Sign In
Blogs from La Paz Department, Bolivia, South America - page 8
Advertisement
July 28th 2012
Hey everyone! Sorry for not being in touch wifi has been down for a couple of days ! So I was really tired when I wrote my last blog and it showed! I forgot to tell you about one of my highlights in sucre. On our last afternoon in sucre we visited a local orphanage. the children were as young as a month and up to about 5. I was a bit worried about going in to start with as I was worried that I would get upset that they were orphaned however when we visited the first group a few months up to 3 it was amazing. The just wanted to be cuddled and have attention. One little boy who was the only one who could walk properly kept taking my hand and trying to ... read more
July 28th 2012
Hola mi amigos, nach der langen nachetlichen Busfahrt von Uyuni nach La Paz sind wir am Dienstag am fruehen Vormittag angekommen. Mit dem Taxi fuhren wir zu unseren angedachten Hostels. Nachdem das REPUBLICA doch zu teuer war, checkte ich im Bashn Crash ein. Seitdem bin ich in La Paz. Von den bolivianischen Grossstaedten gefaellt mir La Paz bisher am besten. Durch das huegelige Gelaende wurden die Strassen und Gebauede im Kellergassenformat aufgestellt. Verwinkelte Strasse, Gassen und Ecken geben der Stadt einen gewissen Charme, welche eine Flachstadt eben vermissen laesst. Steile Aufstiege von einem Stadtteil zum naechsten, mit mehreren 100m Hoehenunterschied sind Alltag. Ich moechte zu La Paz selbst aber nicht so viel schreiben. Neben Sightseeing und neuen fluechtigen Bekanntschaften im Hostel ging es ab und zu mal mit Amigos in eine Bar. Mein persoenlicher Highlight war ... read more
Bolivia, Sucre to La Paz & The Worlds Most Dangerous Road
Published: September 11th 2012South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department
July 27th 2012
The bus to Sucre went via Potosi, the world’s highest city at over 4000 meters where we had to change buses. The bus was freezing as the windows kept rattling open and with the altitude of 12000 feet, it was unpleasant for most of the 9 hour journey and as if that wasn’t enough, the splitting altitude headaches returned like on the salt flats. Left with no option and no painkillers, out came the coca leaves which stopped the pain but left me wide awake until we arrived in Sucre at 5am. Sucre, during the day it was hot enough to sunbathe in our hostels courtyard but on a night it got quite cool. It’s a common theme throughout South America, the rooms are always freezing and the showers are only lukewarm so the only way ... read more
July 17th 2012
We arrived in La Paz, a bustling and hectic city, yet quite a site, set in a valley surrounded by contrasting desert and snow caps. We arrived at our hotel and set out for dinner, most of us having a traditional dish, I chose the Andean soup (every soup I have had in South America has been nothing short of delicious) and this one did not disappoint. It was a relative early night, as Nick, Phil and I were to be up early to tackle Death Road (worlds most dangerous road) on mountain bikes the following morning. We were ready and waiting at 6:30am and so began the journey out of La Paz high up into the Andes. We met a lovely Aussie couple, Kate and Angus, who we instantly got along with, the 5 Aussies ... read more
July 11th 2012
Finally getting ready to leave Bolivia. Wow, we did NOT plan on being here so long, but it has been a great time. Caught a bus from La Paz to Copacabana (not in Brazil, it´s a big town on the shore of Lake Titikaka), about 3 hours. We got in rather late, so we watched the sunset over the water and had some fresh fish (only place in Bolivia, as it´s a landlocked country). We took advantage of our last hot shower for a while and then the next morning set off. We hiked for almost 8 hours up the peninsula, headed towards Isla del Sol. It was long, it was high up, and a LOT of uphill, so it was quite taxing. We stopped at this crazy Bolivian who wanted to show us literally about ... read more
Advertisement
An Introduction to the Inca
Published: July 9th 2012South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » Lake Titicaca
July 8th 2012
Thankfully, mercifully, whatever one may say about a three hour journey that took us from La Paz to the shores of Copacabana on Lake Titicaca, we arrived safe and unharmed for what would be a two night stay. Rather than stay in the town of Copacabana itself, a pleasant place with all the creature comforts you could hope for at this stage of our trip, we decided upon the advice of others to stay on the Isla del Sol itself, situated within the lake accessed via 90 minute boat ride. Given the natural beauty of the island and its place in the history of the Incas, it was not such a difficult decision. The lake itself is found at 3,841m above sea level and despite other smaller lakes found around the world being at higher altitudes, ... read more
Cusco to La Paz
Published: September 3rd 2012South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » Copacabana
July 5th 2012
We spent a few more days in Cusco before heading on to Bolivia. There was another festival the day after we finished the trek, seemingly for no other reason that it was a Sunday. There was also a Sunday market setup in the square around the corner from our hostel, where all types of bbq food was available for under a fiver. After a bit of research we'd found that from Cusco there were no direct buses on to Copacobana, despite pretty much every retailer insisting there is. So we decided to stop over night in a city on the Peruvian side of Lake Titicaca called Puno. The main attraction from here is the floating reed islands where locals have lived and traded on for years which we unregrettably decided to miss. Apart from that and ... read more
June 30th 2012
Bolivia is cheaper than Peru. Taxis are also cheap – about 10-15 Boliviano (USD$1 = 6.7Bolivano) for a 20-30minutes ride. Copacabana was my first stop in the country, much nicer than Puno in Peru. I did the half a day tour of sun Island. This island is so beautiful; hiking up the island was not easy. Some old guy I met on the boat happily gave me the tour of the Island. He explained the difference between the Sun Temple and the Palacio de Inca. The former is a spiritual journey while the later is physical structure with great significant for the Incas. The food in Copacabana is also not so great. La Paz was fun. I stayed with a couchsurfer in Miraflores part of town. I went winter shopping in La Paz in a market ... read more
June 28th 2012
The two weeks that Justin and I spent at La Senda Verde animal refuge were awesome. It is located on the Yungas Road, not too far from Coroico. We were able to work with so many amazing people and animals there. Justin built a bridge! At La Senda Verde I... Pet a Toucan and made him purr Scratched an ocelot´s head Spun a monkey round and round like a whirlwind Got shat on by Mr. Bean, a neurotic Amazonian parrot Had a Andean Spectacled Bear lick my fingers Saw a tortoise orgy Played in the mud with a woman-hating capuchin Got nibbled by a Coati Had awesome fondue for super cheap Got a wet willy from a Kinkachu Was hungry a lot Witnessed a 600km illegal march to save a national park On a more somber ... read more
June 24th 2012
A mildly eventful bus journey had taken us from Uyuni to Tupiza, one where our driver simply abandoned the bus in the middle of some back-country mining village, only to re-board our vehicle an hour later perhaps with a little more ‘confidence’ before almost driving us off the side of a cliff. Of course I say ‘mildly’ more so because of all the truly horrific stories you hear about Bolivian roads, a country which proudly boasts ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Road,’ otherwise known as ‘El Camino de la Muerte,’ a road where even the most moderate (or morbid) of estimates puts the death toll at over 1,000! I suppose, thankfully, that our own experience could only be slotted into the placid category on the spectrum. And so, after a mild ride, we had little enthusiasm for ... read more
