Blogs from Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 12

Dès le lendemain de notre arrivée à Potosi, c'est équipés de la tête aux pieds que nous partons aux mines de Potosi. Premier arrêt au marché où le guide nous explique ce que les mineurs consomment : feuilles de coca pour couper la faim, gros cigares, dynamites et alcool à 96° ! Nous profitons de l'occaz pour goûter aux salteñas, petits chaussons fourrés de viande et de légumes, délicieux ! Arrivés à la mine, nous pénétrons dans un passage déjà étroit et qui ne fera que rétrécir. A la fin d'un conduit, nous faisons une pause à côté d'une sculpture du diable. Les mineurs lui font des offrandes afin d'éviter des éboulements dans les galeries. Nous rencontrons ensuite des hommes en plein travail avec qui nous nous asseyons longuement en buvant des coups. Nous en apprenons ... read more

With sore muscles we never knew we had, from the horseriding, we jumped into a 4x4 jeep with two ozzies, a cook, and a guide and started our 4 day trip covering the south of Bolivia which on day 4 we end up at Salar de Uyuni. Day 1 The first day was spent mostly in the jeep covering as much distance as possible - we climbed and climbed and looked down the sheer drops of the rugged landscape which was more like dessert than what we imagined from Bolivia- which was rainforest...We all had our first of many "baños naturales" experiences (going to the toilet outside, without ANY cover), and saw lots of llamas, alpacas, deer and birds. We stayed in rooms in a remote village which was up high and met the rest our ... read more

After a rubbish nights sleep caused by otherwise friendly room mates in La Paz I finally buckled and shelled out the ten bucks for my first own room on the trip with a double bed, private bathroom and balcony directly overlooking Lake Titicaca. Money well spent, even if the walls were a hideous shade of peach and the electric shower has wires poking out of the top. Dad would be horrified. This massive lake is mistakenly called the highest navigable lake in the world and is so large it is shared by Bolivia and Peru. The Bolivian jumping off point is the original Copacabana, a sweet little town that has Victorian age attractions on the waters edge like swans pedallos, and some newer attractions like those weird plastic bubbles you can run across the water in. ... read more

Ola a todos, Apres le VTT et notre dernier jour a la Paz, nous sommes partis le soir en bus en direction de Uyuni, ville de passage necessaire car on y passe pour aller au Salar d'Uyuni. Nous allions, sans le savoir, decouvrir l'un des plus beaux paysages que nous avions jamais vu.. A l'heure ou nous ecrivons ces lignes, nous venons de terminer notre visite du Salar d'Uyuni, endroit vraiment magique de par les paysages rencontres : couches et leves de soleil sur une mer de sel, je vous laisse imaginer. Nous avons vadrouille pendant 2 jours et une nuit sur ce lieu mythique. Pour decrire l'endroit, ce n'est pas facile, les photos parlent d'elles-memes. Emn gros, c'est 14000km2 de sel, donc totalement blanc, plat, cela pourrait ressembler a une mer blanche, completement immobile et ... read more

I arrived in Tupiza with Mariano and a couple of Italians we had met at the border. It was immediately apparent my money would go a lot further in Bolivia, as we managed to find a hostel with beds for 25 Bolivianos per night (around £2.50)! We went out for dinner as a group and it was clear my Spanish had a long way to go, as I could barely follow the conversation. Although my main reason for being in Tupiza was to book a tour to Salar de Uyuni, the world's largest salt flat, I found the town pleasant and friendly. I spent a good few hours exploring the Valle de los Machos, which was walkable from town, and saw the rock formations "Canyon del Inca" and "Puerta del Diablo". Tupiza was also a place ... read more