To Bolivia and beyond

10:33am Wednesday 6th August 2008

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On the 30th of June we crossed the border and entered the less travelled land of Bolivia. Our first destination was Copacabana where I met my friend, Barry, from home to make our party a group of four.

Copacabana is not quite as glamourous as it sounds and instead is quite dirty and needs a good clean. It is perched on the edge of Lake Titicaca, which is a beautiful blue and looks very alluring. How ever as soon as you look past the water there is rubbish, stray dogs and run down buildings.

We stayed there a few nights and then caught a bus to La Paz. On the way the bus has to go across a river and rather than a bridge the bus drives on to a rather flimsy looking raft which is pushed across. We decided to get out and go on the passenger boat as we thought we had more of a chance if the raft decided to sink!

The first sight of La Paz is amazing as the city is dropped in a valley surrounded by mountains. It looks like a sprawling blot on the landscape as the houses creep up the side of the valley. The city, again, is quite dirty and unkept but it has a manic atmosphere which you get caught up in.

I tried the local speciality of Picque Macho which is a huge pile of sausage, beef, onions, peppers, tomatoes and chips. It really is good value and very filling. I would probably avoid the hot dog though!

We spent the first afternoon trying to arrange the rest of Bolivia and once again we realised how big the country is and not too easy to navigate. As Daisy was the only one who speaks Spanish and only a little we found it difficult to arrange every thing.

On our first day we went cyclying on "The World's Most Dangerous Road" which was brilliant fun. We went with a tour company and you basically fly down steep roads on a mountain bike. To begin with we cycled on smooth, maintained roads but then we went onto the bumpy, old road which is right on th edge of a cliff. Before they built the new road 100 people died on it a year! Once I had got used to flying down a mountain with only my brakes to save me I quite enjoyed it. The road meanders through the rainforest so the scenery is beautiful and we went underneath waterfalls. We made it to the bottom in one piece and spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool.

The next day we walked to the Witches Markets which sells all sorts of oddities including llama foetuses which are piled up high. The shoe shine men wear masks to hide their faces as it affects their social standing, but it is quite unnerving until you get used to it.

We left La Paz one evening and went on the world's bumpiest bus to Uyuni in the south. The road was in an appalling conidition and the bus sounded as if it was going to fall apart. Unlike the other three, however, I slept very well!

On arrival in Uyuni we started our tour of the Salt Flats. We were in a jeep with three other tourists and our tour guide. We drove to the slat lakes which are amazing as it is just miles and miles of pure, untouched white salt. As there is nothing to compare with you can take really cool photos. The scenery is like Dali's abstract paintings with the clock dripping over the tree. We also went to the Fish Island which is a small hill in the middle of the flat plains covered in cactuses. It was quite eerie really as it seems completely random.

That night we stayed in a Salt Hotel which was entirely made out of salt. The beds, the walls and the tables were all made of salt but of course, the toilets weren't!

The next two days were spent mostly in the jeep as we drove for miles to different destinations. We went to a green lake, a blue lake, a white lake and most interestingly a red lake! It looked very surreal. We also saw geysers, volcanic craters and a live volcano! The places were facsinating but the driving was quite boring. We were glad to get out of the jeep on our third day! We stayed in Uyuni for one night and then spent the whole of the next day on the bus to Sucre, the capital city.

It was hard to remember we were in Bolivia when we arrived in Sucre as it was immaculate and the buildings were well kept and quite colonial. It also felt tropical, which we were not used to as it was freezing in Uyuni. Unfortunately we could not stay long and had to catch an over night bus to Santa Cruz where we spent only a day before we had to get the next bus!

We left Bolivia and drove into Paraguay, where we were thoroughly checked for illegal items. We were lined up as if we were going to be shot. We had to put our bags a metre in front of us and then the police officer walked up and down with his dog, who I think was a bit too playful to look intimidating. They searched each bag seperately and asked a few questions. We finally got back on the bus relieved it was all over.

We went to the capital city of Asuncion after driving through miles and miles of blank countryside. We only got to see the four walls of our hotel room and the restaurant before we were on our way again. This time to Brazil.