Blogs from Bolivia, South America - page 527

We are in La Paz and it has definitely been ups and downs the last few weeks in Bolivia. Emotionally and physically. The 'altura' here (excuse the Spanish words peppered throughout, I'm trying out my knowledge so you'll just have to look them up if it doesn’t make sense!) is 3660m, which is higher than anywhere in Australia I think, pretty cool huh? Not that I haven’t been higher lately(mind and body), actually today I was at the highest altitude I have ever been, climbing Chacaltaya, a 5400m peak in the Cordillera Real which strikes right through Bolivia and has some wicked high snowy mountains to show off. The cool thing about it though (well, one of) is that when I was at the top I had a perfect view of the mountain that Greg is ... read more

The city of Scure is nice: very much on the gringo trail - you spot lots of tourists trying their best not to look like tourists then you go to certain pubs and you could be in a pub in either England or the States. Some pubs actually advertise in the lobby of our hostel as the preferred gringo hangout! Granted we went there on Sunday during the race car rally and sure enough it was filled with non-locals watching the World Cup but the food was good. Orginally, we planned to take the train southward but we missed the weekly 315PM train because the laundry we turned in on Monday morning wasn't going to be ready on time! Ugh, the nice owner said it would be ready at 4PM which meant staying an extra night ... read more

9.30am in the Amazon basin. I am knee deep in muddy water walking through the middle of a swamp. The parts of my body not covered in muddy water are soaking wet from the sweat dripping off me, because of the oppressive humidity. It feels like it is building up to a massive storm; the sun is hidden behind the clouds. So, what sort of self inflicted torture am I describing. I was on a Pampas Tour in the Amazon Basin. This wasn't just an excuse for our guide to torture us; we were in fact looking for Anacondas. Who said travelling was fun? ...SWITCH LOCATION... "Me Llamo Fidel Castro." Yes, I met Fidel, although not that guy that hangs out in Cuba. The Fidel Castro runs the Hotel El Ambaibo in the little town of ... read more

Bolivia's altiplano covers much of the country and hosts a plethora of surmountable peaks. One of the best known is Huayna Potosi; firstly because it is easily accessible from La Paz and secondly because it tops the magic 6000m barrier. Standing at 6088m above sea level, the mountain is supposedly one of the easiest 6000m+ climbs in the world and for that reason has become a major backpacker draw. It was always my intention to do a substantial mountain climb at some point on my RTW trip, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity. I signed up with a La Paz based company called Bolivian Journeys for the two day climb; the challenge that ensued was far beyond my reckoning. After being emphatically assured by Bolivian Journeys that I would be provided with an English speaking ... read more

Since the beginning of my trip I was successful to circumvent the worlds most biodiverse region the Amazon without touching it. Safe the best for last could be my motto but the truth is that I was always to far away or it was just too expensive to go. I finally got my chance in Bolivia. The main hub for the Amazon jungle and pampas tours here is Rurrenabaque (or Rurre) which must the one of the best (and cheapest) places to go. The rainforest here is in near pristine condition as not many people live around here and it is quite hard to get to. That they put the whole place under protection and made a National park out of it might have helped. The normal way to get to Rurre is to take an ... read more