Blogs from Potosí Department, Bolivia, South America - page 4

FACES OF BOLIVIA...Nationalism. As we leave Bolivia's back door to enter the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile I can hear my heart pounding with anticipation. 'Cause this is why we tacked Peru & Bolivia onto our North American & Caribbean Blues Cruise itinerary. We have always wanted to visit the World's driest region, the Atacama Desert...even before we were seduced by the wonders of 4WDing through the wilds of Patagonia in southern Argentina and Chile. We are at the border at Hito Cajon 4,480m (14,698 ft)...leaving Heaven...the cries of the vanquished still ringing in our ears. Because Bolivians it is fair to say...do not like Chileans. When we were in Patagonia, the Argentinians we met did not like Chileans. The reason we were given was that the Chileans sided with the British over the Falkland Islands ... read more

Following the Dakar Rally Part 5 - HEAVEN. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, and it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear. And God ... read more

Following the Dakar Rally Part 4...Coral Castles in the Sky. The most vivid colours I have ever seen were in St Crispin's Reef...part of the outer reef of the Great Barrier Reef...about 24 miles off the coast of northern Queensland. Snorkeling while hovering over a giant clam...flashes of the brightest richest purple fringed with red as it concertinaed it's serrated shell while blowing bursts of bubbles at me...corals in vivid oranges, reds, whites and yellows...seaweed dancing...fish in flashing spectrums darting in and about. That was at sea level...or a tad below. Some years later we are driving through the Altiplano of Bolivia ...about 3,600 or more metres above sea level...about to climb a coral castle in the sky. We were in a fossilized coral reef...uplifted by the Andes mountains...coral everywhere. Blew my mind I gotta say. ... read more

Following the Dakar Rally Part 2...The Mummies of Volcan Thunupa. We are traveling the highest altitude plateau areas on Earth other than Tibet. Like Tibet the people here are tough...wild dark eyes...smiles of an inner knowledge...landscapes with a wow factor like an oil painting punctured with mountain peaks. While in Tibet the mountains can be sharp and lance the sky...in Bolivia there are volcanoes...and we are going to climb one. Its name is Thunupa...the Amaya god of lightning and volcanoes. I dream of Anak Krakatoa, the island volcano in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra that we reached in monstrous seas and torrential rain...the sun opening the clouds as we approached ...smoke from the cone puffing a welcome or was it a warning? My boots sinking in deep cinder sand every step as we climbed ... read more

BOLIVIA: Following the Dakar Rally Part 1...Into the Unknown. We get dropped in this dust blown town called Uyuni...the hotel didn't even expect us. What's gone wrong? Our private tour of Bolivia has been beyond expectations so far. But the following morning we get the shock of our lives. Now it's my turn to say "Thank you, thank you, thank you." 'Cause we're following the Dakar Rally...the World's premier endurance motor race. The race that had to evacuate Africa because of terrorists. Our guide the quirky Janet with her wicked sense of humour. Our driver is Valerio...the guy who surveyed the Bolivian Section of the Dakar Rally route by motorbike...far out...the guy who set the course...karoomba! How lucky are we? Buckle up, strap down, satnav right, hang on tight. Ain't no tourists where we're going. ****** ... read more