Day 110

We arrived at the border, and crossed into Bolivia. It was noticeably different and poorer. At first it was a little scary, as the locals were dressed in rags and stared constantly. We chose to get a taxi to the train station and was there by 830am to buy our tickets. We would have to wait until 330pm for our train, and with absolutely nothing around the station, I was dreading the wait. We wandered across the dusty road and found a café, to have an average breakfast of stale bread and jam. I wondered out to go to outside toilet and spotted a hidden and tiny motel. We asked to rent a room for the day and slept for a few hours until it was time to get the train.We got a train to Tupiza and checked into our hostel. It was quite late, and so we popped out for dinner. We found a Mexican/Bolivian restaurant and had a large feast. I had a mild headache, which I attributed to the altitude. You noticed it when you walked around and spoke or climbed stairs, and you would have to catch your breath. The altitude was around 3000m above sea level, we would be climbing a lot higher than that in the future.

Day 111

Kelly not feeling well and so we spent the day in the hostel while she slept. We went out for dinner and had a Bolivian standard dinner, chips meat and fried veg.

Day 112

We joined a 4 day tour that would terminate in Uyuni, and the giant salt flats. We paired up with another couple and were led to our 4x4 car. We were introduced to our guide/driver (Edwin) and our cook (Nilda), neither of whom spoke English. We gradually climbed and visited a number of old ruined sites and a small village. The village was tiny and consisted of only a few buildings. I heard some kids playing in the distance, and went to investigate. I found a small school and asked a local if I could go in. I think he was a teacher, because he welcomed me in and invited me and another lad to play with the children. We grabbed a football and kicked around with the kids for 20 mins. It was tough, because of the thin air. Within 30 seconds I was breathing very heavily and had to stop to catch my breath, before starting again. We carried on driving to another village where we would stop for the night. We challenged some local lads to a game, and played a 45minute game. This time it was even harder, as we were playing against men and we were running around more. We were at 4200m and the cold mountain air stung the lungs, not to mention the lack of oxygen. A couple of times after some longish sprints, I thought I was going to faint. After the game we were served dinner, and the temperature had dropped quite significantly. Kelly and I were wearing around 6 layers to keep warm. Before we went to bed, we stepped out of our dungeon….sorry accommodation (it was a concrete block, that wouldn't be out of place in Kabul), and stared at the stars for ages. I had never seen such a clear sky, you could see every single star, and they were unimaginably bright. As we went to bed, I realised that I couldn't stop my heart from beating, and I thought it was my body taking a while to calm after the game, but it wasn't, it was the altitude. My heart was beating twice as fast, even when I lay in bed motionless. It was a little scary. That night I couldn't sleep, as it felt like I was jogging, my heart beating rapidly throughout the night. The next morning, I discovered that no one had slept and it made me feel a little better.

Day 113

We were up at 530am and drove around some Spanish ruins, and into a national park. The park was amazing. We saw flamingos and spent an hour bathing in a natural hot spring. We also drove to multiple amazing different coloured lagoons, some pink, some blue, some green. The landscape was amazing and was almost alien. On the way to our next accommodation, we stopped at 5000m, which was pretty impressive. Our accommodation was at 4400 metres, dinner and an early night.

Day 114

We were up at 5am and visited a bright red lagoon; it was unbelievable, like something out of a sci-fi mars movie. We stopped at another beautiful lake where we watch flamingos from 20m away. We also visited a "rock forest", this was a bizarre collection of rocks placed in the middle of a desert. On the way to our final accommodation, we informed Edwin, our driver, that much of his music collection was sung by gay men, to which he laughed. He then realised that we weren't joking and that Freddie mercury and the village people were not as macho as he thought he looked a little upset. In South America, men are overly masculine and live their lives in as macho a way as possible. 2mins later and "macho macho man" by the village people came on, I nearly wet myself. Our accommodation was a fantastic hostel made entirely out of salt. The bricks, floor, roof and tables were made from salt. It was like staying in Santa's grotto. We knew that we would be visiting the salt flats tomorrow, and so the hotel was a nice touch.

Day 115

We were up at 430am to enjoy the sunrise on the giant salt flats of Uyuni. The view was quite amazing. In the middle of hundreds of miles of white blank flat salt horizon, was a strange coral island, 100m tall. The salt flats were ancient sea beds, and the island was a giant coral reef. Due to volcanic movement, the sea was cut off and evaporated, leaving these massive salt landscapes. The view from this island was breathtaking, and after breakfast, I played football with the drivers and some other lads on the tour. The game was incredible. As far as the eye could see, was white nothingness, and there we were playing a game of football at almost 4000m above sea level on a pitch of salt. We drove to the middle of the flats and spent a few hours taking photos. Due to the blank white horizon, photos can be very fun. The best photos are perspective photos, where a person stood 50m away can seem 3inches tall. If the photographer positions himself correctly, he can place the person in the palm of another's hand. We spent a fair amount of time concocting ideas for photos. After the flats we were driven to the town of Uyuni, where our tour ended. Kelly and I said goodbye to our drivers and checked into our pre booked hostel. What a fantastic 4 days….but I was exhausted.

Day 116

We caught a 5 hour bus from Uyuni to Potosi. Potosi is a larger town and is famed for its mining, specifically silver mining. We didn't know what to expect on the bus and what conditions we would face. Our bags were strapped to the roof and we walked onto find our seats. The bus was like an old 50s American school bus with slightly bigger seats. Over the next 10mins the bus became packed, not only were all the seats booked, but there were people sat and standing in the isle. I had an aisle seat and there were 2 old women with worn, wrinkled dark skin wearing traditional clothing (large pleated skirt, poncho and a bowler hat)sat in the aisle, next to me.…it was a tight squeeze. After 5hours we arrived and got a taxi to our hostel, we drove through a rough looking part of town, and I was a little nervous, as to where our hostel was based. Finally we arrived, and the hostel was in a safe part of town. We checked into our room and explored the town and had lunch. We caught up on our internet banking, emails etc back at the hotel, and relaxed the rest of the day

Day 117

We spent the day exploring the town and went to the national mint/museum. The tour of the mint was interesting, explaining how the silver was mined and turned into coins. We had met an Aussie couple earlier in the day and we met them for lunch to pick their brains. They had been to Peru and the rest of Bolivia and were going to Argentina and so we exchanged advice.

Day 118

We checked out, and the spent the day walking around town waiting for our evening bus to La Paz. On the south west circuit of Uyuni and the salt flats we had met an English couple, Simon and Zara. We got on very well with them and Simon was in the same industry to me. We had spent almost 6 nights with them and so arranged to meet for dinner before our bus journey, and to share a taxi to the terminal. We went to a small restaurant and had Mexican food. The waiter brought us scrabble, and we played to kill some time. In the end the game went on a little longer than planned, and we had to hastily walk back to the hostel, so we did not miss our bus. We got a taxi to the bus terminal and went to collect our tickets. We had been warned that Bolivia could be dangerous, not for violent crime as much, more for bag snatching. We were also warned that some tourists had been kidnapped and held hostage, while the thieves drained their bank accounts, and so my paranoia was running wild. The bus terminal was pretty grotty and had a slightly menacing feel to it. We collected our tickets and waited to get on our bus. Sometime later, we were aboard the 9hour overnight bus to La Paz and climbed into our sleeping bags to get some kip…..4 mins later, I was awoken by a fat Bolivian pig snoring his arse off. He was a man mountain, and was making some serious noise. I turned my ipod onto full and tried to sleep.

Day 119

We arrived in La Paz at 6am. We met Zara and Simon, who had also caught the bus, through a different company. We all caught a taxi to our different hostels. We said goodbye to them and checked into our hostel. After unpacking, we walked around the town centre, which was easy, as we were close to the centre. We had breakfast and some coca tea, which had become an everyday occurrence. Coca is a plant chewed or boiled in a tea, by the Andean people (Peru and Bolivia). The plant is the main base ingredient of cocaine, before multiple chemicals are added to it. The Coca plant is not a drug and does not get you high, but does give you a caffeine like boost. The plant has multiple useful properties, such as an energy boost and oxygenating the blood. It allows you to walk and work at high altitude without feeling exhausted and sleepy. It is also used for social and ceremonial purposes, much like alcohol in western/European cultures. We had been chewing the coca leaf every day in high altitude to cope. After our caffeine/coca hit, we explored the town and visited San Francisco Cathedral. We then visited the coca museum, where we learnt even more about the plant, its biology and history. We booked our activities for the following days and our flights. That evening we went to a "British-Indian Restaurant", that we had read about in the lonely planet. The food was really good. On the way back from the restaurant, a random dodgy looking bloke said something to me in Spanish, that seemed aggressive, but we dismissed him and carried on walking. We think he was offering us drugs. We don't do drugs, but even if we did, you don't want to be mucking around with that stuff in Bolivia…..the police don't do things by the book

Day 120

The following morning we awoke and made our way to a nearby café/activity meeting point. My heart was pumping with fear and anticipation. We were to cycle on the "world's most dangerous road". The road is outside La Paz and winds its way through unbelievably picturesque hills and valleys……however…..the road is 3 wide, is shared by trucks and buses, is not tarmac, its gravel….and you have to cycle on the left on the outside of the bend so you can see oncoming vehicles…next to a 600m sheer cliff at 3600m. I'm not talking a steep decline….a sheer cliff drop, with no safety barrier. Essentially you are cycling in an area 1.5-2m wide, with a sheer drop on gravel……oh and it was raining….and I'm terrified of heights. I digress….my heart was pounding on the journey. I think the last time the adrenaline was pumping like this was an audience with Paul Sieff!!! Let me explain! Before we left the UK, after our Asia trip, my good friend Paul had been giving us advice on South America. He had travelled the area extensively and was a fountain of knowledge. While in the pub, he asked me if I could come round to his house before a game of 5aside football to do some impressions for his dad (I'm quite good at impressions, but not that good), we had had a few beers and I agreed. The next day we were late for football, and he had obviously forgotten my empty acceptance and we played football. 3 days later Kelly and I were preparing for our flight the following night and Paul offered to lend us his South America books. We said that we would drive to his house to collect them. When we arrived his mum welcomed us in, and told us that Paul was in the garden with his dad and auntie. They came in from the garden and we were all introduced. Paul grabbed the books and placed them in my hand and then uttered the immortal words "here are the books….you can have them….if you do some impressions for my dad!!!!" What….id been hoodwinked, conned, done over, mugged off!! What could I say?? No! Of course not, his mum, dad, auntie and Paul were all looking at me eagerly. Paul iterated…."if you do the impressions"… b******!! We went into the living room and the whole family sat down, and so did Kelly….turn coat….and I had to do a 10minute unplanned routine of impressions, with intermittent shouts from Paul "Do your Michael Caine, do your al Pacino from devil's advocate…yes you can…you can…okay do arnie!!!" Long story short, I got the books and I left….sweating. Anyway, we arrived at the death road and begin the ride. I started off really slowly, talking to another English girl while I built my confidence up, especially as it was pouring with rain, and the large chunks of stone were becoming more hazardous. Many people have died on this road, and our tour guide was happy to tell us this….a*******!! During the pouring rain, our camera was ruined, which was very annoying, but when you're that terrified it didn't seem that bad. At the bottom of the descent was the jungle and an animal reserve. We had a shower and quite a few beers to relax. I needed a shower, because by the end I was flying down the road, cocky as you like. There was a mad Irish bloke in our group, who was nice enough until he fell asleep on the way back. My God!!! He would not stop releasing the worst noxious gas from his anus…wow it was horrendous. I had to open the window and let in the freezing mountain air. The bus took the dangerous road back….3m wide, and the mini bus was driving up it….and there was fog. If I hadn't had the beers I would have been in a bad place. We were dropped off at Burger king, got a take away and a cab home. In the cab I vented my anger at Wayne Rooney to the cab driver, discussing Rooney's inability to control his temper, and collecting a ban for the European championships. The cab driver found it amusing.

Day 121

We visited an archaeological site of the Tiwanacu, an ancient Andean people, who predated the Incas. It was extremely interesting. On the way home, we had to be dropped off on the outskirts of the CBD, as there was a 2000 person protest march happening in the city. The march was to protest against a huge highway carving its way through the jungle from Bolivia to Brazil. The indigenous people from the low lands (jungles etc) argued that it would destroy their homeland. Bolivia is divided into lowland people and highland people. The people are culturally and physically different. Their bodies and faces are noticeable different.

While walking back we got a taxi and went to a camera repair shop to try to fix our camera. Our taxi driver was called Fidel and he was good fun. We decided he would pick us up the following morning and take us to the airport to catch a flight to Rurrenabaque. We then walked to an electronics/blackmarket area to buy another camera. The area was extremely dodgy and I felt very uncomfortable walking around. Especially as I had a fair amount of money on me to buy a new camera. We bought a replacement camera, not as good, but it would do.

Day 122

Fidel picked us up and took us to the airport. The flight was delayed. We got a sandwich and then checked in. As we passed through the scanners, Kelly's bag beeped. The security guard unpacked it and found a sharp pair of nail scissors….s***!!! Not good in an airport. Uh oh….my bag beeped. He opened it and pulled out a large pen knife….nightmare. This couldn't get worse. We had searched our bags, but didn't look in the secret pocket….and missed the knife. Luckily he let us through and we boarded the plane. It was a short 45 min flight to the jungle town of rurrenabaque. We were picked up by our tour group and taken to our organised accommodation. The town was small and was south east Asian looking. Even the people looked south Asian. We only had half a day, and so we relaxed and chatted to a Dutch middle aged couple who were on our tour the following day. That evening we played pool and had dinner. That night was hot….super hot, a major change from the cold temperatures of La Paz…but at least there was more oxygen.

Day 123

The following morning we caught an organised river boat, 6 hours to Chalalan lodge in the heart of Madidi national park. The park was in the middle of the jungle and was an eco-lodge, established to help the local indigenous communities. On the way we saw rare otters, birds and huge rodents named Capybaras. We arrived at 1pm and had a 2km walk through the jungle to the lodge. It was in the middle of nowhere, and our cabin, was slap bang in the middle of the jungle. The noise of the animals was deafening and exciting. We were introduced to our guide, Norman. A cheeky looking stocky chap ( All Bolivians are small, I'm only 5ft 10, and I felt tall) We went for a walk through the jungle, and saw howler monkeys, maccaws (or mohawks as Kelly called them). We then went out on a canoe on a huge lake and saw various birds, monkeys and other animals. Our favourites were the yellow squirrel monkeys and capuchin monkeys (or cappuccino monkeys as Kelly called them). We had been grouped with the Dutch couple and were getting on well. The wife had a dodgy stomach and although charming, could not stop passing wind, from all exits. She was doing it slyly, but Kelly and I could hear it, and were desperately trying not to laugh. We got off the boat and one of the guides knew that I liked football, and asked me to play…..definitely! I got changed and then played for well over an hour with the guides…it was boiling. The humidity was unbelievable, but what an experience. We were playing on a small cleared green, 20m by 20m surrounded by dense jungle….amazing! That evening we had locally caught battered catfish and potatoes for dinner. Back to the lodge in the pitch dark, with head torches. We freshened up and then went on a night walk with our guide. He took us back into the dense jungle, which was quite scary. There were huge spiders, scorpions, bats, frogs etc everywhere, and it was absolutely pitch black. We were privileged to see some of the most amazing jungle night life. Incredible! That night we climbed into our mossie netted bed and lay there listening to the noisy animals outside. The symphony of monkeys, crickets, birds etc, was deafening.

Day 124

Slept well…with ear plugs…and was up at 730am for breakfast. It was raining and so we were told to stay in bed until 730am. We had pancakes and cookies for breakfast, which suited Kelly and then went for a walk. This time Norman concentrated on trees and plants, and especially medicinal plants. One tree contained a chemical used in the creation of Viagra and was used by local people for erectile and arthritic problems. We also saw a tree that was used to treat serious kidney diseases. Norman showed us a garlic tree, where the bark smelt of strong garlic. It was used for cooking and for mosquito repellent. Of course we also saw animals…they were everywhere, poison dart frogs, howler monkeys and wild pigs. Kelly managed to see the pigs face before it ran away, I only saw its bum! Norman left us for 30 mins to try to cut the pigs off and chase them back towards us. When you are by yourself in the jungle and your guide leaves you, 30mins is a very long time. We were joking about finding our way back…we would never be able to, everywhere you looked, looked the same. Norman came back, phew, and we carried on our walk. He showed us 800 year old huge trees that were huge. After lunch we watched 2 videos on the local jungle community and how our Eco lodge was improving their quality of life. We then went out on the lake and walked uphill to a lookout. The view was amazing. Before dinner we went back to the room and Kelly went to the toilet. She screamed and I ran to her aid. As she went to sit on the toilet, she noticed a massive frog sat on the seat looking at her, it was very funny. After dinner we went out on the boat again looking for Kaman (crocodile type animals.)There were millions of insects everywhere, and because we had torches, we were attacked. I was stung on the hand by a massive hornet, about 6inches long, but it was surprisingly only slightly painful. After the boat tour, we returned to the main cabin for a goodbye cultural night. They played us native music and taught us how to dance like their people. We were given "jaguar milk", banana liqueur and coca leaves. After a few hot sweaty dances we went to bed.

Day 125

It was raining the following morning, and so we couldn't go out walking until 930am. We saw the usual variety of animals, monkeys, birds etc, but we were to see something special on the way. Half way through the walk, Norman stopped dead and was listening carefully. He led us for 20minutes until we came to a small hill. From there we waited patiently and silently, like hunters. Suddenly 50 huge wild pigs, boar like, ran past us squealing and biting loudly to communicate. The hair on their back was erect like a Mohican haircut and made them look twice the size. It was pretty scary, like something out of lord of the rings. We canoed back to the lodge and packed to leave. We walked back to the river Tuichi and climbed aboard our returning boat. The howler monkeys were howling and the banks were once again packed with wild life. On the way, we asked the drivers to stop so that we could have a wee, but the only place we could stop was a steep river bank, and Kelly and I clambered up the cliff to relieve ourselves. Back on the boat and within 10mins it ran out of petrol….brilliant. We had to drift for an hour, before a passing boat gave us some petrol. The journey took 5hours, instead of 3!! Checked into a hotel, but the shower wasn't working. The showers here are extremely dodgy. They are electric, but the wires stick out of the walls and are a serious hazard. The owner's son came out to fix it, and I don't know how he didn't kill himself.

Day 126.

We walked around town and got money from the bank to pay for our pampas trip. We changed hostel to a hostel with wifi. While in the bank, Kelly had a tick on her arm, and it panicked both of us, that it may be one of the insects that lay eggs in your skin. It wasn't. The tick looked like a mole and was camouflaged, which made it more scary.This would not be the last of our encounters with ticks.

Day 127…..I think.

We were picked up by a jeep, and introduced to our guide (Alejandro), cook (Jaqueline) and driver (Carlos). We drove for over 3 hours through thick woods and grasslands until we reached a lodge in the middle of nowhere. There were 6 thatched wooden cabins and 3 of them were for the guests. Luckily we were the only tourists at the camp and so we could choose whichever cabin we wanted. We were shown to the first cabin which was part of the same building as the other two, but separated by wooden walls. There were quite a few large hornets in there, the same type that had stung me in the jungle. After killing them, I left to get our bags off the roof of the jeep. It was when I returned that I found another 5 in there….where were they coming from?? I asked Alejandro to help me work out where they were flying in from, and I felt a bit guilty because I was making a fuss. He was a nice chap, and humoured my fears, and as we walked the perimeter of the huts we discovered a massive hornet's nest in the roof. We were moved to the third cabin, but it was in the same building….they would continue to get into the room through cracks in the wood. He assured me that after our afternoon walk Jaqueline would have sorted it. I wasn't sure, but I trusted him. He was a little fella, maybe 5ft tall, and very stocky, almost as wide as he was tall. He had a moustache and reminded me of one of my uncles. We went for a hike down to the river spotting various animal life on the way. At the river, we climbed aboard a small canoe and slowly rowed down the river. We observed pink river dolphins that swam up and alongside the boat, kamen and other wildlife. The dolphins were amazing and so inquisitive; they were playing with the boat. After a few hours we walked back to a large kamen lake and watched them. There must have been 50. We then walked back to the lodge in the pitch black with our torches. It was interesting to see all the animal's eyes reflecting the torch light back at us in the black night. The paths and trails we were walking on were well trodden in the jungle and here in the pampas, however vegetation grows extremely quickly in the pampas and the paths can quickly be covered. In the dark, Alejandro became lost for 5 minutes, and we were stood in the middle of the wilderness in the dark, being bitten alive, and didn't know whether this little fella could get us back to the lodge…of course he did. When we returned home, dinner was ready and our cabin was clean, hornet free and mosquito nets over the beds. Jaqueline had even lit a candle, it was actually very homely. That night at dinner, I was stung by a hornet…again on my arm. They really didn't like me.

Day 128

We were up at 7am and had breakfast. Unfortunately, where the kitchen and dining room was, also had a large hornets nest. Luckily the hornets weren't active until 8ish. We went for another walk and went looking for sloths. We saw a massive sloth in a tree and the usual comedic monkeys. Alejandro spoke very basic English and with our basic Spanish, we were teaching each other. Kelly and I were laughing about the long grass around us, it reminded us of a scene in Jurassic park. I then spent 20minutes explaining to a 49 year old man, who was born in the jungle, and lives in the middle of nowhere in a mud hut, the similarity of our surroundings and a famous dinosaur chase scene. It took a while! After lunch, and much hornet dodging, we went out piranha fishing, on the river bank. With a bit of string and hooks baited with beef we began. Within a few minutes Kelly had caught a massive cat fish. Alejandro was so excited, because it was the first time anyone had caught one in that river, and it was going to be our dinner that evening. Kelly also explained that we had been singing his name for the last few days, because of a lady gaga song of the same name. Once again it was a strange and long conversation. The area was beautiful and untouched. There were a few farms but they were at least 45minutes drive away. The pampas is visited regularly by lots of tourists, and the river can be pretty busy, and therefore noisy. As a result the animals can be harder to see. We were lucky, as we were on a private tour in a new unvisited area, and there were animals everywhere. That night we had Kelly's catfish for dinner, it was amazing. As we sat there eating, 3 huge frogs had hopped into the dining lodge and were sat 2 feet from us watching us eat. We laughed how it reminded us of the Budweiser "bud..weiiiss..errrr" advert.

Day 129

That morning we woke at 7am as per usual and walked over to the dining cabin for breakfast. On the way I decided to visit the toilet. The toilet was a wooden outhouse containing more animals than the river. The first time I had used this type of toilet was in the jungle, and it took a while to relax and get used to it. By this point it was the norm. Without going into too much detail, I finished my business and as I stood to flush the chain and massive frog jumped out of the toilet, looking shocked and worse for wear. It jumped all around the toilet in a panic….that scene will stay with me forever… I had breakfast….in silence and shock. Then we embarked on our final walk, as we would be leaving after lunch. We were talking to Alejandro about the march (see day 121) and the jungle destroying highway. He was telling us about his 3 brothers who had marched 300km to La Paz, along with 2000 other indigenous people. Apparently the road had been abolished and the march had been successful. Kelly and I looked at each other in slight shock, and a wave of realization painted across our faces. 5 days earlier, when we had returned from the jungle, we had been advised that Le Bon Pampas tour was a good one to do. We were told that it was private, visited an area untouched by tourists and more importantly, the money went to the local communities. This sounded great, and so we tried to book the tour. We were told by Le Bon's sister company, that there was nobody in the Lebon office to book it with. They also said that most of the staff were in La Paz marketing for the company. We were shocked how hard it was to book this thing and after pushing them, and telling them that we wanted to give them our money, they finally made some phone calls. The member of staff from the sister company then informed us that someone would be free tomorrow and he looked a little upset. Soooo, back to the pampas, Kelly and I had realised that the member of staff had not said "they were marketing in La Paz", but "they were marching in La Paz", we suddenly felt very guilty about pushing them. We explained to Alejandro and he laughed. That morning we returned to the river, and spent hours with the dolphins, it was great. On the way back we saw a large beetle/insect called the "amigo de hombres" or "friend of man". This insect killed snakes and tarantulas, it was amazing. It wasn't very big, but it was at the top of the food chain and had no natural predators.

Alejandro and I had been teaching each other Spanish and English. I showed him an application on my computer that taught Spanish through association and he loved it. When we returned from the walk, we spent 30mins playing around on this program. After lunch we packed our bags, said goodbye to the lodge and drove back to rurrenabaque. We dropped our stuff off at the hostel, and were shocked to find we had about 6 ticks each on our body….terrifying. 2 of them were not far from my groin, and a wave of panic hit me. Luckily it was only 5 or 6 each, and after removing them and a very long, and hot shower we walked down to Alejandros office. I gave him a copy of the Spanish program I had and he was very pleased. We said goodbye, went to dinner, and then to bed.

Day 130

We were up at 530am to catch our flight from Rurre to La Paz. We arrived at the airlines small shop on the high st only to discover that we were not on the list. It turned out that the idiot behind the desk had booked us on a flight for the 25th and not the 21st. He told us to wait around until 12, and we could possibly catch a flight later that day, if there were cancellations. In the end, there weren't and we had to stay another night.

Day 131

Finally caught our flight to La Paz, checked into our hostel and walked around the witches market. The market sold everything from touristy items to lama foetuses. The foetuses were grotesque and quite shocking. Went back to the hostel and watched Liverpool fail to beat Norwich, even though Suarez could have 6 goals himself.

Day 132

We were picked up at 7am by our tour bus and driven to Copacabana, Lake Titicaca near to the border with Peru. This lake is huge and is over 450m deep. We had a bus leaving Copacabana at 630pm, and so we booked a half day boat trip to Isla Del Sol in the centre of the lake. The boat would drop us back to Copa by 530pm…or so we were told. The Isla Del Sol wasn't particularly special, and the 90min boat journey there wasn't really worth it. On the return journey our boat, which was controlled by 3 boys, around the ages of 13-15 crashed into some rocks. The boat started to take on water rapidly, and began to sink. They managed to steer the boat to a small rocky island and the 20 passengers climbed out of the boat, before it went under. We were stuck on the rocks for 2 hours, and realised that we would miss our bus. Another boat arrived and took us back to Copa for 715pm. As we pulled into the pier, we were met by a manic group of tour operators, desperate to get us onto our bus. A driver rushed us to the border and told us that we could catch up with our bus there. Alas, we were too late, and by the time we got to the border it had closed. We returned to Copa, were checked into a discounted hotel, courtesy of the tour operator. By this point we were emotionally and physically exhausted. Dinner and bed.

Day 133

We had a whole day to kill, and after visiting the cathedral, wasted our hours in multiple internet cafes until we caught our bus at 630pm. We arrived at the border and passed through customs….Peru, here we come!!