A long, long time ago, Dinosaurs lived in Bolivia. There was a big lake with lots of trees and fruits and the Dinosaurs liked to go there very much. Then one day the volcano next to the lake erupted and covered the lake and the dinosaurs in dust and turned them into fossils. Everyone forgot about the lake and the dinosaurs for millions of years. In the meantime, two continents collided and pushed the ground with the lake and the footprints into the sky to make a hill. Then one day, at the cement factory a man in his digger was [View Full Entry]

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This weekend was intended to be one of the highlight trips of our time in Bolivia - a four day jeep tour in the Salar de Uyuni (the immense salt plains on the Altiplano - check it out: www.salardeuyuni.com). However, all the political trouble going on in Bolivia has meant that all the main roads to the cities are blocked by protestors, and so there were no buses going. For a brief background to what its all about, read this BBC news article Now, although some may say we are cheap, we [View Full Entry]

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A long awaiting trip this one, to a jungle lodge for the weekend. Living with the animals, being at one with nature, getting into the jungle groove - all these are on the agenda. We have paid a small fortune for a couple of nights at this place called El Chalalan Ecolodge, which is supposed to be the most ecofriendly jungle experience going, the money we are told goes to help the local community which have built and run the place. All very sustainable and worthy. You know, we don’t go into these things unprepared, and we did our research and [View Full Entry]

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Odds and Sods Spanish Lessons As you heard from Simon our rather elegant elderly neighbours invited us around for a BBQ last weekend (called Asado here). What he forgot to tell you was that in our efforts to make converstation with them our misuse of Spanish nearly caused an international incident and contintues to be the source of much hilarity... Over dinner we asked our neighbours if they had heard the kiddies party that was going on in our street the night before. There were startled looks all round and we couldnt understand what was wrong. Luckily our neighb [View Full Entry]

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This weekend we went to Coroico, a small town 50 miles from the (notional) capital of Bolivia, La Paz. Coroico is famous for two things, being a nice chilled out place to stay on top of a hill with fantastic views all around, and for the “most dangerous road in the world”. So named because it is a thin dirt track clinging to the side of precipitous cliffs with no satefy barriers and a lot of impatient heavy large overcrowded traffic... and a lot of this traffic falls off the side. However the road is the only way yo Coroico while [View Full Entry]

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A reasonably uneventful week in Cochabamaba, we both suffered from coughs/colds after the Potosi trip, although Claire succumbed later than I. But fear not Claire bought the entire contents of our medicine chest with us (remember bastard bag!) so we have a choice of Beneline, Vicks nasal, Vicks throught, Strepsils etc. Managed to get to University as required, although as usual the attendance was varied! Improving slowly though, for both of us its sometimes a bind to drag ourselves up there, but when actually teaching we enjoy it. Claire even volunteers to take over the main lecture as well [View Full Entry]

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Just had great weekend on our first trip away from Cochabamba. About 10 of us ´volunteers´ went for a road trip to Potosi, the centre of bolivia´s mining industry and location of the legendary mines. Late bus to Oruro on Friday expecting to be able to go by train to Potosi the next day. Had some hassle finding a suitable hostel for the night, had to knock everyone out of bed. Eventually got somewhere though and then wandered around a very closed and dull Oruro looking for food drink. Ended up huddled around a street kitchen where this wizened old dear [View Full Entry]

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Cochabamba is a great place. Its in a valley surrounded on most sides by mountains which you can walk up at weekends. Lovely climate, blue all day, not too hot but hot enough. Everyone is pretty cheerful as if they know they´ve got it ok here. Lots of open spaces to relax, lots of bars and cafes etc which you can eat at, and street vendors you don’t touch with a barge pole. Really fallen on our feet here. We have a very nice ´granny flat´ attached to a large house and are left to our own devices by the owners. [View Full Entry]

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The plane from Heathrow was delayed to Miami and we had to have a heated argument with US immigration officials to make our connection (put claire onto this obviously! they are such lovely people NOT) and even then only made it by running from one side of the airport to the other - most of the others trying to make the connection never made it. So we got to Lima, Peru, only to find our luggage was still in Maimi as american airlines (bless them) had assumed we wouldnt make it so not bothered to put our bags on the plane [View Full Entry]

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