Blogs from Tupiza, Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 4

Wednesday is the 5 year anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis. I can’t let it go un-recognised, but we will be incommunicado, as we are about to head off on a 4 day tour of the salt desert in Bolivia, in a 4x4! What better way to celebrate!!?!? Those of you who remember the period between 6 July 2006 and the end of my treatment in March 2007 will agree that whilst it wasn’t great, it could have been worse! Lots of you have been around even longer and would agree that Gordon and I have had our share of bad luck! In fact, I remember Gordon saying years ago that we were getting other peoples share of too because we were so good at dealing with it!! Whatever, for the record, I want it noted ... read more

Bolivian Border Crossing Before we got to Tupiza there was a fairly hefty multi-legged journey, including the border crossing - I will begin with that. Our bus from Cafayate arrived in Salta in the early evening, where we initially planned on spending one night, before making a bolt for the border in the morning. Our plans changed when we realised that there were night buses and so we spent a few hours wandering around Salta and speculating over how low the temperature inside a bus, during the night, whilst the altitude is increasing, would drop. As a result we all boarded the bus to La Quiaca, the Argentinean border town, wearing too much clothes. It wasn’t long into the journey that I took off my extra jacket and Ciaran did the same, the bus was too ... read more

Our hostel in Humahuaca had excellent heating. As good as it was it had left us unprepared for how cold it was outside – cold enough for me to consider a jumper. Here, though, adversity is a business opportunity – the hot empanadas the lady at the bus station were piping hot and fantastic, if perhaps a little salty for some. Getting the bus to La Quiaca, the last town on the Argentinian side, was pretty straightforward. 28 pesos (around $7) for a 2 hour trip. Once there it was a simple matter of grabbing a taxi to go the couple of ks to the border itself – it can be walked, but... we took a taxi coz we're lazy. It took a little while to get out of Argentina – the queue wasn't huge, but ... read more

We're in Bolivia. This is how we got here from Buenos Aires( sorry for the spelling mistake last blog): 20 hr bus to Salta from BA, 2 days in Salta then 7 hr bus up to the Altiplano(3000-4000m plateau that spreads north to Peru) and the town of La Quiaca,1 night there. Walked across the Rio Grande Bridge into Bolivia and the town of Villazon. Half hour wait then 3 hour bus to Tupiza 70km north. Two weeks learning Spanish hasn't really done the trick,we're still struggling and to make matters harder they(Bolivians)pronounce letters differently. It was fantastic to get away from the city and make our way north to the small city of Salta(1400m) with less fumes etc. But it was even better to climb even higher to La Quiaca(3400m)where we started to feel the ... read more

Back to Salta We left Puerto Iguazu on the morning of the 9th on a 24 hour bus to take us to Salta. The bus had an impressive run of English language films including one starring Chris Brown (because a hit record is evidence you can act), one starring 50 Cent (ditto) and a final starring the only action star of the 80´s and 90´s not to get a bait for "The Expendables", Steven Seagal. Seagal got his revenge though - wrote and produced his own film, "Born to Raise Hell" in which he seduces a woman half his age and a quarter his weight but does so (thankfully) without ever taking his rollneck sweater and leather jacket off. Despite the quality of film on offer, I used the time to knock over "The Good Soldiers" ... read more