Blogs from Bolivia, South America - page 15

FACES OF BOLIVIA...Nationalism. As we leave Bolivia's back door to enter the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile I can hear my heart pounding with anticipation. 'Cause this is why we tacked Peru & Bolivia onto our North American & Caribbean Blues Cruise itinerary. We have always wanted to visit the World's driest region, the Atacama Desert...even before we were seduced by the wonders of 4WDing through the wilds of Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile. We are at the border at Hito Cajon 4,480m (14,698 ft)...leaving Heaven...the cries of the vanquished still ringing in our ears. Because Bolivians it is fair to say...do not like Chileans. When we were in Patagonia, the Argentinians we met did not like Chileans. The reason we were given was that the Chileans sided with the British over the Falkland Islands ... read more

Although not the largest city in Bolivia, Sucre is one of the most important cities. It is traditionally their capital and was where the declaration of independence was signed. Today it is also a UNESCO world heritage site. We had booked into a lovely traditional hotel, as Sarah was still feeling ill from altitiude sickness. We decided because of this to head to the local hospital to check she was alright. This was quite a surreal experience when they hooked her up to oxygen and started giving her injections, of god knows what. I had to get supplies from the pharmacy, but the great thing was it cleared Sarah up. The whole experience costed the equivalent of £5 (£3.50 pharmacy fees and £1.50 for being in hospital). The second day ... read more

Following the Dakar Rally Part 5 - HEAVEN. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, and it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And God ... read more

Lundi 25 avril 2016 Simon A une soixantaine de kilomètres au nord-ouest de la Paz, à proximité du lac Titicaca, se trouvent les vestiges d'une civilisation qui conserve bien des mystères... Cette civilisation serait apparue entre 2200 et 1200 avant JC sur l'Altiplano bolivien, ses habitants ont réalisé de nombreux ouvrages sur le site du même nom, plusieurs temples, une pyramide, des jardins et un 'ombre important de sculptures et de gravures. Le temps et les conquistadors espagnols n'auront malheureusement laissé que des ruines...si bien qu'on peut passer à côté en les prenant pour des tas de pierres...d'ailleurs, peu de touristes daignent s'y arrêter. Pourtant, en les regardant de plus près, ces pierres s'avèrent plus qu'intrigantes...ce sont des quadrilatères aux angles à 90 degrés, aux arêtes vives, taillés dans du basalte ou de l'andesite, des ro ... read more

Following the Dakar Rally Part 4...Coral Castles in the Sky. The most vivid colours I have ever seen were in St Crispin's Reef...part of the outer reef of the Great Barrier Reef...about 24 miles off the coast of northern Queensland. Snorkeling while hovering over a giant clam...flashes of the brightest richest purple fringed with red as it concertinaed it's serrated shell while blowing bursts of bubbles at me...corals in vivid oranges, reds, whites and yellows...seaweed dancing...fish in flashing spectrums darting in and about. That was at sea level...or a tad below. Some years later we are driving through the Altiplano of Bolivia ...about 3,600 or more metres above sea level...about to climb a coral castle in the sky. We were in a fossilized coral reef...uplifted by the Andes mountains...coral everywhere. Blew my mind I gotta say. ... read more