UPDATE Bolivia

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Hi Guys, This is the long overdue update to fill in the gap from after Machu Pichu (10th Mar) to Ecuador (26th Mar).

So after Macchu Picchu we headed into Bolivia, we stayed 1 night in a small town called Copacabana, on Lake Titicaca (which is the worlds highest navigatable lake). Bolivia is dirt cheap, we stayed in a lovely hotel overlooking the lake for 3 pound a night. Also Copa is famous for its fish. It has 20 identical restaurants in a row selling exactly the same food, trout and chips. Nothing like a bit of variety.

After Copa we finally got to La Paz and headed to a little town called Uyuni. The journey to get there was awfull. We travelled through the night for 12 hours on a knackered bus on bumpy dirt roads, we couldnt sleep, not helped by the fact my chair wouldnt recline and the irritating girl in front kept opening the window at 3am. We got there early hours, knackered, and jumped straight on a 3 day jeep tour to see the Salt Flats. These was actually pretty cool, salt for as far as the eye could see. The mountains in the distance looked like they was floating due to the reflection off the salt. In the middle was a bar and restaurant made entirely of .......... you guessed it, Salt. Many jokes was made over lunch of "could you pass the salt please", you had to be there.
Anyway, also on this tour we visited some pretty amazing sites, a massive turquoise lagoon, a bright red lagoon with pink flamingos, a desert with funny shaped rock formations, hot springs and sulphuric geysers.

After the ordeal getting to Uyuni, we thought we would get the train back. This was cancelled 4 times so we had to jump on another bus. Firstly we had to get the driver to kick a little old lady off our seat. this was ok until we realised she didnt have a seat and she sat on the floor next to our seats. We felt pretty guilty, but this guilt soon passed as they piled about 40 people into the aisles. We had people hanging over our seats. There was no way we was getting off our seats now. I had a fat smelly arse in my face. Lisa was getting claustraphobic and panicky, she thought we was all going to die. If this wasnt the only way out we would of got off. Luckily after an hour people in the aisles started getting off. But there was still about 5 people standing after 12 hours. I cant imagine that on National Express.

Finally we reached La Paz. Where we did the trip i was most looking forward to. Mountain biking down the "Worlds Most Dangerous Road". Unfortunately Lisa didnt share my enthusiasm, the night before she cried thinking it was going to be her last night alive. This wasnt helped by the fact that an Israsli guy died last week after going over the edge. The road wasnt as bad as we thought, although in some places it was only wide enough for 1 car with a 1000ft (yep a thousand) drop on the other. But because it was so cloudy up the top you couldnt actually see how deep the drop was, thank god.
We all made it down in one piece, i absoloutely loved it, even Lisa did in the end. She was rewarded at the bottom by getting 50 mosquito bites on each leg, she wasnt impressed.

Then we headed back into Peru to Arequipa, where we visited Colca Canyon, its deeper than the Grand Canyon, so they say. But it wasnt that spectacular, weve seen alot of big mountains recently, after a while they all look the same. Although we did go to a museum (the first one) to see a frozen young inca girl, who was sacrificed over 500 years ago, they found her not long back still preserved, with her hair and skin intact, creepy.

Next we spent 2 days in Huacachina, which is a cool oasis in the middle of the desert, surrounded by massive sand dunes. Everyone comes here to go sandboarding, then you get driven around the dunes in dune buggies by nutty drivers, wicked fun.

I think Peru was our favourite country, so many different cool things to do. We also found Peruvians really friendly. So we was sad to leave, we was also sad because we had to catch a 36 hour bus to Ecuador, gulp.

Take care guys

love Neil and Lisa x x

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Comments

[Tim]

Looks like those BMX skills have paid off
Wooo hooo sounds like your having a great time, I hoped you showed those locals your skills on your mountain bike, all those years over the donkey pool hill. Have fun guys and speak soon...............

[mumsie]

to adrelin junkies
good job didnt tell me about the mountain bike ride before the day. looks like you have had great time up to now.your blog as ever is funny perhaps you should take up writing travel the world and put your experiences into print. love M