21 y/o, experienced 17 different countries and blogging the next trip with dad (my adventure buddy), which is from June 30th-July 30th in South America- Chile, Peru and Bolivia to explore the Amazon, The Incas, Bolivian Salt Flats, The Andes Mountain Range and much more!
The 45 minute flight from Uyuni to La Paz had only 15 people on the plane, even though it was shockingly bigger and classier than the little Rex plane that flies from Mildura to Melbourne. We headed to a famous Bolivian steakhouse where I tried yet another traditional Bolivian meal- a premium piece of steak which the chef bought out in flames. I only ate half even though it was delicious, my body isn't used to digesting red meat. Dad and I were simply exhausted after the few hard days on the salt flats and decided to stay in and take a nap before our final dinner with the group. Dad began feeling crook and didn't end up coming for tea. I'm glad I still went along though as Freddy took us to a prestigious sky ... read more
Our last night on the salt flats wasn't pleasant as the toilets were disgusting, there was no electricity and all night we heard gushes of wind blowing the rocks on the tin roof. It was also 4,300m so I kept waking up gasping for air. The altitude really affects both dad and I- we have low resting heart rates, so when we sleep we don't breathe often enough to supply enough oxygen because the air is so thin. I finally got to sleep by 3am, wearing everything in my suitcase! But had to wake at 5.30am. We headed off by 6am and soon arrived at the hot springs near another Laguna. I have been in hot springs in the mountains in Nepal, and as great as they are I couldn't think of anything worse than getting ... read more
Waking at 5.30am was well worth it to climb to the top of a nearby mountain to see the sun rise over the mountains and never ending salt flats. It was a freezing, rough, steep and rocky climb but when the sun started coming over the mountains and shone onto all the cactus' we stood in silence and took it in. In Salar De Uyuni the temperatures are around 20 degrees C during the day, but drop to -25 at night... true desert weather. Hopping back into our 4WD's we drove for a few hours before arriving at the first lake called Laguna Verde (green lake). We weren't expecting the strong winds that were encountered, so I was greatful for my windstopper jacket as I didn't feel a thing. The pink flamingos on the blue lagoon, ... read more
When Freddy told us that when we return from the salt flats we had to get on a 12hr bus trip back to La Paz dad and I both decided to seek another option! As that is almost the same as our 13 hr flight from Santiago to Sydney. We raced around all morning organizing flights and ended up booking a 45 minute flight back to La Paz instead... we will still arrive earlier than the others on the bus. Anyway, our 4WD's arrived and we split into two groups. I lucked out with the front seat! Our first sight of the salt flats was breathtaking! It was a sea of pure white, with a pure blue sky... and every so often a mountain would appear and make the most beautiful backdrop. The contrast of the ... read more
3 hours from Sucre lies Potosi, and like Sucre it boasts a fine example of colonial heritage, although is quite different. Potosi is the highest city in the world sitting at over 4,000m high, which means we were expecting more altitude headaches and lack of appetite. It was also once one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world due to the silver mining. It onces rivaled Paris ad London, but is now simply a small mining city and in the future when there is no longer mining to fuel its economy it will probably become a ghost town. There are several crumbling colonial buildings and towering over the city is Cerro Rico - Rich Mountain - from which silver was, and still is extracted at an unimaginable human cost. This mining mountain claimed the ... read more
Brimming with excitement to do my favourite thing in the world- hiking... Dad and I met our local guide El Salvio, who had also just recently finished his law degree. Also joining us was a funny driver who just laughed and nodded pretending to understand what we were saying, and an unfit professional photographer. He was joining us because the company we booked through 'Joyride' (recommended by Lonely Planet) were making a new booklet and updating the website, needing new photo's to advertise. Apparently dad and I are going to be the new face of Joyride ! The photographer is also sending us his photo's. The first leg of the hike was to visit two rock painting sites Pachamama and Inchamama which were 500 years BC. El Salvio explained that before the Spanish invaded South America ... read more
Famished and hangry (irritable mood bought on by being hungry) we arrived in Sucre after an extremely hairy flight and no breakfast as left too early for the hotel breaky. The pilot used every inch of the runway and everyone clapped upon landing. Freddy explained it is the most dangerous airport in South America due to the surrounding mountains. I felt better during the bus ride into the city as I became excited to explore Bolivia's official capital city. The crime rate here is low and despite being the capital it is still only a small city. Immediately the difference between here and La Paz was obvious; there was no one hassling you on the street, everyone was polite, all the buildings in thr city centre were fancy and spanish colonial style, and it was clean. ... read more
Freddy insisted on starting our walking tour of the city at 8am to beat the tourist rush later on. We began at San Francisco church, and made our way to Palacio Presedencial and Congreso Nacional. We noted the Bolivian police at every corner in every street while walking about too. Next we headed to the oldest cafe in La Paz where the notorious Cuban leader (can't remember his name) used to come for coffee. We enjoyed a saltena each here (I only tasted dads and opted for a fresh beetroot and carrot juice) which are similar to Peru's empanadas, however these are Bolivia's signature food only sold from 9am-12pm. We were all exhausted even mid-morning due to the uphill streets. You are either walking steeply uphill or downhill so it makes for a good workout! Freddy ... read more
We had all been dreading today as it consisted of so much travelling, however it turned out to be a great day. 2hrs on the bus took us to the border of Peru and Bolivia, then we had an hour to spare in Copacabana which gave us our first taste of Bolivia. It immediately made my top ten! The laid back lifestyle, the guys playing guitars down next to Lake Titicaca and the perfect weather had us more than excited for the next twelve days here. Another very scenic bus ride with almost fake looking views of the lake and the Andes took us to La Paz. Our first view of the city from way above had us all silent... It was absolutely staggering as we made our way down the Altiplano towards the city centre.The ... read more
Mama Amelia woke us up to serve us our homemade breaky of coca tea, pancakes and boiled eggs. We finally met her husband this morning, as yesterday he was out fishing. He was a bubbly man who was over excited about the block of chocolate we gave him and kept serving us more pancakes. They were also both so appreciative of all the food supplies we bought them with mama giving me a huge hug and kiss to say thankyou. They waved us goodbye from the port and we continued in the boat to Taquile Island. After an hour uphill hike to the main part of the island we felt as though we were in Greece. The water looked crystal clear and the view was simply stunning. We were informed about the many functionalities of the ... read more
