The last 6 weeks have been amazing. I have seen so much and done so much and I have grown immeasurably because of it. I came here with not much of an idea of what I was going to do or how I was going to do it. I just wanted to get involved, at least once in my life, and experience something totally different from my own life. Well, in that regard I have achieved all that and more. I can split the trip into a two different areas and each area has its own highlights which have been amazing. [View Full Entry]

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The last couple days in La Paz have been interesting to say the least. Friday after school we were meant to go camping with some of the students from James’ school. Instead of leaving at 4, we left at 5.30 which resulted in us getting to the car park (an empty valley between 2 mountains where we couldn’t 4WD any more so we stopped) at 7.30, it was dark and we still had a good hour hike to the camp site. Lucky for us shortly after arriving and the sun going down a full moon came out and that combined with [View Full Entry]

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This last week had been really busy which is good because I don’t want it to drag by, the faster it goes the better. I have not been able to spend much time out at Alalay this week, but still get there each day, because there is so much going on in the city each night. My life at the moment seams to be all buses. I spend so much time on them or waiting for them. I think I average about 80 to 100 kms on buses each day. Probably about 60 minutes waiting on a good day and I [View Full Entry]

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Lake Titicaca is a surreal place. Its massive, more like a see or an ocean then a lake. Its bigger then some countries…. maybe. I’m guessing on that one, but it sure seams like it could be… The whole time I was in Copacabana my eyes, my nose, every sense was telling me I was at a beach, I was looking at the sea, the boats, the smell of outboards burning fuel, everything about it made it feel like you were on the east cost somewhere. But you cant be because you’re standing at 13,000 feet above see level. I short [View Full Entry]

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So carrying on from my Passport and visa drama from yesterday. I didn’t want to spark any curosity by being late or early so at 4pm sharp I walked back into the Immigration building armed to the teeth with eveyrhting I thought might help secure the release of my passport. I had my original tickets, showing exit date, photocopies of those and a big old spanish english dictionary. From my visit yesterday I had visited window 9 three times, window 12 twice, and window 10 once. Today I had to visit window 8. Glancing in window 8´s direction I noticed that [View Full Entry]

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I woke up this morning officially illegally in Bolivia. My visa ran out yesterday and I was meant to get it renewed by jumping across the border into Peru and back while I was in Copacabana this weekend. While in Copa, I was warned that they would not look kindly to people doing this and that you really need a minimum stay of 24 hours, recommended 72, in Peru before you come back. I neither have the time to stay in Peru for 24 hours or the mindset to spend any more time on any more buses then I had to [View Full Entry]

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Well I was meant to stay out at Alalay all this week and was not going to have a chance to get to a net cafe as there is nothing out there, but I´m sick again, or still, and the hunt for drugs and some food other then bread has forced me into town. It also gave me a chance to try and track down how to renew my visa as it runs out on saturday. Alalay is ok, but I still find it real difficult. At every turn I see things that need improvement and things that are laking or [View Full Entry]

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6,088 metres, it was really only a number to me until yesterday. I knew it was high; it dwarfs anything in New Zealand or even our corner of the world or even much of the world. The highest mountain in Africa, Mt Kilimanjaro is only 5,895 mts. The highest mountain in all of Europe, Mt Elbrus is a smaller 5,642 mts. The highest mountain in North America, Mt McKinley is just a little taller at 6,194 mts. In fact outside of the Andes, the only other ranges with taller mountains are the Himalaya/Tibet and Hindu Kush ranges. I think I’m only [View Full Entry]

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My first day at Alalay has been really really hard. My lack of Spanish is one cause of this and there is a certain difficulty on my part to follow through with my wanting to help. I really want to help but it is actually really hard to put all thoughts aside, all doubts, all preconceptions and just hangout with these kids. You feel extremely vulnerable which is funny, the roles are almost reversed. Just being at the orphanage strips you of all your comforts and ideals and your left with who you REALY are in all its flawed detail. It’s [View Full Entry]

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The drive to the trail head was something by itself. Two hours on a road that started out as paved and in a city and then gradually was reduced to bumpy stone paving, then to gravel, then to nothing but a line through the country side. We passed many tiny villages in the middle of nowhere where people survive by growing potatoes and farming sheep and llamas. Their farms are usually on the steepest land you could imagine. The only flat land we see in any of the villages is that given over to the obligatory soccer field. They say that [View Full Entry]

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