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Published: October 22nd 2008
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24hours abord the Death Train!Again we must apologise for not updating the blog, it is actually about three weeks behind our actual travels so we will try to run through what has happened through part one of Bolivia (we are returning for part two in November), and our first leg in Peru.
Backtracking to the last entry in Brazil we crossed the border and headed to Santa Cruz via the "Death Train" - a 24 hour nightmare journey that we would not wish on anyone, as it was absolutely horrific and painfully uncomfortable. When we finally arrived in Santa Cruz we headed straight for the mountains to the scenic Samaipata, partly as we were concerned about the roadblocks and safety in the area after the recent troubles.
Samaipata is a picturesque town that has a number of sights and activities including inca ruins, caves, waterfalls, and nearby national parks and the site of Che Guevara´s "last stand". After enjoying some of the fantastic local food we decided to visit both the inca sites and waterfalls via taxi as it would be cheaper than a tour company...that was until the owner of our hostel offered us a "special price" with his friend. The problem
was that his friend was unavailable.....fear not as the alternative was to offer us the rent of his 4x4 and his 11year old son! Despite not having a licence, insurance, or any international driving experinece our friend Martin rose to the challenge and drove us through the mountains to both El Fuerte (inca site) and El Cueves (waterfalls and caves) which were stunning.
The next day we visited the Amboro National Park with local biologist Michael Blendinger which was a great experience, as we sampled two seperate micro climates in one cloud forest (dry, wet), with a very rich selection of flora and fauna, and a number of stunning birds and insects.
We capped the trip to Samaipata with a two day tour to Che Guevara´s last stand with the highly recommended Ben Voerhoff. The trip took us from Samaipata to Vallegrande, where on route we witnessed some stunning scenery, tarantulas, and condors. The tour in Vallegrande included visits to the nation Che museum, the site where his body was found, the graves of his men (and one woman), and the hospital where his body was displayed to the world. The areas were excellent to visit, particularly the
washbasin where his body was photographed, as it is now a shrine that is celebrated covered in graffiti from around the world with "Revolution" slogans, really showing the impact he has to this day.
That evening we travelled his La Higuera, the area where he hid before he was caputed and killed. La Higuera is hidden deep into the mountains and is absolutely stunning, and the whole area has no electricity so our hospedaje was completely lit by candles.
The next morning we trekked into the mountains to the site where Che camped and hid, before the Bolivian army surrounded and captured him, before taking him to La Higuera where he was executed. The site is now full of stunning memorials and statues to Che, and every house is emblazoned with his face or name. The place was such a historical and moving area, with the locals still telling stories of the day he was captured and killed (we even met the woman who gave Che his last meal).
The tour was really excellent and a huge highlight of the trip. We packed our bags and left for La Paz via night bus which was by far
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El Fuerte - inca ruins of Samaipata the worst journey to date.........an absolute nightmare - 14 hours without tarmac, which rattled the windows open to pour dust inside!
We arrived in La Paz via Cochabamba, which will follow in the next entry. No photos as of yet, but they will follow in a few days.
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