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Hola Amigos from the world's highest capital city, La Paz.
Since Charles' last blog we have visited Oruro for two nights after hearing from our guide down the mine in Potosi that it was the festival of the devil that weekend and according to the lonely planet Oruro is the best place for this. So we arrived in Oruro expecting a struggle to find accommodation and expensive rooms… oh how wrong we were. In the three days we spent there I don't think we saw any fellow gringos. The town was pretty eventful because Carnival is looming, people decided to practice the parade (without costumes) for 18 hours per day! We also stumbled across a crazy 'two fast two furious' street race without the race. Just lots of cars (similar to Laxy's) strapped with neon lights, sound system with massive bass and dodgy older male Bolivian drivers and younger good looking Bolivian women. All this added up to one massive crowd and a very bizarre experience for the two gringos in town.
I shouldn't mention our time in Oruro without talking about the horrible coach journey we took to get there. We booked our tickets late which meant there weren't any seats together, we didn't think much of it but little did we know who we would be sat next to… Charles was unlucky and got a small miserable Bolivian women who was constantly gipping which left Charles on edge (who can blame him after our experience on the way to Heathrow airport?!), I was left with a large Bolivian guy who decided to take his shirt off as he was getting sweaty and then fell asleep for the entire duration (10 hours) in the most awkward positions ever, well for me! At times he had his sweaty arm rested on my head, his legs up on mine (before I woke him) and many, many more annoying positions!
Anyway the coach journey from La Paz to Oruro was a joy compared to that as it was only 3 hours on smooth roads.
We have had four nights in La Paz so far and one final one tonight before we head to Rurrenabaque in the Amazon basin, which according to pretty much every other traveler we have spoke to about has been described as the worst journey ever.
We have stayed at a hostel called the Wild Rover so far which has been a extreme experience fitting with the rest of La Paz.. Once we arrived in La Paz we went straight in search of an English bar that we had heard sold home comforts like fish, chips and mushy peas and curries. After our bread and butter pudding which finished off my nicest meal so far we headed to the packed bar within the hostel where weirdly enough we bumped into two Irish blokes, Mark and Rob, who we had met in Rio and Uyuni despite having completely different routes. We then spent the next day checking out the witches market and booking the death road for the next day. We then did the stupidest thing that I have ever done just for the sake of a t-shirt. We decided to take on the challenge at the nearby Indian restaurant (the highest in the world) to eat the vindaloo which is advertised as the most dangerous in the world… this I can vouch for! A true measure to how hard this actually was is that even Charles (the eating machine) struggled. The dish was basically mashed up chilies from the foothills of Bolivia into a paste. Charles finished in a rapid time though despite the tasks difficulty… all of those reading that came to Malia, the chili Fieldy bought randomly in the Mexican restaurant wasn't a touch on this curry. Anyway after a struggle over an hour or so and 7 or 8 waters, one lassie and every other possible method of cooling it down I was looking like a desperate man. I had gone way to far to give in on the dream of the t-shirt (which Charles was now wearing opposite with a huge grin despite the still pouring sweat on his forhead) however the possibility of finishing without series vomiting and a collapse of fluid loss (this may sound over dramatic…it is not!) was looking slim anyway I carried on slowly and surely… now averaging a mouthful per bottle of water. Then in imagine a miracle feels like the waiter came over and could see my desperation/ commitment to finish the curry and told me I could have the t-shirt if I ate another mouthful. I will never forget that man. Anyway the walk out of the restaurant was like walking down the red carpet as groups who had tried and failed saw our t-shirts and applauded us… not bad for a guy who eats kormas! After this is felt for both of us like a war was going on within our stomachs therefore we had an early night as alcohol would have not gone down well also as a hangover while cycling next to cliffs of 400m on a road the width of one car at 7 in the morning would have been a little stupid even by our standards!
We set off the next morning with stomachs that were very unpredictable from the night before's antics. We then began our descent from 4800 meters to 1700 meters, over a distance around 70km. At the beginning we were amongst a think fog and frost before declining into rain and then humid heat. The road began as a well maintained concrete road next to big cliffs however soon enough it turned into a rough, bumpy road the width of a car and next to cliffs with drops up to 400m! Two of our group fell as well as our instructor who had to be taken to hospital on the way back with presumed broken arm and stitches needed on his chin! Sounds bad but based on what could have happened he was actually quite lucky. The road was a real test of our biking ability… luckily we have experience cycling along the canal to Manchester! After a full days cycling we were taken to a hostel where you could swim or unsurprisingly as everyone chose, based on the pool's cleanliness, have a shower.
As if we hadn't done enough crazy things since arriving in La Paz we then spent yesterday visiting San Pedro prison. It is the only prison in the world that you are allowed to visit. The prisons tours whole set up was a pretty dodgy affair as you just walk up to the prison and then a guy will find you and tell you when the next group is allowed in. After waiting for around 30 minutes we had a group of around 8 that went in. The prison has no police or prison wardens inside, therefore the prisoners run it even to an extent that you have to buy a cell and they have self hired security guards who are also prisoners. As we entered the prison the first thing that really shocked you was the presence of children and babies, as the prison allows the families of the prisoners to come inside and stay with them making it like a community with shops, barbers etc. The guide you are given is a prisoner himself who is looking for cash, not that I think ours needed it as he came to meet us looking like a really dodgy guy in his sunglasses, suit jacket and sparkling shoes, you are also given a bodyguard… not that it felt like anyone would come near us as long as we were with our guide who whenever someone came near didn't need to tell them twice to move away. It was a pretty weird experience as this guide was probably a murderer or drug dealer. After wondering the prison for around two and a half hours we were freed thank god!
We have spent today shopping for essentials for the Amazon, both piking up some new snazzy pants (nothing compared to those comfy pants you better not have thrown away back home Mum!) and that leaves us here sat in an internet café watching English television over the internet!
Hope all is well back in Brighouse!
Max x
p.s Sorry if you feel like you have just read a novel!
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