http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Josie-and-Paul/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Josie and Paul en-us Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:33:00 +0000 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:33:00 +0000 Paul visited the mine http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Potosi/blog-221639.html We arrived In Letitia airport Thursday 12th July in the morning and we were shocked by the heat as we were coming out of the plane. We were ushered into the arrival area and were welcomed with singing and keyboard playing y two Policemen. It was a really neat welcome. The security was very tight with all baggage checked drug dogs sniffing around and you could not leave the arrival area with http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Leticia/blog-221127.html From Montivideo we caught another bus to the city of Colonia 2 hours on a nearly straight road. We had the pleasure of finding our hostel and making ourselves comfortable then it started to rain. Our 4th day of rain in 8 months. Our first day in Colonia was spent inside because of more rain. Everyone had said what a gorgeos town it is and very Portugese in the old neighbourhood. The old part http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/West/Colonia-del-Sacramento/blog-204949.html Our holiday is winding down and I find so is my enthusiasm for blogging. I haven't updated for ages so here is a backdated update as much as I can remember.From Melo we caught another bus to Montevideo this was usually about a 6 hour trip but we managed to catch a bus that broke down. It broke down about an hour from our destination and we waited for another bus to come about a half an hour http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/District-of-Montevideo/Montevideo/blog-204109.html When there is very little information on the internet about a town you are a bit short on options especially when you arrive late at night so the only place I had found out to stay in Melo was the Grand Hotel so we taxied there and took a room for the night. It turned out to be the most expensive place we had stayed in in South America full of business people. Paul went looking for another http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/East/Melo/blog-200366.html We caught a bus to Tacuarembo and arrived at 9pm on the third. The tourist office at the bus station was closed so we just caught a taxi to the Hotel Plaza watched a TV program on how to make a parrilla so no need to go to cooking class. We had more parrilla for tea in a really interesting restaurant lots of horse stuff on the walls horse shoes stirrups whips etc. We walked to the bus s http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/North/Tacuarembo/blog-200363.html I don't think many tourists come here. We had some trouble finding out what we should do so we did what we usually do when we don't know what to do. We walked around town and went to the museum. The museum is very interesting and had some old town plans models of what the town was like after Spanish bombing lots of old guns the usual stuff.On Sunday 2nd we found a parrilla place just down http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/West/Paysandu/blog-200358.html We wanted to get to Uruguay and the bus company gave us the information that the 1st 2 crossing on the way south would mean we would be dropped off on the side of the road at 5 am and 6 am so we decided to go with a bus company that would drop us at the terminal at Gualeguaychu. So we did another overnight bus trip paid for a cama seat so we would have some comfort but our bus had seats in front http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Uruguay/West/Fray-Bentos/blog-199094.html We stayed at Backpackers Soul. We walked around Salta went up the cable car to a lookout of the town. It was a cool overcast day. The lookout site had a large water feature that was very tastefully done. 25th We walked around town some more and we caught an overnight bus to Corrientes.26th Arrived in a cold hole called Corrientes. Paul booked us in a room that was not much bigger than a cupb http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Argentina/Salta/blog-198049.html After our quick trip through to Sucre in a taxi we found a Hotel and had lunch at the Mercardo down the road. Then we found where to catch the Dinotruck transport to the local cement works where there are donosour tracks imprinted in the limestone wall. The cement works are now not using that part of the hill to make cement and the footprints are being conserved. There is a park at the cemen http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-198044.html The train to Tupiza arrived at 4 am a really unusual time of day to be looking for accommodation. Across the road from the railway station is a really nice hotel called Hotel Mitru Anexo which had a room for us a good hot shower and then a sleep. Turpiza is a really nice town has an easy feel we had a walk around and booked a tour to have a look at the canyons the next day.Tupiza is near whe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Tupiza/blog-194773.html We did an overnight bus trip to La Paz and then a 3 hour bus trip to Oruru in a really hot bus that sounded like it was going to konk out at any time. I found this town to be surrounded by rubbish in particular plastic bags that blow and catch on any little plant. There is rubbish all around the town. We stayed in a Hotel across the road from the Train Station and bought train tickets for the http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Oruro-Department/Oruro/blog-194548.html We caught an overnight bus to Rurrenabaque from La Paz 18 hours. It was a near thing that we got on it. When we booked the bus we were told to catch a taxi half and hour before take off we caught the taxi over an hour before it was due to leave and 5 minutes before it was due to leave the taxi driver was asking people directions. Quite hair raising being caught in walking pace traffic jams. http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Beni-Department/Rurrenabaque/blog-193855.html We wanted to cross another thing off the list of things we wanted to do in South America so we booked a bike trip down the World's most dangerous road. We booked double suspension bikes and full face masks to make it as safe as possible. We had an early 7 am start and the tour agency had the bikes on top of a van and 8 other men were on the trip with us. We were taken to a really high hill an http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Yungas-Road/blog-193780.html We have traveled for over 6 months and had sublime weather only 3 days of rain. Somehow when planning the tour we forgot that Bolivia is the coldest place we visit and that we choose to visit in winter so got the double whammy cold on top of cold. So guess what Josie got sick again another day in bed. Paul had a walk around some markets and came across the 'witches' market. This is a place http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-193770.html I was lucky that I had booked a really nice place to stay in Puno The Hotel had overbooked and we got a suite We couldn't really enjoy it because we both were sick and spent a day in bed. I had a cold and Paul had something else. So we slept and watched TV enjoyed the hotel breakfast and slept more. 26th We went on a boat trip to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. The Islas Flotant http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Peru/Puno/blog-193751.html We had returned from our jungle trip thinking we would be a day or two in Tabitinga awaiting a boat to take us up the Amazon. We spent the morning getting passport stamps at the Letitia Airport the taxi we caught took us to the Brazil airport so a bit of confusion. We eventually found where we needed to be and walked down to the Zoo to find it was closed in the middle of being relocated so http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Brazil/Amazonas/Tabatinga/blog-185074.html After a really brief time in Venezuela we returned to Colombia. From the bus station we caught a bus to San Christobel arriving in the rain and having trouble finding a car to take us over the boarder no one wanted to take us over because we had to stop for passport stamps. Eventually a young chap said he would take us for 60000 about 20 probably the price of a full car load. He was very http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Bogota/blog-180249.html After crossing the boarder we passed cactus deserts salt flats and were stopped 9 times for passport checks and identity card checks for the other passengers. There is a big football competition here in Venezuela and I think the security checks were for that. After a very confusing time at Maricaibo bus station we caught a car towards Merida. The buses were leaving at night and we were ready t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Venezuela/Andean/Merida/blog-180241.html We tried to make it to the Venezuelan boarder but time and the heat prevented it. We found a hotel near to where the collectivos leave for the boarder. The earliest one left at 6 am so planned to be on that one.We went for a walk around town and found the ocean. We walked out onto a pier that went out for ages. There were boats tied up at the end and kids fishing. It was like Tologa except i http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Colombia/Riohacha/blog-180235.html