bikeride. It is 5 hours cycling but they are out for 11 hours so I am spending the day wandering and updating this. I didnt venture out earlier as there was a protest with thousands of locals so I watched them out the window. I went to take a photo from the top floor and the manager let me out onto the roof to take a picture (literally onto the slopey roof tiles). Who said health and safety didnt exist here? (Would have liked to do the bike ride but those of you that know my skin know I would have had no hands left by the end!)
Off the Rummenbaque tomorrow which is jungle and only 105 metres above sea level, compared the the 4000 plus we have been at for ages now. Mossy repellent out! Although can only take our little rucksacks for three days.. hmmm.
Hope everyone is ok at home.
Happy reading
Julia and Mark
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