Bolvia - La Paz region

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We depart the ascendancy of Uyuni to the relative shallows of La Paz (at only 3660m!) The arrival into La Paz is quite astonishing as you arrive from the flat sparse plains and descend like a corkscrew into the canyon of La Paz, overlooked by huge snow capped mountains. There is also a hubub to the city not found elsewhere in Bolivia and its a little overbearing at times particularly with the chaotic transport and beeping horns (seriously it never stops). However, it is also a great city to wander around and savour the atmosphere of it all, whether admiring the mightly impressive cathedral (well, inside anyway; the exterior is a little unkempt), passing time away at the many and ridicously cheap empanada stalls or keeping your eye on yet another demonstration / protest. However, my time in La Paz is marked with anger when a back street internet cafe lost around half of my South America photographs when trying to save onto DVD. The idiot responsible for this calamity seemed more interested in using me as a soundboard to practice his English rather than concentrate on what I asked of him....I couldve - shouldve - whacked him. Anyway, Brazil, Uruguay and Brazil were already on facebook but Bolivia provided probably the best photographs; hence, I have begged and borrowed from friends to infill the gaps in my photography.

After a few days in La Paz, I book myself onto a mountain biking trip. This isnt any normal biking trip but along the self titled ´Worlds Most Dangerous Road´, which plunges 3000m in 80km. This title is deserved as it was reported as having the most fatalities annually (over 100 on average). However, a new road has opened so traffic now appears to be restricted to tourists and locals who live along the road. This doesnt diminish how dangerous the road can be as it includes precipitous drops all along its route which narrows to around 3m at times. My heart is in my mouth at one point when my back tyre blows - fortunately on a long downhill straight rather than a corner (if this were so I might have joined an Israeli girl who perished over the edge earlier this year).

The road finshes near the small town of Corioco, where we stay for a few days rather than heading back to La Paz. Coroico is well recieved after the harsh conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano; being a Bolivian Eden set in a wonderful sub tropical setting. This is enahnced further by our hostel - Hostal Cafetal, which perches above the forested gorges, inclusive of a swimming pool and hot water...all for the pricely sum of four pound a night! After 3 days of sunbathing and eating like royalty, we catch a shared taxi to La Paz (i.e. these are like people carriers and set off when they are full - charging only two pounds for 100km!) This journey is more terrifying than anything else Ive done so far. The reason for leaving Coroico was that the weather had turned sour; however, this weather was now our downfall. We had forgotten that we were in the hills so the rainclouds we were escaping from were now restricting our visibility back to La Paz. This, combined with a crazy driver, provided edge of the seat stuff which even nerved the Bolivians sharing our taxi. It all came near to the end when out of the dense cloud came a truck and a coach; the latter on our side of the road! The coach skidded towards our ditch whilst our driver opted for skidding along the middle of the road. We came to a stop inches from the side of the coach whilst the truck hurtled by our other side as it was unable to stop at all! Phew, never again please.

After a brief stop in La Paz (inclusive of a visit to the tourist police as Nathalies small rucksack had gone astray), we catch a coach to Copacabana on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. Our first visit is to scale the sacred hill overlooking the bay. This is on a weekend so we are not alone; lots and lots of locals scaling the hill to carry out their religous committments. This includes lighting candles and, quite bizarrely, purchasing toy craars as their gifts to their ´Lord´ whilst some preacher shakes burning charcoals above their heads and squirtng beer everywhere. Whilst I understand these might be local rituals, I cant help but think that material goods have entered the process which makes it somewhat tacky. At least this is what it seems to me as an observed outsider. It is also sad to see the amount of glass, litter and graffitti everywhere, which appears not to identify with how sacred the hill is supposed to be. This lack of respect for the environnment extends beyond the hill, which scars what would otherwise be a beatiful landscape.

We then catch a boat to Isla del Sol located in Lake Titicaca. Upon arrival, we decide to go for a swim in the lake - how often do you get the opportunity to swim a lake at 3820m! My time in the water is not long as I begin to loose feeling in my legs, so we then head off on a trek to Chincana - site of the sacred rock, where the Inca legend apparently began, albeit by conqering the Aymaras where remnants of the ancinet site remain from over 3000BC! We eat a huge dinner in a dimly lit place for around two pound then head to our hostel which is basically a farm and includes a one day old lamb within our touching distance. The sound of pigs, donkeys, chickens, cows and sheep awake us as we set off for a trek along the spine of the island from north to south. This is against the normal flow of tourists and allows us almost free access to wander as we wish, albeit apart from within private land in the small villages scattered along the route, inhabitated by proud, genuine and friendly locals. We leave the island with fond memories and catch our 3 hour boat back to the mainland; this being skippered by a 13 year boy and his even younger friend! After a good nights sleep in Copacabana, we catch another coach across the border into Peru heading for Cuzco, which will form the beginning of my next blog and leave behind what is probably my favourite country visited thus far.

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Comments

[Pauline B]

Greetings!
So glad you are still marvelling at the world and all it holds, Matthew. Susan and Alice would be so proud! What an adventurer you are. You could have withdrawal symptoms when you finally return home. Peru next! With all its history. Be well and be safe. I can't wait for the next leg of your journey. Jessica tells me the photos on facebook are great. I will have to take her word for it! Pauline