Her name is Lola...

The bus to La Paz was pretty uneventful...apart from the flat tire we got at 1am, which made us late for the connecting bus we had. Luckily, the bus from La Paz to Copacabana was also late. Crisis averted.

We left La Paz at 8am- rush hour. It was sheer madness! I had no inclination to visit this city and just driving through made me glad of that decision. Encarna was having second thoughts about spending much time there as well. The fact that it was a freezing 2º didn`t help the cause either.

The bus we were on had no heating and it was also freezing - you could tell we were moving north! The landscape had also changed, it had become much greener and less harsh, the mountains had softer peaks - not as jagged...and it was raining.

When we arrived in Copacabana it was piss pouring rain. We hastily chose a hostal near the bus drop off area. When the answer to the all important question was yes, we agreed to spend the night. The question? Is there 24h hot water. The room looked clean and the place looked good, but the shower...it was the dodgiest shower I have ever seen (this was soon to change, however). I´m not sure how these things work but from what I could see the heating system (electric) is hooked up to the actual shower head, there is only one knob - you either get a dribble of hot water or a steady stream of cold . When it was my turn to take a shower I tried to adjust the water and got an electric shock...and here I was wondering why the knob was covered with electrical tape! What a frightening experience!

After the shocking shower, we scurried across the street for a bite to eat. On the menu....trout. Lake Titicaca was stocked with Canadian trout, eh, so it`s pretty much the main dish on most menus. I´ve never tried trout before - I`m not a big fish fan, too many bones, but when in Titicaca...I tried the grilled trout. It was delicious! I really enjoyed it...apart from the flashback I got of my son fishing with his buddy Dustin when they were about 9. They were having trouble removing a fish from the hook so they called me over for help (mistake). I cried as I tried to free the poor little fishy, sad little fella was struggling for life - all for the entertainment of a couple of kids. A barbaric practice. I overheard Dustin say to Loic, "Let`s not fish near your mom anymore." Bright kid that Dustin!



Such a beautiful lake!

After we had finished lunch, the sun was out and it was getting hot, hot, hot. We took a stroll along the edge of the lake - both of us had stiff legs from the long hike the day before and the night of not quite lying down in a cramped space.

It got so hot after a while and the lake was so inviting...I decided to go for a dip....GADZOOKS!  I found out later that the lake rarely gets above 9º. I got in up to my knees and when I got out my legs were a violent shade of red...my skin trying to figure out what the heck had just happened! We sat on the beach for a while and the lake continued to beckon - I miss proper lakes. Sorry, Australia just doesn´t do lakes properly.

We walked back to the town and spent the rest of the afternoon at a lakeside cafe, basking in the sun and enjoying a cup of tea. In the evening we tried to explore Copacabana a little more, but the torrential downpour started again. The place reminds me a little of Niagara Falls (Canadian side, of course) with a little less tack. Just a lot of souvenir shops, restaurants and hostals.

The next day we were going to catch a boat to the Isla del Sol.

Nothing says tack like a plastic swan

Sucré

Sucre

We were sad to leave Potosi, but we had to move on - Sucré was next on the bill.

In contrast to Potosi, Sucré has a great reputation amongst travellers. We were told it was a beautiful white city - the crown jewel of Bolivia....hmmmm we shall see.

Its not far from Potosi - just a couple of hours - so we caught a shared taxi. This is a great practice, along with the "collectivo" vans/buses. There´s a designated area where there vehicles wait for passengers, they generally have a fixed rate, but it´s usually very cheap because you´re sharing the cost with others. So, we caught a shared taxi with 2 other people and off we went...

...to meet our maker.

The driver was a complete maniac! We are driving through mountains on narrow roads - and this guy thought he was Mario Andretti! He was flying down (and up) at 100km/h; taking sharp corners at 80...but the worst, the thing that really set my heart pounding (and it wasn´t the altitude) was the overtaking. He would over take people on blind corners and going up hills...I dreaded seeing a vehicle ahead of us - the pit of my stomach would drop, because I knew my life was tenuous as he raced towards them. I thought for sure I was going to die...those 2 hours felt like an eternity.

When we finally made it to Sucré I was sorely tempted to kiss the sidewalk.

(All that aside I still think the shared taxi, collectivo thing is a great idea...just don´t get in when the driver is a young man...sorry guys, insurance companies charge young men a fortune for a reason)



Hostal San Francisco



Encarna and I went to the Hostal suggested by Francine - the Grand Hostal - but we found it too expensive so we went in search of something more reasonable. We ended up in the Hostal San Francisco - it was fantastic! I reckon that it was the best place I´ve stayed at thus far. The room was HUGE, the shower was hot, the beds were firm, and the place itself was beautiful.



One of the terraces...



Sucré itself was a nice place, but hardly lived up to the hype (in my humble opinion). It was founded in 1538 and is known for its 18th and 19th century buildings...and the fact that most of the buildings in the centre are all white. We went to visit the Recoleta Monastery, founded by the Franciscans in 1601 - beautiful old place - we even had our own personal tour guide...he was a very odd young fellow who recited his lines in a v.e.r.y s.l.o.w a.n.d m.o.n.o.t.o.n.o.u.s. v.o.i.c.e...it was very hard not to laugh. Once Encarna interrupted his recital with a question and he became completely flustered. Hilarious! This was a very tranquil place. Quite large, on top of the hill overlooking the town, it had 4 terraces...so we were quite shocked to hear that there were only 5 monks living there (we even met one).  So, if there´s anyone (er guy) out there who is looking for spacious accoms; gratis, in a nice town in Bolivia, you know where to go....oh, there is that small commitment to God thing...

On Sundays there´s a well known market in a nearby town called Tarabuco. So Encarna and I caught the collectivo (much more reasonable, both price wise and safety wise) to check it out. Its 70 km outside Sucré  through some beautiful mountains...too bad I fall asleep every time I climb into one of those things - I´m not the only one I might add, everyone just dozes off in them, you can´t help it!

Although this market is mentioned in the Lonely Planet, it was a sad disappointment. Things were way overpriced and the whole atmosphere was a little sad and desperate. We looked around a little and had a fabulous pollo piquante (spicy chicken) in a little street restaurant (very basic place; plastic stools out side only) then went back to town.

We wandered the streets of Sucré, as we did the streets of Potosi, but it just wasn´t the same. Sucré was bigger, but not as intimate and quaint (or grand, I think) as Potosi. So we decided to go out of town on a hike. We found a company called Condor Treks who offer guided treks from 1 - 5 days. They are a non-profit company, founded by an Aussie bloke, who support development and social projects within Sucre and the surrounding countryside. The one day hike including a visit to the archaeological park was just what we were looking for.

We all took the bus to the "park"....but when we got there it looked like an industrial place, full of massive trucks (the dinosaurs of today?) The whole place belongs to the most important cement factory in Bolivia (there are only 2) and well, cement makes more money than dinosaur tracks.

Ok doesn`t look like much here, but it was impressive!

We walked past the security guard and up a small hill - and there it was... Jurassic Park meets Disney. Admittedly, it was a little camp and a lot tacky, but I guess this is Bolivia´s first stab at this kind of thing.

The park was more geared for those really keen on dinosaurs - 6 to 8 year old boys - but our guide did tell us some fascinating things. The most impressive to me was this: The tracks are on a 1200 meter long and 110 meter wide slab of dry mud, inclined almost vertically at 72 degrees...this used to be completely vertical at one point. The tectonic plate movement pushed up this giant slab up over time...just like it did all the mountains. The slab of tracks is 68 million years old and contains more than 5000 footprints, belonging to at least eight different species of dinosaurs.  It is one of the most important dinosaur footprint site in the world.

Pretty cool, right?

After our little visit we went for a stroll through the hills. It was bloody hot but totally worth it to get out of the city, have a picnic, and really work our legs...some of those hills were steep! We spent the day communing with nature and some local farm animals. It was a very lovely day. When we caught the bus back into town, we saw a curious thing - it was a stuffed hanging man from the lamp post. We asked Randall (the founder of Condor Treks) what the heck that was and he told us that this was a message to any one who was caught stealing...community justice. Gulp, they don´t kid around! We saw a few of these, and I´m sad to say I was never quick enough on the draw to get it in a photo.

Directly after our walk we headed to the bus station for the next leg of the journey...Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca!
(photos to come tomorrow!)

Potosi

We had been on the road now for 4 days without a shower...what was another few of hours, right?
Encarna and I hopped on to the bus to Potosi - it was a rather sorry and run down looking thing - but at the front, facing all the passengers was Avril Lavigne and Shakira. Very reassuring.

Off we went, most of the road was done, there were only a few areas that were still under construction, but all in all it was better than we had been lead to believe.  It was interesting to note that the mountains were a tad greener here, and the the rock was less colourful, just more in the greys, creams and whites (not sure what kind of rock that is).



view from the room



I´ve had mixed reviews about Potosi, a girl in Salta told me not to miss it and Francine had said it was boring and there only a mine to see. As the bus pulled in, Encarna and I were tending to agree with Francine. We caught a cab to our Hostal (we had chosen an old mission from the Lonely Planet), our opinion changed.

Potosi was founded in 1546s as a silver mining town. It soon became one of the most important cities on the continent. So much so, that the word potosi became an adjective meaning much wealth or abundance. It is one of the highest towns in the world as well - coming in at 4067m above sea level (meh, didn´t faze us anymore).

When we got to our hostal/mission it was a labyrinth of a place, very cool though, even if the pictures were hung from the top of the wall - most importantly, it had HOT WATER SHOWERS! We made quick use of that and then set off on a quick re-con mission since it was already starting to get dark.

Potosi has the feel and architecture of, well, a 16th century Spanish town! HOW AWESOME! Cobbled streets, massive churches, little balconies made of beautifully sculpted wood, massive studded doors...fantastic! We would have to wait for la mañana, to appreciate its full grandeur...we were hungry and tired (we had been up since 5 that morning remember!), so we stopped in a little bistro overlooking the main square and had a lovely glass of wine with our dinner.

Casa de la moneda

After a good night´s sleep, we went to see the Casa de la Moneda (the mint) was built in 1574 and the story goes that when the king of Spain got the bill for the construction, he exclaimed, "WHAT??!!! Are you kidding me??! Did you build the thing out of silver??!" (ok, I´m paraphrasing). The whole silver era was brutal for the natives living in the area as well as the African slaves that were also brought in. The building was very interesting though and still very impressive.

Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco

We also tried to get into some of the magnificent churches, but we found most were locked. We did manage to get into one though - Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco the original church was built in 1547 but mostly torn down and rebuilt in 1707. It is a really beautiful and imposing building (most of the churches here are - I guess it was part of the pope´s plan to intimidate the natives)

We did a lot of wandering around the old streets of Potosi, there was always a new, narrow street we hadn´t explored. We can´t figure out why this wonderful town has such a bad rap. Encarna and I have this town as ·1 on our list.

Some weird things about Potosi...Although it´s known for it´s silver mines, we were hard pressed to find any silver things there. We were told that although there´s silver in them thar hills, and people still break their backs trying to mine it (as individuals not for a company), no one has the equipment to work the stuff.

We found an inordinate amount of lawyers...mostly in one street.

Lastly, they won´t let you into the supermarket (I love visiting supermarkets in different countries) with any bags...not even your purse. When we asked the guy how we were going to pay without our purses he just shook his head and repeated that all bags must be checked. We left. Curious custom.

I´ve uploaded heaps of pics on FB!

Day 4 - Salt, salt, salt and farewells

Sunrise over the Salar de Uyuni

That pillar on the right is my shadow...

On our last day we headed to the Salar de Uyuni - the place where most visitors to Bolivia flock to.  We left at 5 in the morning so that we could catch the sunrise over the salar. This is the biggest and the highest salt plain in the world at 10,582 square kilometers and 3,656 meters above sea level. It is a vast expanse of nothing-ness. It´s basically a salt sea that is so salty that it has a salt crust on top. In certain places this crust can be 2m thick, and in other places there are gaping holes exposing the briny sea below (its really, really, really salty...I tasted it). We stopped to witness the sun make its appearance for the day - it was as if it was rising from the edge of the world - there was nothing between us and it. Our shadows were cast incredibly long...I swear, about 3m! What a show!

The island also had magnificent cacti

We then drove towards the Isla del Pescado (Island of fish - apparently its shaped like a fish). Andreas sent us on a little hike on the island while Idea prepared our breakfast. This island looked like the tip of a mountain peaking out of this massive salt crust. On the island we saw more coral and we also saw some volcanic rock some joined together, you could just imagine the underwater volcano engulfing the coral. This whole area was all underwater prior to the ice age....mind blowing considering that it is now a high point on the planet! The views from the top are absolutely awesome - when you look in certain directions you cannot  see the end of the salar...just a vast expanse of white.



Sorry, didn´t have time for that manicure!



After breakfast and a wee stroll on the plain around the island, we headed to Ojos de Agua - eyes of water. These were big holes in the salar (well, big as in the size of a shoe box). They say that these are the "breathing" holes of the salt plains and that they keep the plains from cracking up. Andreas put his arm in and pulled out beautiful salt crystals - clusters of perfect squares - big, small, all clumped together - to form these beautiful shapes. I don´t know what it is that makes them (or other crystal formations) do this perfect geometry...it´s truly fascinating.

Driving out of there was a bit of a slalom though! It kept freaking me out because it all looks like ice, and I know what happens when you swerve too sharply on ice. I kept expecting a spin out!

We stopped a few times more, to visit man-made things, like the very first salt hotel, and the piles of salt ready to be processed, but they paled in comparison to the natural magnificence of the place.

At the last, Andreas brought us to the town of Uyuni so we could have our last lunch together. Uyuni as a town is pretty much a dump - what a shame since its province is such a wonder.

Jon and Francine were staying in Uyuni to have a shower...and to think about where and what to next.

Encarna decided to come with me to Potosi...we got straight onto bus for a 4 hour ride over not quite finished mountain roads...our shower would have to wait.

Day 3 - Rocks, fuzzy creatures, and a dash of salt.



Arbol de Piedra



By the third day we were all accustomed to the altitude - not ready to run a marathon up here, but no more head aches. This day was practically all desert - there was very little vegetation to be seen...even the scrubby stuff that we had seen previously. Our first stop of the day brought us to a group of rocks that had been smoothed into weird and wonderful shapes by the rain and wind. Now, when I say rocks, I mean rocks that are as big as houses. The most "famous" one (the one you may have seen in photos) is called the Arbol de Piedra - the stone tree. The whole place was really awesome, the shapes really odd, the wind strong and cold as!





Just as we finished thawing in the car, we stopped again in front of a wall of rocks...nothing particularly outstanding or interesting though. Then our guide told us that this is where all the cool viscachas hang out - and then he pointed one out. We were all out of the car in seconds, cameras poised. Viscachas contain a very high cute factor - kinda like a cross between a large rabbit and a tiny wallaby (a small kangaroo) - about the size of a racoon. They´re a relative of the chinchilla (which I will hopefully see while on the Inca Trail). There were 2 viscachas that came to greet us, unfortunately, they came to us looking for food - after having learned that car = food, not danger. Sigh.

Andreas enjoyed having music in the car. The selection available, however, left much to be desired. I want you to to cast your mind back to the 80´s. There was some really great music back then....and some very, very dodgy music as well. I want you to recall the beatbox, oh yeah, feel the synth. Ok now think of some really bad lyrics...Eye of the Tiger? Take your passion? Now imagine that the person writing the lyrics doesn´t speak English very well....you will get such fine lyrics as: "Tell me if the sky is blue, and how old are you" or "You´re so beautiful, please be my lady of the night" or even "Don´t be afraid, don´t be afraid - Strange voices from space...Jabba, Jabba the hut..." No, I´m not kidding. Jon and I killed ourselves laughing.

There were a series of smaller lagoons along the way and at  one of them we caught sight of a Colpeo (Andean fox) ...who, sadly, had gotten the same bad habits as the viscachas. He also had a very high cute factor and he went so far as to lie down near us so that we could admire him more! I´m glad I got the chance to get some great photos of these beautiful animals, but its sad that these animals are showing a dependency on humans...especially when they live in an environment where your hunting skills are paramount.

Here´s my public service announcement for the day: Don´t feed wild animals.

Just before ending the day, we stopped at an outdoor museum of sorts. The people who used to live in the area were a pre-Inca civilization who used to bury their dead in the coral "hives" (can´t think of a better word - they actually do look like hives). Yes, you read correctly, it says coral. At 4000m above sea level there was coral. Dead coral of course...with dead people in them. We chatted with the (tiny) Quechua (descendant of the Inca) lady who kept the museum. She had some very distinct views on Spaniards...She seemed very proud to have such an old heritage.

We stopped for the night in a Hostal made of salt. This was the first place that had showers available to us - showering cost? $1.50. But, as you can well imagine, water in the desert is a very rare commodity so the shower was limited to 5 min. We all declined. Andreas suggested that we hike up to the top of the hill that was behind the Hostal. It was full of huge cacti...and the view of the next day´s adventure - the world famous Uyuni salt plains.

Needs salt...

Day 2 - Lions and Tigers and Bears...naw, not really.

Thanks to our perseverance the day before, the second day wasn´t so hard. We saw many incredible things this day. We passed by the Licancabur volcano, which straddles Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. It is still active, but (on this day at least) it had quit smoking. You would think that with the cold temperatures at night that there would be some snow on some of these peaks - but no, we only saw a little bit of snow on a very few peaks...truly bizarre.

Near the volcano we saw our first salt lagoon. These are smallish bodies of water that are left over during the dry season.They each have their own properties that make them unique. Some have sodium borate, arsenic, copper deposits etc.  Many of these are then collected and sold to neighbouring countries or exported to the wide world.

We also passed a place called the Rocas the Dali (yep, like the painter). The landscape is colourful and barren except for a few random rocks - very Daliesque. It was there too, that we saw a woman riding her bicycle. Yes, riding her bike through the mountains. Can´t imagine why any one would think this is a good idea, but apparently she wasn´t the only one whose fancy was struck - later we saw 2 guys doing the same...they did not look like they were having a good time.

 We stopped for lunch at the Aguas Thermes and had the chance to have a dip in the hot springs! How awesome to be able to say I had a wee dip at 4300 m above sea level??!! The water was toasty warm; not too hot. Everyone was a little worried about getting out - it was a tad windy and when the wind blows up there you really feel the cold, but because the water had warmed us up getting out was easy.

Then, after we had our fill (I put in the suggestion area of the survey that a siesta should be included) off we went to the geysers. From the car all you could see were thick billowing smoke. As soon as you opened the door though the stench of the sulfur hits you and makes you gag...not good after lunch. The other thing to strike you was the sound - it sounded like some wicked witch´s cauldron...ready for any naughty children wandering nearby. We had to watch where we put our feet here as some of the ground appeared solid, but it wasn´t. Inside each of the geyser holes was a hot, steamy, mass of grey goo - big grey bubbles bursting with a sulfurous *pop*. Way cool.

 We stopped at Huallajara for tea (we were staying here for the night as well) and then went to see Laguna Rojo - the Red Lagoon (aka Laguna Colorada). This patch of water was red due to the microscopic algae that live there...and do you know who LOVES to eat red microscopic algae? Flamingos. They were everywhere. It was magnificent!