Day 625 (14.12.08) So the bus that had deposited us in Tupiza at 4am several days ago would sadly be the bus that would continue on to the border at Villazon where we were next headed. That meant an unspeakable hour being set into the alarm clock and three bleary eyed travellers arriving at the bus station for a 4am departure. After a sleep filled couple of hours we realized the bus had come to a halt and looking out the window it was clear that we hadn't yet arrived at our destination. Mark set off to try and find out [View Full Entry]

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Day 621 (10.12.08) With everything packed up for the trip, we went to the tour office with James to meet our fellow tour mates. Haydn and Tess were two Kiwis and we immediately knew it was going to ba a fun and eventful trip! Packing into our Jeep we set off out of town on the bumpy dirt roads we would call home for the next four days. Climbing out of town it wasn't long untill we were treated to some spectacular natural views across breathtaking rocky valleys. Continuing through the most incredible scenery with whole valleys looking like huge termite [View Full Entry]

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Day 626 (15.12.08) After an excellent breakfast we decided to head out together with Tess and Haydn to explore Salta. Immediately on our arrival we'd felt the difference between here and Bolivia with a far more developed and prosperous feel to the city yet the streets were still teeming with cars and the hustle and bustle of South America was still very apparent. We planned to explore the area around the city so after trawling a few car rental companies and booking ourselves a vehicle for the next couple of days we made our way towards the central plaza passing some [View Full Entry]

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Day 624 (13.12.08) Feeling suprisingly sprightly after the festivities of the night before we loaded the jeep for the last time all the while keeping our eyes on the ever changing colours in the sky as the light grew before the sun peeped over the horizon. After the last three days of incredible, otherworldly landscapes we had reached the main focus of the trip, the vast salt flats of the Salar de Uyuni and they weren't to disapoint. At over 2000 square km the crisp whiteness of the salt stretches almost as far as the eye can see and as we [View Full Entry]

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Day 627 (16.12.08) Our sparkly red Fiat (soon renamed the flying tomato) arrived in front of the hostel at 9.30am and after booking bus tickets for when we returned we were soon loading our stuff and ourselves into the car for a 2-day road trip with Tess and Haydn. The guys had bought some cheap CDs in the market to use as our soundtrack and we were looking forward to the "Metal Soft" CD with a new song from G n R "Singe I dont have you"! We were headed south to start and, once we found our way out of [View Full Entry]

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Day 620 (09.12.08) We arrived in Tupiza, right in the South of Bolivia, at the inconvenient hour of 4am and after waking a poor chap found some beds in a hostel and crashed out for a few hours. We'd met up with James, a guy who'd stayed at the same place as us in Potosi, and together headed out to explore the town and book up a tour to the Salar de Uyuni, a must-do trip touring the south-west of Bolivia. It turned out that there were a couple of people booked for the following day and with the three of [View Full Entry]

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Day 617 (06.12.08) A morning on the internet in Sucre was followed by a bus trip to Potosi and we arrived in time to find a place to stay, grab a meal and watch a movie before bed. Day 618 (07.12.08) After a wonderfully lazy morning we eventually got our butts into gear and went for a walk around Potosi, the worlds' highest city, to see what it had to offer. This energetic change for the day was however spurred on by a need to eat so we started our walk with a trip to the market for a delicious cheap [View Full Entry]

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Day 615 (3.12.08) Having had less than a refreshing nights sleep on our night bus, we found a place to stay and Chrissie took a cat nap leaving Mark to go for a walk around town to get our bearings before joining Chrissie for a rest. After a bite to eat at the market across the road from our guesthouse, we decided to explore the city in more detail and walked to some of the main plazas, churches and other interesting architecture around the city. Sucre was one of the main governmental centres in the region when the Spanish arrived on [View Full Entry]

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Day 613 (1.12.08) Bleary eyed we aririved in La Paz at around 6am. Unfortunately as it was too early for anyone in La Paz to be awake we decided to go to our old hostel to see if we could hole up there until life in La Paz resumed its daily buzz. As soon as things were opening we went out for a snack breakfast from the market before hitting our list of chores. After a productive day where we finished our shopping and had a trip to the post office with a heap of birthday prezzies and treats for us, [View Full Entry]

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Day 606 (24.11.08) Well, today we were risking life and limb on what has been dubbed (for the tourists) 'the most dangerous road in the world'. Having booked with El Solario one of the cheaper, but held in higher regard than some of the other fly by night companies offering the trip, we started the day with a hearty brekkie at their office. Smashing our way through numerous cups of coffee, cheese and ham toasties and bread and jam, we climbed into our cycling kit provided by the agency, grabbed our bags and made our way to our awaiting chariot. With [View Full Entry]

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