And now to Bolivia

---

---

Bolivia is David's favourite place so far, it's so cheap:

• main course at a really nice restaurant = 1 pound
  
• burger from a street vendor = 20 p
  
• 4 hour bus journey = 1 pound
  

and it has the jungle, the pampas, beautiful hiking, mountain biking down the world´s most dangerous road and the unforgettable salt flats.

For some reason, a town without an ATM is a magnet to tourists. Despite the heartache of having to sell your grandad's watch to pay the bus fare out, a small town provides the getaway travellers need from their holidays. Copacabana settled on Lake Titicaca is just such a place. We spent an afternoon desperately trying to ram other tourists on a pedalo. The next day we took a nose burning hike on Isla del Sol, the birthplace of the Incas. At around 5,000 metres walking is exhausting and the sun is blistering, but the day was fantastic.

La Paz is a strange city, popular with some for the crazy night life and abundance of cocaine. For us just a big city with little culture.

The aptly named "Death Road" is a fun safe bike ride down what used to be one of the most dangerous roads in South America. Fortunately they have built a new road for cars and leave this road for us tourists. While the crosses and wrecked cars on the way down are a little disconcerting the ride itself is just plain fun.

Seeing as we didn´t take to La Paz very much we decided to head out for a three day climb up Huyani Potosi. David remembers it as such ...

"The winds were angry that night my friends. We woke around 1am at high camp to start the summit of the 6,088 metre Huyani Potosi. Another guide told his climber it was too dangerous with the winds and would be 20 below freezing. Nicola thus decided to stay in bed. After a hot chocolate and more talk from the other guide as to the dangers we face, my guide (the strong silent type) wordlessly stands up and starts putting his climbing gear on. Following suit I give a silent nod to the other climber and also start getting ready.

After four hours of heart breakingly difficult trekking up a snow covered mountain we make it to the start of an hour of vertical climbing. After 10 minutes I am too exhausted to cry when I realise that going back down is impossible, as is taking a break. The ice is inconsistent with the pick bouncing out on occasion and sliding through the ice on others. My hands and feet are frozen and holding the pick is nearly impossible. Did I mention there are no breaks and no going back. My muscles are screaming to stop, but still they are holding me to the ice wall. We summited alone just as the sun rose - stunning and one of the best things I have ever done."

---

Photos

Rugby World Cup snack
This one was just for Nic