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Hello from the wonderful country of Bolivia. Well at least some of it. We are currently in the capital city, La Paz, pretty much the dirtiest, most unhygienic place we have visited so far. However,we have been to some very nice spots over the last week, mixed with a fair bit of travelling.
We left Cusco about a week ago. I was quite glad because the pollution here and the constant harrassment was getting to me. The morning of our departure to Puno there were a few hangovers floating around. But not from meI had been unable to drink because of some medicine I was taking for my stomach bug. Willetts was suffering the worst and made a decision not to get on the bus we had booked for that morning. So me and Leeroy left him in bed to sleep off his hangover, expecting to see him in a couple of days. Luckily his hangover was over fairly quickly and he managed to get on a bus a few hours later.
We arrived in Puno after a 7 hour journey. Willetts arrived a few hours later. We were only staying for a night because we wanted to get to Copocabana, which is a town right next to lake Titicaca. The one good thing Ill say about Puno was the hot shower. We hadnt had one for at least two weeks. The next morning we left early to get the 7.00am bus to Copocabana. Here we crossed the border from Peru to Bolivia.
Copocabana felt like a breath of fresh air. A quite town set upon the tranquil Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world, at 3,812 (12,507 feet) above sea level. By now we are getting used to living at high altitude, although sore throats and dry lips can get a bit annoying. The sun always seems to shine at this height and you can burn pretty quickly. As soon as the sun goes down it also gets very cold here. The hostel that we stayed in was brilliant. Simply because the beds were the most comfy we have stayed in so far. We also had some very good food from the restaurants, even though they seemed to take forever to come. We spent two days relaxing here (needed after the Inca trail) and one day we spent on Isla del Sol. There were mixed reviews about this day out. The boat to the island was the slowest on earth, taking about 2 hours to get the short distance. We also had a guide who spoke no English and to be honest we were getting a little fed up of seeing Inca ruins by now. However, the 8km walk over the island was fantastic, with views of the lake to the horizon on a brilliant sunny day. It also cost next to nothing, so all in all I thought it was worth it. Copocabana will live fond in the memory.
After three days in Copocabana, we left for the capital city of La Paz. We decided to go on a local bus to save a bit of money. The craziest part of the journey was when the bus drove onto a small boat to cross the lake. It looked an almost impossible task but somehow made it across. First impressions of La Paz is that its a filthy place, that smells horrible. Full of traffic and beeping horns. I suppose you have to bear in mind that Bolivia is the second poorest country in South America and this is just their way of life. We spent the first day mooching around, sorting out our next bus and also booking our mountain bike trip for the next day (see below). The hostel we are staying at is ok. Cable TV and a hot shower. However, my bed has holes in the middle, making the mattress sag down. You get used to it though.
Yesterday was a brilliant day. Some of you may have received an email about the bike ride down death road. Its a 38 to 43 mile road leading from La Paz to Coroico. In 1995 it was christened as the worlds most dangerous road. After breakfast we headed up the mountain to the starting point with our gear. The start of the ride is down some normal road but very fast paced. You then arrive at the point where death road begins. The first part is the most dangerous. Quite muddy, cloud covered that limits visibility and very thin roads with no barriers.Our guide told us that we have to ride cliff side as well because of cars coming up the mountain. As you descend down the mountain you pass gravestone after gravestone from fallen vehicles. Some of the wrecks of trucks and buses still remained. Then we reached the gravestone of the Israel lad who fell whilst cycling just 5 weeks ago. He had been messing about with his mate, when they collided next to the edge. It was at this point that we were told that it happened with the same company we were with that day and even the same guide. Scary stuff. About half way down we had a snack with some chickens, roosters and a dog, all wanting a bit of our grub. We then descended the rest of the mountain to complete death mountain, or at least so we thought. We went on to a hotel where we had a buffet lunch, free hot showers and a bit of relaxing time before the 3 hour ride back. The drive back would take us up the new road that has since been built, back to La Paz. Well, this is what we were told anyway. However, it became evidently clear that the old Bolivian guy behind the wheel did not want to take this route. We were going back up death road, which is probably a quicker route back. Panic struck as i remember seeing all the gravestones, fallen trucks and buses. We were in a mini van and not a small one at that. The seat I had taken was the one next to the cliff as well, so for the whole journey I got to see how close we were coming to the edge and how steep the drop was. For almost the whole journey we didnt see a car, until the very end and the steepest point. I think my heart skipped a beat when i saw the car as I couldnt for the life of me see a good passing point. Somehow we made it past. I couldnt see what happened because I had my eyes closed at this point. We had survived death road, and not just going down but coming up as well. We have the T shirt to prove it as well.
So that brings me up to date then. In a few hours we are getting on an 18 hour overnight bus to Santa Cruz. Yippee. We are flying from here on Friday to Buenos Aires, capital city of Argentina. Here we will be endulging in the best steaks in South America, going to see the infamous Boca Juniors football team and having nights out that start at 3am. Apparently this is how the Argies do it.
See ya when I see ya  Â
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