http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/chariotravels/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from chariotravels en-us Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:31:47 +0000 Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:31:47 +0000 So yesterday Im on the bus from Villa Tunari to Cochabamba. Im just sitting by the window minding my own business when this little boy and his sister come and squeeze in next to me. Its a tight squeeze the boy is nuzzled up against my leg and they are a bit smelly but they are pretty cute so I think what the hell I dont mind. The boy is looking up at me so innocently with these huge brow http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Cochabamba-Department/Cochabamba/blog-183111.html After finishing our tour in Uyuni we not liking to slum it hire a jeep to take us the 8 hours to Sucre. It is great to show mum Sucre although I am tired and therefore moody for most of it We go see the dino tracks which are cool but a bit of a let down. You cant go and put your feet in them or anything You have to squint from about 50ms away. Bit boring. On sunday we go to the market http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Copacabana/blog-178437.html After exploring Tiwanaku that evening we jump on the night bus to Uyuni. This is pretty horrid although we have opted for the tourist option its bumpy bumpyness into high altitudes make me run to the toilet although this may have been the extra large pizza i ate a few hours before...who can tell. anyway neither of us get much sleep and rolling into freezing cold Uyuni at 6 in the morning is http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Salar-de-Uyuni/blog-178159.html Two weeks seem to have flown by has it really been that long Mum left this morning which was sad and am feeling slightly homesick now but Im sure it will pass So how have we filled in the last two weeks Its definately been busy some up some downs mostly me being moody but mainly its been great. It began two fridays ago when mum arrived in the morning to La Paz. I hadnt planned anyt http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Tiwanaku/blog-178150.html After leaving Puka Puka we return to Sucre and then on the morning of the 15th we fly back to La Paz. We have a scrummcious sushi lunch at La Pazs best Japanese resturant a huge lunch for under 5 pounds. Awesome. Then we do various jobs namely digest then go and have dinner with Alberto the head of the school in Cochabamba. It is nice to see him again especially since despite my inabilit http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/Coroico/blog-170696.html To escape Valle Grande it is necessary to take a 13 hour taxi to Sucre. This is hellish. We say a sad goodbye to the students and Mario the teacher and get into our chosen drivers very comfortable new great big van it has already taken us 2 hours to choose a driver so we dont actually leave until 5 in the evening. whilst this driver doesnt drink which is a plus he also doesnt chew coca http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Tarabuco/blog-170694.html After finishing up at Pablo and Betsabes we made tracks early in the morning. We decide to hire a car to take us to the next location the home of David. In typical Bolivian style 15 of us cram into 2 cars plus all our equipment and the toliets and we start our journey. Valle Grande is about 5 hours drive away and over those 5 hours we move from lush mountains into dry desert. Valle Grande http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/blog-170693.html So the bus drops us off at 2 in the morning and we stand on a dark deserted road clouded in bitingly cold fog surrounded by trees toliets bags etc. What do we do Apparently there was supposed to be a car to pick us up. The student whos home this is Betsabe i think that is how you spell her name if not apologises runs off into the night to look for someone to take us to her house. Be http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/blog-170692.html Ok so lets go back a few weeks. I am writing from the mountains in Coroico but I havent really had a chance to update until now. So apologises if it sounds vague or incorrect or exagerated . I met Lisa and Galen in La Paz on around the 28th May I think and in the morning we got the bus to Cochabamba. After going for what was promise to be and perhaps was the best pizza in Bolivia w http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Cochabamba-Department/Cochabamba/blog-170691.html Ok just typed out a really long entry and managed to loose it. Have just returned to Sucre after a long stint in Bolivias back and beyond. We arrived this morning at 6 after a 13 were told it was 8 hours hour night time taxi ride through the mountains filled with adventure floods avalanches dust storms roads that would make your hair stand on end...im not normally scared of heights but http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-167790.html La Paz is remarkable. A place like no other. It is buried in a bowl in the Andes with the suburbs of the city stretching up into the heights of the mountains. The geography of La Paz is difficult to get to grips with but there seems to be one central road that runs down its centre and off that sprout a million different tiny side streets heading off into the clouds. On these streets are cr http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/La-Paz-Department/La-Paz/blog-163997.html My last day in sucre and although sad I am excited. It is el dia de la madre today because in 1812 or something the mothers rose up when their men had been killed and fought off the spanish. go madres I woke up this morning at 7 to set the scene i have been ill for 2 days and hadnt eaten in 48 hours because was too scared of the horror was forced out of bed by my host family taken to t http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-162751.html Well yes time for more news. Potosi was very eventful. Definately an experience but have to say we were very pleased to get back to sucre on saturday evening We left on friday 10 of us after my afternoon spanish lesson at 4.30 taking a 3 hour taxi drive in what might be termed a death car with a soundtrack of bolivian salsa music oh forgot to say i did salsa lessons last week which were http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Potosi-Department/Potosi/blog-160460.html On Sunday Tristan and I returned to Sucre leaving lisa and galen in puka puka to finish sorting out their toilets It is frustrating for both tristan and I because we do not speak spanish well and all the communication teaching etc with the villagers is obviously done in spanish. So we got a bus back to Sucre via tarabuco a little town. There was a market here and we bought chuspa think http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-158847.html I have now reached saturday 12th in my summary of the past few days. On the morning of Saturday I meet lisa galen tristan to take a taxi to puka puka. They have been in Sucre to buy 1000 later to be 3000 trees to plant in the village and also to buy materials to build male and female urinals I have been quickly initiated into the gritty details of toliet building the problems the differe http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Tarabuco/blog-158844.html This shouldnt really be called arrival since I have been in Bolivia for a while 5 days but it seems like forever. But since this is my first entry it should be called arrival because that is where I will begin. The flight was fine to Miami and the 8 hours in miami airport were fabulous because i ate my fill and more of american sugary products. Then of course I couldnt sleep so I wandered http://www.travelblog.org/South-America/Bolivia/Chuquisaca-Department/Sucre/blog-158830.html