Blogs from Sorata, La Paz Department, Bolivia, South America

We left La Paz for the lower altitude of the tiny town of Sorata hoping that by the time we returned to the capital my bronchitis would be much better. Sorata is in a valley between the Amazonian jungle and the high peaks of the Andes. Our first problem was actually finding where the bus left from La Paz as nobody seemed to have an exact location. We took a taxi to the cemetery area of the city where all the small bus companies have their offices and our taxi driver kindly asked around until he found the correct bus company (there were dozens scattered around half a dozen city blocks) - it involved a few journeys in reverse down the very crowded streets of the area - thankfully we weren’t driving! We had been warned ... read more

Some of the great things being out of your comfort zone is the opportunity to experience and compare how varied cultures observe significant dates or holidays. In this case, November 1st, in a diverse and rich culture as Bolivia, we wanted to experience first hand how significant this day is and how it differs from North America. Unfortunately, since were the typical point and shoot travelers (without guide books). We mostly relied on information from locals and a fellow travelers that we stumble upon. Some locals managed to refer us to the town of Sorata. An area Northeast of La Paz, known for its good biking terrains and a rich practice of Aymara culture. For an added bonus, its situated in a lower elevated area. which means more oxygen for my brain and lungs (love it!). ... read more

...at least in Bolivia according to many Sorata is a beautiful place and if not heaven on earth, at least a great place to spend some days if you are in Bolivia. With Illampu in the background and the jungle right down in the valley it´s not a coincidence that many guidebooks describe it as one of the most beautiful places in Bolivia. After nearly a week in La Paz it was great to get in to this town where everything is "tranquilo". We decided to go for a walk towards Laguna Chillata on Saturday. This is on the way up to Illampu and probalby the most popular walk in the area. We headed off without map or guide, pretty confident that this was an easy walk. We cut off a few altitude meters by taking ... read more

'Hold onto your bags!!!' At least I think that's the message the lady from the bus company was trying to give as she waved us onto the night bus from Uyuni to Potosi, a trip memorable only for the record breaking number of potholes that we jarred and bounced our way across during the next 8 hours! I think there were actually more potholes than road! But the lady was really sweet and seemed quite determined to tell us to watch out for our bags in case some undesirable decided to relieve us of them in the middle of the night. Nice too that she thought we might be able to get some sleep.... Potosi: Mines and Mints Needless to say the bus arrived late and slightly disorientated we finally pulled into Potosi at @ 2am, ... read more

So we headed back to La Paz, the city we had stayed at a month earlier to find little had changed, but this time we were with our friends who had never visited before so decided to do some other attractions just outside the city. After a few days wandering around the endless markets, we firstly ventured out to Valle de Luna (The Valley of the Moon), which is a bizarre area just outside the city that unsurprisingly looks like the moon. We wandered around the small area surrounded by the mountains looking at the incredible rock formations, which were both amazing and bizarre at the same time (they seemed to resemble very large termite mounds). The other reason we visited the area was to go quad biking, much to the dismay of both Daisy and ... read more