Part 2: Santiago to La Paz

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Amy here...I´ll take over now or Louise will get RSI.


So Lou´s birthday resulted in two days of recovery with lots of MTV on Ashlee´s sofa in Valpo and a very hasty decision for Louise and I to fly to the party city of Buenos Aires for a few days. This decision was made in large part due to the rave reviws we´d heard of Argentinian meat and wine. And we weren´t disappointed. We stayed in the bohemian San Telmo full of quirky antique shops and bars (and the world´s most amazing bakery). First was a visit to the famous graveyard where Evita is buried. We didn´t actually see her grave though, typical us, but we certainly had our fill of spooky gothic mausoleums. After several walks up and down the main shopping drag (with a quick stop for a submarino - hot milk with a drowned chocolate bar mmmmmmm) we were ready for a night on the town. We started off in a cheesy Irish pub and ended in an amazing underground club for a drum ´n´ bass night. Other BA highlights included an afternoon in the kooky multicoloured La Boca area, a tango show and, of course, mucho carne y mucho vino tinto.


Once back in Santiago our Chilean amigo, Carlos offered us (+ Ashlee) his beach abode for the weekend. It wasn´t really the weather for it but we made the most of the deserted hippie fishing village. We also got to visit the last of Pablo Naruda´s houses, Isla Negra, thought to be the most beautiful due to it´s sea view and the cornocopia of his bizare collections that were not ransacked by Pinochet´s army as those in the other houses were.


Our last day in Valpo was spent in the most indulgent way, all thanks to Ashlee´s wonderful house mate, Marianela (muchas muchas gracias). Marianela works in a really posh vinyard in Casablanca just out of Valpo and she managed to sneak the three of us in for a free tasting of 4 of the most elegant (and expensive) wines available plus a cheese board, some yummy chocolate and a professional description of the wines given by her very own wine connoisseur self. An evening of sushi and mas vino tinto ended a very plush day in the perfect way.


Then to San Pedro we trotted with Ashlee still in tow. San Pedro is a lovely little adobe style town with lots of natural beauties around to visit. Our plan was to stay for a few days then leave Ashlee to go back to work (haha) in Valpo and us to push on to Bolivia but for various reasons that particularly affect excitable travel-hungry folk we decided to all get on a 3 day jeep tour through Bolivia instead. This plan could have been snared by the fact that Ashlee didn´t have her passport but, as always, her remarkable powers of persuasion did the trick on the border and, miracle of miracles, she got through without a hitch.


So we spent the next 3 days sick from the 4400ft altitude, freezing to our very core, exhausted from lack of sleep and absolutely loving every minute. We were in a jeep with a kiwi and 2 other English guys. The six of us plus our adorable Bolivian husband and wife guides, Nena and Ruben, were unstopable. We saw gysers, sand dunes, hot springs, green, white and red lagoons, snow topped mountains, salt flats, llamas, sunsets, flamingos, a cacti island and a salt hotel. It was an absolutely amazing trip with the most astounding and breathtaking scenes and the best company we could have asked for. After a very fond farewell Nena and Ruben left us in Uyuni where the 6 of us would also be parting ways after a few beers to reminisce on the past few days. With a little (ehem...) help from Ashlee, Louise and I got on a bus to La Paz where we currently find ourselves.


Our first day was a right off due to a need for sleep and warmth (we ventured no further than our beds) but we made up for it yesterday and today with a marathon walking session around town. La Paz is a unique and crazy looking town. The centre is surrounded by vast hills lined with houses that alight the view after dark. It´s nippy at night but the sun shines glorious all day. We huffed and puffed our way to the mirador to get the best view possible and it really is just nuts. The food is delicious and cheap as is the clothing (thank god as we´ve both realised we need to stock up on warm clothes for our trek in Peru in a week). Tomorrow we´re off to Copacobana to have a little looksee at Lake Titikaka.


So that´s where we´re up to, sorry if it´s been a bore. Love to you all and hope you are making most of the English summer while we freeze our balls off. And an absolutely super massive great big humongous gigantic thank you and an equally large kiss and cuddle to our most amazing Spanish mermaid, the one and only Ashlee. Te amamos.

xxxxx

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