http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/BandR/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from BandR en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:46:41 +0000 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:46:41 +0000 So as said finding tours and making a plan was a bit of a mission. But in the end all falls in place of course and by now I think we know we managed to do a couple of different things which most people dont even bother looking into. The eastern part of Bolivia is relatively unexplored by big hoards of backpackers and tourists apart from the death train from the Brazilian border maybe. Fir http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Santa-Cruz-Department/Amboro-National-Park/blog-141553.html So trip No. 2 then courtesy of a Bolivian travel agent whos name we have forgotten but its also the name of an indigenous tree in case youre looking in Santa Cruz its in the Andrea jewelry shop near the main plaza but theyre not open between 12 and 3pm. The whole trip seemed a bit chaotic when booking but made more sense after more questions. One reservation was that wed be backtrac http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Santa-Cruz-Department/Santa-Cruz/blog-141554.html There were several reasons why we didnt jump in one hop from Santa Cruz to Sucre. One being that wed heard some interesting things about the town and some old Inca ruins at El Fuerte the fort. The second being the Splurge caption in the S American Lonely Planet. Now by now weve come to loathe this very out of date piece of travel guide however we did check the website of Finca la Vispera http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Santa-Cruz-Department/Samaipata/blog-144151.html As mentioned before in Santa Cruz being off the organised tour now we more or less make up our plans as we go along. This was another example. After a very nice stay at La Vispera we got excited about NOT getting on a long distance bus to Sucre. Also there was word that some of the roads to Sucre were closed for large vehicles as parts of the roads were washed away with the heavy rains at the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-144150.html The long awaited break from travelling finally we got to a point where we just had to unpack the bag hang everything up in a wardrobe its the simple things that matter here and just not move..... Sucre. I dont think we could have picked a better city for it. Its big enough to have decent facilities but not too big like Santa Cruz to have way too much anoying traffic. That and its p http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-146187.html Potosi is memorable for a number of different things. its the worlds highest city. this means that the natural process of breath becomes something to be treasured and wandering around the city streets is something that takes a little more time than usual. opening a bottle of anything fizzy is a timely and humorous process. being the worlds highest city Potosi also boasts things like the worl http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Potosi/blog-151232.html Uyuni is a town not very close to anywhere else. In fact its a long and windy dirt road from most places which in a bus with a driver who may or may not have had any previous driving experience can be a terrifying or an exhilerating experience. depending on how you look at things. Uyuni was our next destination due to the intrigue of the amazing salt plains and the vast countryside that we would http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Uyuni/blog-153523.html Where can we start this one It had to be done another extension of our visas and as we'd head into the countryside where no immigration offices would be available we were prepared to do it earlier in La Paz. Visa extensions without hassle as the guide book said. But we were expecting the worst just to make sure we weren't too optimistic. Also we were preparing our spanish to explain why http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-155466.html where to go and thaw the bones after a number of weeks at altitude coroico mis amigos coroico. touted as the bolivian eden it was too good to resist and too good to be true. after swatting the remaining sand flies at the base of the mountain bike ride worlds most dangerous road and sheading the thermals fleeces scarves alpacca hats gloves and rain proofs it was time to lug the bags up http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Coroico/blog-155467.html So after the luxury of pools and saunas and the relaxation of a decent bed and good food it was time again to head onwards for the next episode Rurrenabaque. By now we know that this is spanish for very far away. There were some choices with regards to getting there. By plane which would mean heading back to La Paz first and weather forcast was rain and more rain so no guarantee the small http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-158787.html Did a quick calc on the bus this morning 72 days in Bolivia. Wow. That was the last place wed expect to spend most of our time More than 7 weeks..... Very simple reasons though we came in from the east Santa Cruz and we had to look really hard for tours. No hawkers trying to flog you any second rate tours No sir the ones we did Chiquitos Ambore were pleasant and well organised. Samapia http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Copacabana/blog-161496.html when the inca trail is booked out months in advance and comprises mostly a beautiful stone pathway largely uphill for 3 days the best thing to do is choose a trekking option that involves spectacular mountain and jungle scenery and a slightly less harsh route for the feet. this is how we chose the salkantay to machu picchu trek. 5 days 4 nights and trusty steeds that would carry 8kgs of our gea http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Salkantay-Trail/blog-166424.html We dont need to beat around the bush here or hide behind false pretences.... were tourists So no reasons to travel cattle class all the time to save the budget. More good excuses tourist buses stop for pictures And this one came with a guide as well and again a good one with plenty of info too. So far Perus been pretty good and very informative to us. Again continuing our road to Cuzc http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-166454.html Cuzco was another city for which we had had so many different opinions so again best to enter with a smile and see how you go. The cab driver didnt help conveniently changing the 3 offer from Soles to Dollars by the time wed jumped in. Whatdayado.... But yes it is the sort of tourist town where around the central plaza you get haggled for anything from batteries to freecheap drinks alpaca http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Cusco/blog-166455.html It had to be done. Ever since the Dragoman truck experience which had 2 postcards with roasted guinnea pig on it we knew that it had to be ordered and consumed in Peru The saying is a picture says more than a 1000 words so well let the photos do the talking comic book style One main reason why I waited till AFTER the Machu Picchu trek was that I simply didnt want to risk severe food p http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Cusco/Aguas-Calientes/blog-166809.html I think one of the main reasons why we were looking forward to Lima was being back at sea level again and thus hopefully feeling a bit warmer Alas we'd been warned that there would be too much fog. And so the story would be. Also the suggestion was made to stay in Miraflores the ritzier tourist part of Lima in the Inka Hostal. I think neither we would recommend to anyone unless you like http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Lima/Lima/Miraflores/blog-168895.html Pisco. there is very little that one can really say about pisco. for those of you that have been fortunate enough to have experienced the joys of a little town in Cambodia called Battambang then some vivid images should come to mind instantly. probably the infamous words of the Badman we're on the first bus outta here also come to mind quickly. then again we were in Pisco for a reason. not pis http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Paracas/blog-169918.html Bimbo Pan siempre rico siempre fresco Translation Bimbo bread always delicious always fresh Doesnt really translate....... Find a funny Peru souvenir here I've already got 3 tshirts http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Nazca/blog-172323.html One of the things with extended travel is well things don't always work out the way you planned them. Well sometimes you don't even plan them. Ergo go with the flow or better even get the hell outta there So from San Pedro de Atacama the plan was to hop across the border to Salta enjoy the vistas of the mountains there for a few days and then head down to Mendoza Santiago after that http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Chile/Santiago-Region/Santiago/blog-180127.html Huacachina was one of those places in Peru which is not top of the tourist list but the closer you get to it the more people end up talking about it and eventually you end up spending FAR much more time there then you'd ever have thought Simple reason. From Lima south most seems a desert. Most cities have a Plaza de Armas some churches and maybe if they're big or old enough a cathedral and s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Ica/Huacachina/blog-171628.html