Blogs from Oruro Department, Bolivia, South America - page 7

Schoenen guten Morgen (respektive Nachmittag)! Nach zwei doch eher intensiven Wochen in den Bergen konnte ich mich gerade endlich mal wieder motivieren, mich an den Computer zu hocken und was zu schreiben. Eigentlich sind wir naemlich gerade damit beschaeftigt, jegliche Form von Kalorien in fluessiger oder fester Form in uns reinzustopfen und zu -schuetten. Laut unseren zwei Medizinern Markus & Christoph geht es dabei um den "erhoehten Grundumsatz", weshalb unser Tagesablauf uns eigentlich nur noch von Kneipe zu Kneipe fuehrt. Huehnchen, Brot, Obst, Reis mit Bohnen, Hamburger, Pfannkuchen, Steak, Apfelkuchen, Kaffee, Pizza, Bier und eine Flasche Rotwein. So hat gestern unser Menue ausgeschaut. Heute wird bestimmt auch wieder gut. Wie auch immer: Nachdem wir vom Hippiestrand am Tittikakkasee wieder hier in La Paz angekommen sind, haben wir uns auf die Socken gemacht und sind erstmal ... read more

The days are just packed. Once I got to La Paz, I had a whirlwind of a week. Two weekends ago saw me exploring more of La Paz, but by Monday I was ready to see the surrounding area. My trip on Monday took me to La Calle de la Muerte (in English it's called The Death Road or The Road of Death, but to me the latter sounds a lot more sinister so that is what I will use). The Road of Death is a little north of La Paz and is the main route to get to the beautiful town of Coroico. It is called the Road of Death because it has been determined that it is the most dangerous road in the world. It´s an extremely narrow gravel road that goes along the ... read more

So the mission was nearly complete - accommodation had actually been sorted out for us (thanks to Bella and Glen, old friends we had met in Buenos Aires, who had booked and paid something for us - legends), and we were on the bus from Uyuni. We arrived at about 6am in Oruro, and the festivities had already commenced. The town was a sea of colour, and everyone was dressed up to the nines. The carnival is actually officially known as the La Diablada carnival and is celebrated in honor of the patron saint of the miners, Vírgen de Socavon (the Virgin of the Tunnels). Over 50 parade groups dance, sing and play music over a five kilometre-long course and the participants (of which there are 10000´s) dress up as demons, devils, angels, Incas and Spanish ... read more

Carnaval de Oruro: Fenruary 15-18, 2007 The Carnaval in Rio, Brazil may have acquired an international reputation throughout the years but the Carnaval in Oruro, Bolivia definitely deserves a visit! I will even say that this Carnaval is intimate as the stands along the road, where the dancers and musicians parade, are located only few meters from this colourful and loud spectacle! The Diablada, which started on February 17, represents the entrance of the devil in the city and consists of a multitude of orchestras and of colourful dancers with amazing costumes! We arrived at our seats at 7:30am and remained there until the end of the afternoon. Besides the spectacular parade, music and dance, the Carnaval is also known for its famous water balloons and foam battles...or should I say "Get the gringo" contest! Throughout ... read more

La Pazin lentokentälle saavuttuamme totesimme, että ei ollut enää niin kuumaa kuin Chilessä. La Pazin ollessa maailman korkeimmalla oleva pääkaupunki (4000 metriä) happeakaan ei ollut liikaa käytettävissä. Ei silleen, että oltaisiin haukottu happea viimeistä päivää, mutta pienikin urheilusuoritus (kuten rinkankanto 100m) pisti pikkaisen puuskuttamaan. Lentokentällä sitten pidettiin pieni palaveri koskien seuraavaa päämäärää. Päätettiin ihmetellä La Pazia myöhemmin ja lähteä suoraan Oruroon, noin neljän tunnin bussimatkan päähän etelään. Juuri ennen bussimatkaa kävimme syömässä. Paikkaan ilmestyi joku vanha mies, joka pyysi syötävää joka pöydästä. Siinä sitten ihmeteltiin, kun kaveri otti pöydästä kupin, joka on täynnä jotain tulista kastiketta ja kaatoi suoraan suuhun. Tämä ei kaverille kuitenkaan riittänyt, vaan hän otti myös suolasirottimen ja alkoi mussuttamaan suolaa. Että silleen.. ... read more