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Hey Groovers, Wayward Blogger D here catching up on all my news since i left Ambue Ari a million years ago. I arrived in La Paz disorientated to be in a big mountain city after swamping around for weeks in my lush jungle with mischevous beasties. On friends gushing reccomendations i stayed in Loki hostel which was beautiful, with comfy beds but definitely a party hostel. Cocaine and sex were on the menu for most people and the floor of my room was strewn with debris of guests long flown including complex organic charms from the witches market which were emitting some interesting odurs.
The altitude really hit me hard. I wandered dazed for days up and down the sides of the mountains which La Paz crawls up on all sides. I often wondered that i didn´t faint as my breath just didn´t seem to make it to my blood cells. I felt sick to see the skins of Ocelots and Jaguars in the witches markets and made my displeasure known to the "witches".
Every evening there was a cue 200m long outside Hungry Jacks. I guess maybe in La Paz the burgers really are better, they must be some
good shit to cue for 200m in the cold night. I didn´t try it to find out, but instead frequented some American bars were i watched Pulp Fiction and drank some lonesome tequila. On the day I left for lower climes, a mate I met several times along the way showed up and gave me a juggling ball to replace the one Panchita the wild jungle pig ate. Now i have to learn to use the things....mmmm, the spirit is willing but the co-ordination is spazzo.
Missing green, warmth and ..... oxygen i decided to head down to Corico, I could have ridden on the world´s most dangerous road but i was feeling a rebellion at doing the thing ALL backpackers do, so I caught the local bus instead and had to listen to Michael Jackson for four hours while badly needing to pee. I was never his biggest fan, now I have a deep psycolgical anger towards him which is somehow attached to my bladder.
In Corioco I walked up the hill to a hostel I found on the web, called Hostel Sol y Luna, it was a little hard to find and a little exhausting but when i
arrived I was overcome with feelings of awe and delight. A German woman, who like many awesome people, does Shiatsu, came to the hillside 30 years ago and has since created Paradise on earth, a garden of Eden, an idylic Utopia. I gush, but I must, for my heart and soul were full of joy at being at this place. I spent my first afternoon wandering eagerly lost around the hillside. It looks over cloud forest mountains which is a view you could never tire of, the clouds are always closing and opening to reveal different glimpses of the sweeping jungle cloaked, river jewelled giants. There are two turqoise swimming pools which reflect hundreds of colours from the flowers that grow there. The flowers are so so beautiful. The flower everywhere is the geranium, released from its balcony flower pot, it scatters the landscape with bright pink prettiness. But there are flowers of every colour, size and shape, big dropping white ones, bold huge yellow lillies, seductive exotic red jungle flowers, so many kinds. Through the lush green rainbow flower strewn forest, secret paths lead you to; hammocks swinging high over the hillside, to huge trees with swings that fly
sky high, to campfires, to tree houses, to wooden cabins with ladders to the beds, to childrens play areas, to vegie gardens to hot baths, to meditation and yoga rooms and to a place with many different musical instruments you can borrow and play. I was in love, smitten, besotted, full of dreams and delight.
As the sun was going down, I sat for hours with my legs in the pool, looking over the mountains, listening to my amigo ipod and drawing flowers, content, happy.
Evening came and I spoke to the only other two guests, two older Germans riding the biggest motorbikes i had ever seen across South America. They were nice but not overly friendly and only then did i realise the only drawback of my paradise, I was pretty much alone. There was a grumpy lady called Maria in the kitchen, I ordered a Cuban dinner of fried bannana egg and rice and a glass of red and sat back reading Harry Potter wishing i had a friend to share the whole experience with. Fortunately in walked an Israeli dude and I had un amigo. His name was Sagi and we played chess alot over
the next few days, he beat me every time, but i really want to start playing chess more, it is really rushy (OK its not sky diving but really you should try it). He also joins me for a walk through the hills to a small waterfall where he decided to take a shower. Feeling venerable to the cold I declined, I^m usually up for cold water dips but this time i wasn't. We saw families working in their coca fields together singing away, the kids sliding down the irrigation ditches on cardboard.
I moved into one of the cabins, my perfect house, it is pretty much a wood Tipi, I played guitar and drew on my deck overlooking the mountains in the day, I swung in my hammock drinking wine at night and I climbed a ladder to my bed at night. It was so peaceful, if I had more friends there I would have stayed for weeks!!! But eventually I pulled myself away from my quiet womb of bliss and caught the bus back to La Paz and the same day onto Copacabana, where, with a name like that, I was hoping for some tropical days baby!
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