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So last catch up and then I´m thru...This story will be about the period (more or less) april 1 to may 7 .
From Cusco,Peru to Yolosa,Bolivia (29 march to 24 april, mas o menos)
As u understood, or not, as Tova had only 3 weeks for the whole trip,we had to get to Cusco, Peru very quickly, which made me skip Tony´s house in Bolivia. So after 2 weeks in Cusco I returned back to La Paz, Bolivia, to continue to Yolosa,where the house is. This meant:
1 15 hours terible night bus, with border crossing where they started to strip me and my things (scary!!!), asking me about money and drugs, until I, very angrily,told them i was wroking with the polis in Cusco (which was half true, as that was my work with the street kids) and i dont understand the way the treat a respectable gentelman like me.Well, that did it. Immediately they appologised greatly and asked me why i didnt say that b4,and all was well. So now you know what to do at the borders of south america :-)
2 staying the night at La Paz, collecting the keys from a friend of Tony
there, and dining at a lovely Lebanese restaurant, again,one i remembered from 4 years ago.
3 the day after in 4 hours total to Coroico, the village up above Yolosa (see some stories ago....)
4 Calling Felix, Tony´s friend there, to meet us and explain me all about the house. By now, German, the guy who hosted me in Chile (see many stories ago, Valdivia), joined me for a while. After meeting Felix,it was taking a cab and getting to the house.
Well,amazing. I thought it would be a small hut, but it actually was a huge house, just one street to the right and then to the left from Paradise! The house stood at the river (well, 20 seconds walk...) ,with the biggest garden i ever saw, reaching the river (u wouldnt know where the garden finished and the wild begun...). We could choose from trees of banana, mandarine, grapefruit and AVOCADO!!! WIldlife great as well: lots of birds (and what a music!!), geese, some creeping creatures and lots of bugs...I do look now like a sieve :-) I do have to mention my beloved Oropendula, which sung for me morning and evening, sounds i havent forgotten since my
jungle stay 4 years ago...Lovely bird!!! Its existance here was one of the greatest surprises to me.
There´s so much to tell, and as the same time nothing...During 3 weeks i read like 3 books, sat at the balcony or in bed,looking at and listening to the scenery, we made a walk somewhere once in a while (to Coroico it was 2,5 hours thru the mountains or a cab) to a waterfall or to other places in the neighbourhood. Once in a while we treated ourself to a luxary meal in Coroico, where we paid up to 10 Euro!!! :-) for the two of us!!!! Often we prefered a local restaurant where u had a soup and a main dish for 1 Euro a person...On eastern weekend we went to an African-Bolivian village where they knew how to celebrate eastern...
Well, I let the photo´s tell the rest, cause the scenery was the main part of these 3 and something amazing weeks. German went to La Paz a couple of days earlier than me, and eventually joined the Hare Krishna...RIP, Well, I didnt,and neither did I join Habad or the Tibetan monks. I thought it was time to see something
new and had chosen the hardly visited village of Charazani, and the surrounding area of Cordilera Apolobamba.
Charazani and Chari (24 to 26 april)
OK. From la Paz, after having a farewell meal in a very beautiful restaurant and leaving German, hopefully safely, in the hands of his majesty Hare Krishna and his cru, I walked up at 4:00 to be able to take the bus of 5:30 to the village of Charazani. The atmosphere at the bus collecting point was great, with hundreds of busy people coming and going and lots of local restuarants (it´s 5:00 in the morning!!!).
Arriving at Charazani, after almost 8 hours drive (of 250 km :-) I saw again a charming village in the mountains. There are three hotels, one i could not find, one did not open the door after ringing and nocking for 15 minutes even,and the last one, did not open neither,but i was lucky to meet a passer by who knew someone whjo knew the owner and could go and search for them :-) After an hour or so,i was in the hotel, quite charming with a less charming kitchen, which looked like a laboratory for growing all kinds
of Fungi.... Video on You Tube when i will have a good connection. Anyway, I wanted to do a trek, go to the museum in Chari toi learn about thje medicin men, but no, no guids to be found, the offices closed, And after walking to Chari,mainly for the museum, it was of course closed,and not 1 soul in the village.
Well,the walk was at least beautiful :-)
So I understood that Charazani will be nice to relax,but no expectation for doing anything. I did have some talks with locals there and enjoyed a genuin community, being the only tourist in the village (and the only gay in the village too? ;-)
Sorata (26 april - ??? I guess 7 may or so....)
After 2 days i left Charazani and moved on to Sorata, 5 hours from Charazani. Here the plans were, again, to take a trek and then move on to Cusco,Peru again. Again my plans changed. After staying 1 day at the beautiful hotel, i met Adele, Tony´s friend, Who have been leaving here for ages and runs different projects for the community. There was a nice click, and i accepted her invitation to lodge in her
beautiful house, up in the mountains, 15 minute walk from the village´s centre. The village itself is really charming and the people are very warm (like in most villages i encountered up to now...). I enjoy going up and down the hills, sitting in one of the cafe´s, chatting with the different shop keepers and reading alot. After 2 days with Adele I planned to stay in a camping next to the river below, full of birds and farm animals. I thought a couple of days there in my tent could be lovely. But Adele just had an idea...she was going to La Paz for 5 days, and why won´t I stay in her house and keep Pieper,her cutttttte little puppy, company...Well this was very appealing, a house with great views, a refrigerator and an oven....well,that´s luxuary...so of course i accepted, and 5 days of cooking alot, reading and walking the dog have started. I even found eggplants at the market!!!! Am i lucky!
SO that´s where I am now...Adele returns tomorrow. I guess i will spend the night there and then move to the camping, which I really think i should do.
All these changes make me alter my
plans and I might stay less in Cusco after leaving Bolivia. Well, it doesnt matter, plans will change anyway :-)
So now we are on realtime at last. I did my duty. Will be nice to hear from some of you too (to my hotmail...) if you have anything to say (...and also if you dont....)
As I will go back to Cusco for a while it will take awhile before i publish again,as Cusco is already on the blog. So I guess...see you in a month or more....
Uri.
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Yael Acher
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amazing- again!!
I think i start to understand now how magical those places must be...and all the mist ...you are riding on a beautiful vibe!! did you celebrate Easter with - whats there's name- turkish dancers? (forgot the name of that ritualistic dance..) keep the gentel gorgeous-ness going. neshikot PS proud of you for putting the POLICE in the place.. Yael