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 following afternoon to Uyuni. Oruru is quite a big town, in the middle of nowhere. We went looking around the [View Full Entry]

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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. Anyhow we caught the bus and on board or on the roof go containers of baby chickens, beds, sacks of goods, [View Full Entry]

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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 and had breakfast and cups of coca tea. It was really freezing and we were thankful for the [View Full Entry]

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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 where animal fetuses are sold along with other herbal remedies. We had been told that it was good luck to have a fetus put [View Full Entry]

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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 Flotantes are the home to the Uros people. They live a very strange lifestyle. Their islands are made of floating reeds, with more [View Full Entry]

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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 we walked into town thinking we would get a water taxi back to Tabitinga, but we found a 'shortcut instead'. We walked [View Full Entry]

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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 without paying the arrival tax and your baggage tickets checked by a policeman. It felt really good to be in such a secure and welcoming place. Leticia is Colombia, Tabitinga [View Full Entry]

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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 60,000, (about $20) probably the price of a full car load. He was very good and took us through to San Antonio, another confusing city with the boarder control in a street that is way away from the [View Full Entry]

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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 to go by lunchtime. This car was a big comfortable Chevrolet station wagon. My car would sit on its bonnet, and probably use as much petrol in a week, that this one [View Full Entry]

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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 it was made of wood, it was much cooler out at the end. Looking back at land the beach was [View Full Entry]

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