Bolivia...Bikes,Bowlers & another Birthday!

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Having been spoilt with the super comfortable buses in Argentina and Chile we came back to earth with a bump (literally) in Bolivia on the bus to La Paz. We had a fairly unpleasant overnight trip on what can only be described as a 'boneshaker'. But not to worry, as soon as we arrived at our hostel we spotted that baked beans were available for breakfast....all was forgotten! La Paz was pretty crazy, full of street hawkers, tons of traffic and virtually every lady in traditional Bolivian dress (including Bowler hats!) It had a slightly chaotic feel about it and was unlike other cities we've visited so far...this place definitely made us feel like we were along way from home.
It was by chance that we were there on Good Friday, some of the roads were closed for Easter processions which moved from church to church around the city. There was a slightly subdued atmosphere but it was really interesting for us to see.

Day 2 in La Paz couldn't have been more different. We were about to embark on an exhilerating mountain bike trip on a road named, 'The World's Most Dangerous' (sorry Gwen/Mum)! The road was 64km but fortunately was mainly downhill descending 4300m from the high Andes to the jungle below. The scenery and climate changed dramatically as we rode the spectacular (but very 'hairy') winding roads around the mountains which were essentially just dirt tracks. For our safety there was always a guide at the front and back of the pack which was just as well as Lou was riding at a snails pace (largely due to not realising that she 'was' able to change gear!) We were all pretty hot and exhausted by the end but it was a crazy and hair-raising ride that we will never forget (or get over!)

Throughout Bolivia we've been travelling with a lovely couple, Yan and Becky, who we met on our trip to the Salt Flats and believe it or not they're from Dulwich! It was coming up to Yan´s 30th so we decided to leave La Paz and head for Lake Titicaca and celebrate his Birthday on Isla Del Sol (Island Of The Sun). The Island, (birthplace of the Inca's) was beautiful and an idyllic setting for Yan's big day. Becky had pre-arranged a surprise B'day cake which was presented by the lady in our hostel and was big enough to feed the entire village. Luckily for us some of the locals helped us to devour the cake, it was funny to see the local kids polishing off one slice after another (this was a rare treat for them). We managed to hire a private boat (with the help of Becky´s Spanish) with a local guy called Manuel. He took us to the other side of the Island to see some historical Inca ruins (including a sacrificial table!) before heading back to the mainland across the smooth turquoise waters of Lake Titicaca.

We had a great time in Bolivia but needed to get to Peru to organise our trek to Machu Picchu...more on this soon.

Take care all
Lou and Lee xx

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Comments

[Chris L]

Great Pics
Loving the blog and the pics are superb!! I can see you guys are having a great time - looking forward to the next installment.