Blogs from Bolivia, South America - page 585

So we arrived in Uyuni at four in the morning after the bus journey from hell. It took two hours longer than it was meant to and the driver hopped off the bus every half our to perform the very technical act of banging the front wheels with a piece of metal! However we got there and were on a Salar de Uyuni tour by 10:30 am that same morning. In fact we had our choice of tours and had tour operators following us around the central plaza (competition is fierce). We decided on a group called Reli tours as they were upfront about costs, gave us a really good explanation of the tour and showed us the Land Cruiser (which was in good shape - kind of an important piece of kit). We set off ... read more

We were so excited to be heading for La Paz...the guidebook makes like theres tons of good outdoor activities around the city and lots of interesting museums and markets to visit in the city... Well, it´s definitely an interesting place...but after Todd spent the whole of our first day with altitude sickness...fever, and throwing up, we aren´t feeling so up for adventurous undertakings. So, there will be no bike ride down the World´s Most Dangerous Road, no long, bumpy, and for Todd, who gets the motion sickness, nausea inducing bus rides to beautiful little Andean towns, and no boat rides to jungle retreats (again, the dirty old motion sickness). But no worries! Sunday there was literally nothing going on in the city, because of municipal elections. We found just 2 restaurants open for dinner, and we ... read more

On Friday before leaving for Sucre we went to visit Tiwanaku(or Tiahuanaco). This is Bolivia´s most famous archaelogical site. It is believed to be the capital city of the pre-Incan Aymara civilisation who lived around Lake Titicaca. The city consists of temples, dwellings and a huge (and as yet to be fully excavated) pyramid. The pyramid is said to rival any of the others found in Mexico or elsewhere in South America and excavation is currently underway and due to complete in the next five years. It has seven different levels and no peak, so quite different to the Egyptian version. There is a impressive sun gate on the site that is lit up at different points at the winter and summer solstices. Tiwanaku fell from prominence after Lake Titicaca's water level lowered and the shoreline ... read more

Monday morning we met at the offices of 'Refugio Huayna Potosi' Climbing School at 9am, paid and went to the equipment store where we picked up our Ice Axes, waterproof pants, jackets, crampons, boots and gloves. It was a totally disorganised shambles but eventually we got our gear (not in the best condition) and ourselves up to the first refuge (4400m) in the company's old Toyota Land Cruiser. Training on the Glacier After lunch we trudged up to the glacier where we were to train in using the gear. Putting the stuff on in the refuge was tiring enough, but we walked the 40 minutes up there exited about the prospect of climbing the mountain then next day. Our guide, Choco put my crampons on for me and I pottered about in them while Sarah and ... read more

Lake Titicaca situated between Peru and Bolivia in South America is the world’s highest navigable lake. It is 3811 m above sea level! We decided to visit the lake from Copacabana in Bolivia rather than Puno in Peru as Puno was, not to put to fine a point on it, a hole! We had an interesting border crossing between Peru and Bolivia involving buses, a taxi and a rickshaw. The rickshaw man insisted on cycling us and our backpacks up a hill to the border controls and even after one of his pedals broke and Pete was helping him push the rickshaw, he insisted on continuing! We spent the next day exploring Copacabana. The altitude left us feeling a bit winded so we looked around the local cathedral and watched a car blessing ceremony. This involves ... read more