The jungle, mines and salt flats

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You have three options to get to the jungle from La Paz:

• 18 hour bus journey from hell - most people who take it are too scared to return on it
  
• 3 days in a boat - nice if you have the time
  
• 1 hour in a small plane - which is cancelled more often than it leaves
  

David opted for the plane, and after a day and a half of waiting in the airport was rewarded with a scary but safe ride into the jungle. Nicola couldn´t come as she doesn´t have her yellow fever vaccination.

The pampas is a great area to view wildlife as it has low trees, grasslands and the river is frequented by lots of wildlife.

It´s important to pick an ethical tour company as other groups were grabbing baby caymans from the water and one group fed the anaconda they found to a cayman for photos - disgusting. We recommend checking that your guide is registered and responsible before booking.

While David was in the jungle, Nicola headed to Sucre, a beautiful peaceful city south east of La Paz. She went downhill mountain biking for a day and visited a site with a huge number of dinosaur footprints.

After Sucre, Nicola met up with Dave in Potosi, a miner's town further south. It's also known for being the highest city in the world at over 4,000 m. We both went on a tour of the mines, which was a real eye-opener, and then were allowed to set off dynamite after the trip. Over 15,000 men and boys as young as 13 work in the mines for 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. They drink 95% alcohol to stay sane and give offerings to the devil.

Our last stint in Bolivia was to see the salt flats near Uyuni. Four days in a jeep * 8 hours of driving a day + bumpy dirt roads = sore bum and weary traveller. Fortunately the beautiful landscape, lakes, flamingos and startling white salt flats make up for this. Created by a now evaporated inland sea, the salt flats come complete with islands and blank white views for hundreds of kilometres. After a breath-taking sunrise on the flats we played with our cameras taking advantage of the mind boggling lack of depth perception created by the plain white ground.

Next is Argentina, land of steak and wine. Basically the next photos will probably show us about 10 kg heavier.

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Photos

Fishing for my dinner
Steve you would have been so proud

Capeberra
It´s a big guinea pig

Squirrel Monkey
Tastes like chicken

Cayman
Also tastes like chicken

Swimming in the amazon with pink dolphins
I so should have went to the toilet BEFORE hopping in

Inside the tin can
Oh I mean plane.

My jungle souvenir
You should have seen his friend

Making a dynamite explosive
Probably won´t be allowed into the US now.

Pink flamingo
You can get close enough to grab them - don´t worry mum of course we didn´t.

Dead man in a cave
Other caves had babies in pots, people with hats still on.