From Buenos Aires to Bolivia

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Ok, I know, I've been very lazy with the blog. There just comes a point after so long of travelling that you lose the enthusiasm. Of course, that is not to say I have stopped enjoying myself. Another reason is all the bad press I have heard of in the UK regarding prospective employers searching out private life antics. Why that matters I do not know? If your good at your job with a proven track record and you bring the money in for the company, why should it matter. So if a prospective employer is reading this and you want to employ a nerd with no personality or drive, I suggest you seek another candidate.

Enough of that. My Spanish significantly improved after learning Spanish in Buenos Aires for 1 month. At least I can now interact more with the locals although its not not needed on the Gringo trail. I left BA and headed to Igauzu Falls for a few days. As waterfalls go it cant be topped. I visited both the Argentinian side and the Brazilian side. Sorry, one day I do plan to finish this blog properly and upload the relevant photos.

After the falls I headed to Salta, the indigenous part of NW Argentina. From here I visited the Punamarca multicolured mountains and Tilcara for a few days. Then hired a car for a few days with some friends and headed down to Cachi and Cafayate. An amazing drive whuch is described similar to the surface of the moon.

Then after a few more days in Salta I took the long journey to San Pedro de Atacama in Chile. It was a surprise to find everything in Chile almost triple the price of Argentina. From here I took a 3 day tour to Uyini, Bolivia. We saw volcanoes and lagoons that were so amazing that every new image in front of me looked computer enhanced.

Well Bolivia is another world. Dirty and painful travelling. Saying that I-m enjoying it very much! Only 10% of the roads are paved and the buses are hurrendous. It was expected though and to be fair I thought travel in Cambodia was much worse. What bothered me was the altitude. In the famous salt flats the altitude was 4300m and similar when we arrived in Potosi, the highest city in the world. Potosi is famous for its mines and I will never complain about any job again after seeing what those guys do. I considered it a privalage to see those guys working in a working mine. It has claimed millions of lives, and that is not an exaggeration, over the past few hundred years. After the tour we blew up some dynamite which concluded an exhausting but exhilarating day.

Then came Sucre, the old capital of Bolivia. A welcomed change. Here it was lower so I managed to stop throwing up at night. A beautiful colonial city. Then an overnight bus to Le Paz where I am currently residimg. The plam from here is to See Rurrenbaque ( the amazon basin for wildlife) and then on to Lake Titicaca. Then on to Cuzco for the Inca Trail before heading to Lima and then NY. Then 6 days there before heading home. I must admit at this stage in this long journey, home is going to very welcomed.

Until then......

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