We didn’t get around to doing some of the things we were going to, such as the zoo, mainly due to laziness! The climate kind of makes you that way!! Also, getting information about various places has proved much more challenging than we expected. We did find our way to the banana market which was interesting. The huge piles of bananas were quite extraordinary, as were the heaps of watermelons and papaya. About half an hour from the Cathedral on the 120 bus is the beach resort of Ponta Negra. It seems strange to find sandy beaches on a river, but the Rio Negro has several. At this time of year there seems to be only one small beach actually in the town, but that’s not what we went there for. We were looking for Marina ... read more

Yessssssssssss! We finally managed to leave Rurrenabaque. It was a bit touch and go during the morning (excuse the aviation pun for those in the know) but by the time our flight arrived it was sunny and the skies were blue. Amaszonas had been fantastic with confirming our onward flight the following morning but we had to spend another night in Trinidad because the connections don’t quite work out. Guayamarin is a border town with no land border. At the airport a rickshaw took us to Bolivian immigration where we were stamped out of the country. The currency exchange desks at the port were offering an abysmal rate for our Bolivianos so we gave them a miss, gambling on either exchange or ATMs being available on the other side. A small boat then took us over ... read more

We hadn’t planned on staying in Trinidad. Actually, that’s not true. We had planned on it, but the roads were impassable so we booked a flight from Santa Cruz to Rurrenabaque. The road re-opened the day we flew so we could have gone by bus. Anyway, Plan B turned into Plan A and we ended up staying a night in Trinidad because it had been raining all day in Rurre making the runway there unusable. Still with me?!! So, courtesy of Amaszonas Airlines, we stayed in the Moxos Palace Hotel in Trinidad overnight. The sign outside has four stars on it, but we are certain they are only there because they make a pretty pattern. They can’t be there to signify anything otherwise there would probably be no stars at all. Well, maybe one to be ... read more

We took a few days out from our stay in Santa Cruz to pay a visit to Buena Vista. The small town is just 100km away and in a trufi (a shared taxi from the ex-terminal) it’s less than two hours away. There aren’t too many options in the centre for accommodation but we have always been comfortable in La Casona in the past. The building work there is complete and we had a comfortable couple of days relaxing in the hammocks. Last time we were there, a little over 3 years ago, they were in the process of building new rooms including a restaurant and bar. It all looks very nice but the new rooms are for the family and the restaurant and bar haven’t opened! Very Bolivian plans those were!! Still, any shortfalls are ... read more

Russ awoke to his ultimate nightmare! A 6 hour uncomfortable bus journey lay ahead, we were checking out of our 4 star luxury hotel and anticipating rather more humble accommodations, and he was struck down with the runs! Thank God for Immodium!! The pills worked and the journey wasn’t too bad, but reclining padded seats would have been nice! Anyway, we were soon in Vallegrande and checking in to accommodation which certainly was more humble. Trish went off exploring the place whilst Russ tried to sleep off his sickness. Fortunately the next day he was well enough to go exploring too. Vallegrande is nothing special. On reflection we think this trip should only be for die-hard Che fans. It’s not easy to do independently and in reality there’s not that much to see. In the centre ... read more