I was up early this morning and got myself organised with almost military precision. I had promised Tina that I would Skype her this morning, as we hadn't spoken in a while and the time difference meant it would be Christmas Day in Australia. Having scoped out local Internet cafes that had video capability, which are few and far between in Bolivia, I headed to the closest one which opened at 10am. I was rather pleased with myself that I had arrived early, and would be the first through the door. Sadly, my feeling of serenity was short lived as the Internet cafe wasn't open, and didn't open for some time. I began to grow rather impatient and although Harrison, Tim and I tried everywhere in a two block radius, nowhere had 'Skype con video'. My ... read more

It was a little overcast this morning when I got up, but most importantly my headache had gone. I nudged Harrison and Tim as I went to grab a quick shower, to make sure they were both up and ready for the off. We were leaving early this morning to take on what had been dubbed the Worlds Most Dangerous Road. The thin stretch of unsealed road ran along the mountainside from Chuspipata to Yolosa, and had seen many an accident over the years. Due to the early start, we left the hostel before breakfast had been served, so I spent much of the forty-five-minute drive out of La Paz starving. The road took us along a winding mountain path that ran parallel to the reservoir that fed much of the city. It looked very empty, ... read more

I woke up feeling much better this morning after a fairy solid nights sleep on the bottom bunk. The shortness of breath and elevated heart rate seemed to have disappeared overnight, but I was still rather careful when I got up. I felt a lot fresher after I showered, and when I returned to the dorm there were more people moving in. Harrison and Tim had just arrived from the South of Bolivia, and like me were spending Christmas in La Paz. We started chatting and it turned out that they lived just down the road from where I had been staying with Carmen and Lee in Australia. I couldn't help but think what a coincidence it was to run into people from where I had called home for six months. Needless to say, we hit ... read more

After a horrendous nights sleep, I got up at around 7.30am. It felt like I had turned over to see what the time was almost every other hour last night, and it wasn't because my dorm was next to the main road. I dragged my body out of bed to the other end of the hostel to wake myself up with a shower. After I had fiddled about with the shower, trying to get the temperature between scalding and freezing, I was awake and ready for breakfast. I set about frying the blood sausage and scrambling the eggs that I had bought at the market last night, just as Justine came into the kitchen. We exchanged good mornings, and she asked if i would like breakfast. It was almost an awkward question, as though I had ... read more

I woke up to brilliant sunlight streaming in through the window of the coach this morning, having spent twenty three hours in transit from Puerto Iguazú. We left the thick forests of Northern Argentina behind us and had passed through rolling countryside with the mountains in the distance. I had prepared for the trip last night by cooking a couple of hamburgers and fried eggs to keep me going, even though I had been fed at regular intervals by the coach company. Once in the Omnibus terminal in Salta, I fought my way past the hordes of people trying to drum up business for their hostels to get to the information point. El Argentino Hostel had given me very clear instructions for how to get there from the bus terminal, and all I needed to know ... read more

After a bit of a restless sleep I was up, showered and dressed by 8am ready for a hearty breakfast. I made my usual scrambled egg and fried Argentinian blood sausage on a couple of rounds of toast, as bread and pastries were all that was on offer yet again. I had become very partial to blood sausage and it was quite different to black pudding back in the UK. It was more moist than its British counterpart, and had more in it to hold it together... one of those foods that you could never get bored with. I had a cup of coffee to get me going and without a doubt Hostel Bamboo Mini had served the best cup of coffee I'd had in a while - strong, dark, hot and sweet. As I was ... read more

The sun was shining as I woke up this morning with the coach still rumbling along to road. Although I was sat in air-conditioned comfort, I could tell it was a beautifully warm day outside. We passed by huge pine forests that spread across the landscape as far as the eye could see in every direction. We crossed bridges over vast rivers and winding valleys, that cut through the forests and disappeared into the distance. I was a little surprised that there were so many pine trees in the area as they didn't feel like they should be native given we were so close to the amazon. It wasn't until I saw the piles of logs and stacks of timber in large open warehouses along the roadside, that I realised that these trees had been planted ... read more

I was fairly unhurried this morning as I prepared for the day. My bus to Puerto Iguazú wasn't until 3.30pm and I was in two minds whether to stay in the hostel and relax or try and get in a little more sightseeing. Having packed what little I had taken out of my bag, I shaved and showered so that I might feel a little fresher at the other end of my journey. Whilst having breakfast I thought that I ought to try and do something with my morning, so with my bags stored at the hostel I ventured out into the city one last time. The further I got from the hostel the more I realised that it was probably a good idea to squeeze as much as I could into today, because otherwise I'd ... read more

Having eaten dinner last night I found myself needing something to satisfy my sweet-tooth. I went into a newsagent on Thames and bought a bottle of water and two Alfajores. These small treats all differ slightly from manufacturer to manufacturer, but are essentially two biscuits sandwiched together with dulce de leche in between. The ones that I picked tasted like very short, very sweet short bread biscuits with a dusting of coconut and the rich, creamy dulce de leche at the centre...needless to say I fell in love straight away. After a bit of a lay in this morning I decided that I would try and get to the 11am tour around congress. Having showered and eaten I walked down Thames and made a quick pitstop at an internet cafe to print out the details for ... read more

It has to be said that climbing down from a third tier bunk is not the easiest way to start your day, but it's certainly the quickest way of waking up. Palermo House had relatively small rooms with impossibly high ceilings which meant that their bunk beds were three high rather than the normal two. Couple that with the fact that the ladder to the top bunk is only attached at one end and your on to a winner. Having showered I climbed the stairs to the common room to find a few bodies passed out from last night as well as a few that were still comatose trying to eat their way out of a hangover. As predicted the hostel had offered the option of cereal, pastries and bread rolls with jam and marmalade. I ... read more