High and dry in Boliva

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So we have just left Boliva and have ended up in Argentina..... and already have eaten enough steak to last me a life time (it has been 2 days here!)

So Boliva..... Boliva is very, very high with an average height of 3750m above sea level. Unfortunately we only got to see a little of Boliva and didn´t see any jungle areas and hence for us Boliva appeared to be very, very dry (except for the Death Road)

So we landed in Copacabana (in Boliva not Brazil) starting our journey to the border of Boliva on bicycle with our guide Edwin taking us to the border. We stayed at a very nice hotel looking over the town out to Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun). This place is apparently the birth place of the Inca civilization. It lived up to it´s name by having blazing sun all day while we were there and burning my little goat legs to a crisp - yes the sun was so strong that it burst through the hairy shade cloth I have on my lilly white legs.

After kicking back in Copacabana for a few days we headed to La Paz via bus and ferry. It was great they kick you off the bus put you on a little boat and your bus on a barge. You meet up again and then it´s off to La Paz.

La Paz was a great town. Definitely had the Spanish feel to it with the city shutting down from 1-3pm and then becoming lively at about 7 or 8pm at night and kicking on until late.

From La Paz we headed off for a day to ride down the Death Road (the world´s most dangerous road). Now most people cycle this in blazing sun but we are hardcore and hence choose the day when it was snowing and sleeting at the start of the ride. We were cycling along at the start barely being able to see, but we carried on while others chickened out and went in the mini bus. Sarita was at one with the cycle while I managed to crash at one stage ( i was a bit too busy riding one handed - I think the word idiotic describes that behaviour the best). Anyway we both survived and have the t-shirst to prove it! And before people worrying about me leading Sarita astray, it was her idea to do The Death Road, not mine I was for finding a nice cafe and tasty the local food and drink all day.

From there it was back to La Paz and then off to the slat plains of Boliva (the Salar de Uyuni). The bus ride was a night of hell, with the bus ride so bumpy that it was a hunt for where your bags ended up at the end of the journey....thankfully our shoes and bags were only a few seats in front. We got straight into a jeep with another 4 people and began our journey into a land of sun, wind, salt and dust - lots and lots of dust. we saw the salt plains, we saw lots of different coloured lakes, we saw loads of pink flamingos and we tasted lots and lots of dust.

At the end of this we then took a bus to the Argentina border..again a bus ride from hell. Loads of dust, loads of bumpy roads, a flat tyre, an hour or so in a traffic jam. The scenery was amazing though and probably better than half of the salt plains tour and probably more dangerous roads then the Death Road.

So overall Boliva was very high, very dry and very dusty with some very serious people. Still worth a visit, but not our favourite place but then again we didn´t see much of it.

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Photos

Boliva Here We Come
Here is a photo of our cycle to the border. I had to jump off and back on a moving vehicle to take this photo, but hey my middle name is danger. Actually it isn´t it´s Wade and I´m not happy about it mum.

The Running of the Donkeys
More dangerous than Spain's ¨Running of the Bulls¨ I found myself in the Isla del Sol´s ¨Running of the Donkeys¨

Bus to La Paz
Here goes our bus across the river while we take the photo from our little boat.

The Death Road
Belting through the snow, rain and sleet down the road that has claimed the most fatalities in the world!
We did it easy and don´t know what all the fuss is.

Boliva Loves Popcorn
Popcorn is big in Boliva. Literally it is about 5 times the size of our English/American equivalent and they sell and eat it by the wheelborrow load.

Sarita is huge!
After stopping at the Witches Market, in La Paz, Sarita bought some herbs. Here is the result on the salt plains as she grows so huge that she can hold me in the palm of her hand. Fortunately it was temporary and soon the effects wore off and I was returned safely to the flat, salty and very white earth

Geysers At Sunrise
Here are the geysers of Boliva. Very moody and very smelly.
My attempt at an arty photo!

Thermal Springs on the Salt Plains
Me hanging in the thermal springs on a very chilly morning in Boliva. How´s the serenity!

No live Armadillos
I was hanging to see an armadillo but as close as I got was this stuffed one in the salt museum. It was sitting on a huge salt armadillo - double armadillo action!

Comments

[Taragh]

Enjoying all your stories..
..and so pleased you survived the death road. Taragh xx

[Harn]

GRRRREAT PHOTOS!
What a fabby set of photos - thank you for those. It's still so weird to see you in these far flung places. That one of the salt plains with a weeny adam in sarita's hand is the best!! Go you guys on the bikes... looking forward to a bit of mtb action with you when you're back then oui? xx

[Amy]

Just loving all your travel updates and photos. xx