The epic journey back to Rio de Janeiro began with an Aerosur flight from Cusco to La Paz with a connection to the major Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz sits in the steamy, sticky region of Bolivia and is, both climatically and socially, very different to the rest of Bolivia. I was only here for a day but I was very surprised to see just how different the people here are to their highland kinsmen. Santa Cruz lies in an affluent corridor of Bolivia and is where many of its wealthier residents live. The weather is hot and sticky as it sits just 400 metres above sea level in comparison with much of Bolivia that tops out mostly at over 3,500. I spent a night here, plastered by my own sweat against the grubby
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