Day 388 Friday 2nd November Yesterday we had checked out the timetable at the bus terminal and we came away with Shelley thinking we could get a 10.20 bus and me thinking we couldn’t get one till 11.10. So this morning after our fantastic breakfast, I proceeded to pack slowly knowing we had all the time in the world while Shelley went at it like a woman possessed. Our hotel had been fabulous so I couldn’t understand why she was in a hurry to leave, but we were up at the terminal by 9.30 where we then had to sit and wait till 11.10 for our bus….I think she is starting to enjoy sitting around terminals. Because we were moving onto a town that doesn’t have any banks I headed off to get some cash while ... read more

Day 375 Saturday 20th October Woke up with filthy hangovers at 5.45 and had to somehow get our minds into gear and start packing. Had our breakfast and said farewell to the good staff at the Bonito HI before getting a taxi down to the bus terminal. Ordinarily we may have walked the ten downhill blocks to the bus but it was already hot when we left and carrying backpacks in the sun with hangovers is not fun. Got down to the terminal at 7.30 and we got underway at 8. My only major grievance with our hostel was that they were always trying to push there organised transport to other cities. We had got their minivan from Campo Grande because they said it was faster, but we ended up getting stuffed around badly and having ... read more

Day 360 Friday 5th October It is funny how a day can start so full of hope and excitement and end in the sewer. Just about every trip we have ever had has had a day like we would experience today, and it always surprises us when our plans end in the sewer. The day started well with another great breakfast that included chocolate cake, which is the internationally recognised sign that we are near to Argentina. As we got ready Shelley discovered that the small tear in her cargo pants were getting larger but she figured today was going to be just a taxi ride across the bridge and when she gets to the next town she will throw them out. We packed our bags and headed to the foyer for our 10am check out ... read more

Day 350 Tuesday 25th September We were woken by 3 ambulances and 2 fire trucks stopping outside our hotel something had happened across the road and it all looked very serious. The road was blocked off and people started moving their cars, after about 20 minutes paramedics emerged from the market area with one man on a stretcher who was conscious, so after all that thank goodness it did not seem serious. Today everything is opened so we went window shopping and we are finding that this is a strange town which is full of expensive shops selling designer goods but there are syringes on the streets. We are only about 5 blocks from the plaza but on the wrong side and the difference once you get within a block or two of it is amazing. ... read more

Day 339 Friday 14th September Had breakfast with the cheery ladies again this morning we sure will miss them, but at least we got eggs this morning only because I pushed in. Paid the bill and there was a taxi waiting out front so we were on our way for our 9.00am bus to Cochabamba. The bus is one of the better bus companies El Dorado yes you would have thought we would know better and there was definitely no gold lining on this bus. I learnt one lesson I waited till the last minute to board and let everyone get settled in their seats. We are heading down to 2553m and warmer weather so we can’t wait, as we have spent the last month between 3600m – 4000m. The bus was hot and stuffy so ... read more