Blogs from Puerto Suárez, Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia, South America

Urubamba to puno We set off just before 8 and road with Jeff and Deane to the Salinas de Maras to check out the inca salt flats. We were pleased we went as they were pretty impressive. I played tour guide and read out information about the history and how they were formed which I'd previously screen shotted. Travelling today it was interesting to note the extreme poverty. It seems a lot of the people spend their days sitting on the side of the road minding their stock. The women carry large loads of wood on their backs, presumably firewood. It certainly is a different world than the one we live in. We then set off for Puno stopping a few times for photos, petrol and snacks. We arrived around 3.30 where we settled for the ... read more

We crossed the border and stayed in a hostel in Puerto Quijarro which was more like a hotel. With supposedly the biggest swimming pool in Bolivia (25metres!) and a great view of the Pantanal we thought we’d splash out and stay for a week. From here we did a boat tour of the Pantanal (world’s largest wetland ecosystem) and got up close to some alligators, otters and lots of birds. We spent our days lying in hammocks, doing some lengths in the pool and getting up to watch the sunrise. It took us a few days to realise that there’s a time difference and had actually been getting up at 5am, eating lunch at 11 and going to bed at 9! No wonder the hostel owner looked at us funny when we ordered food! We found ... read more

Voila un mois pile poil que nous sommes arrivés en Bolivie, le 5 novembre, après notre merveilleux trip dans le Panthanal, direction la gare de Quijarro pour prendre le train de 16h, appelé "el tren de la muerte", qui cela dit en passant était fort confortable, cette allusion était peut-être dû au fait qu'il mettait 17h pour parcourir seulement quelques 100km, jusqu'à Santa Cruz. Il faut dire qu'il était vraiment lent et encore je pèse mes mots, si Jon ou moi d'ailleurs aurions couru à côté du train s'aurait été pareil, quoique je ne me sente pas encore capable de courir pendant 17h!!! C'est peut-être aussi, ce qui est plu probable, dû au fait que dans les années 50, beaucoup de ces trains ont déraillés. Bref nos 17h dans le train ont été parsemés de multiples ... read more

BOLIVIA...BOLIVIA...BOLIVIA....BOLIVIA...BOLIVIA...BOLIVIA... sorry, getting a bit carried away after the humazing 6 - 1 victory to Bolivia last Wednesday...April fool´s day, what a fool those argies are, although I must be quiet because I am in fact typing in a cafe in Argentina! shhhhhhh....Yes, that´s right - I got out!!! you can call back the helicopters and speedboats and SAS task force, there is no longer any need to continue the search for the lost bouncyn boundin burnsie who dissappeared in Bolivia! here I am - across the border, passport stamped, bags searched, rubber gloves, drugs found, bribe paid, BOO..! (nah - only joking about those last bits) here I am, I´m waving from Salta, North of Argentina, below the Salt lakes of Bolivia ...ugggggh - Bolivia - I hear that word and it makes me shiver...ugghhhhh....an ... read more

We made it to Bolivia! The Pantanal was so fun, Rachel and I went with a tour group for 4 days, and it was so great. Basically, it was like Summer Camp. We stayed in Cabins and there was a main lodge with probably 40 other tourists there. We were in a group of 7 with a guide who was like our counselor and would take us on different activities every day. We rode horses, tubed down the Rio Pirahna, went fishing for Piranhas, played volleyball, took a Jeep Safari, and also a boat tour. It was really kind of bizarre and hilarious at the same time. As for the Pantanal, it is a very unique place because half of the year it is a swamp because of the rainy season, and half the year it ... read more