Last couple of days in Bolivia

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Saturday 5th April
After saying goodbye to Kel, Anna, Laura, Larissa and Vicky, spend a pleasant morning wandering round Sucre. 11ish we are collected and taken to the airport where we get another chance to buy chocolate. That's about it for entertainment before we're onto our Aerosur plane (lunch-bag in hand). Short flight later and we're in Santa Cruz... Immediately hit by the heatwave!

Quick check-in (I'll be in a room on my own from now on), and we head out to the main square. Find ourselves heading for the Irish Pub (I think Lila said the only one in Bolivia) where the meal takes a suitably long time arriving. Head out to find an ice-cream with Linda/Shilpa afterwards (we'd walked past several of them) ... Again - portion sizes out of control but mega-tasty. Spend the afternoon wandering amongst the stalls and trying to bargain for things (or watching L/S doing so), and watching Shilpa having a braid (Simba) in her hair. Head back to the hotel to join for dinner at Yorimichi, Japanese restaurant (Santa Cruz was a destination where many emigrated to)... Quite expensive but have to get used to that with Brazil in a couple of days. Share with Lila as not that hungry and am still stuffed! Back to a good night's sleep.

Sunday 6th April
After a half-decent breakfast head out into the sunshine and find some snacks for the night-train tonight before wandering a few more streets, finding the Sunday craft markets. Not a huge amount to do but manage to get rid of most of my Bolivianas before heading back to relax and watch some TV. About 4ish head back out to the Irish Pub to change my book (good selection), and head back just in time to stuff my bags and whizz downstairs for our train/crossing borders briefing. Into the taxi... Realise am in the right-hand drive but the steering wheel has been moved across! We get to the train station in plenty of time (including time for Adriana to have her ticket taxied over from the room). Book in our bags, don't think I was asked for the notorious 10 Bolivianos tip baggage handlers often request!

After another 20 mins or so of kicking around the station we can get on the train... Which is a whole 2 carriages! Seats not bad and manage to recline despite someone's luggage (crate of raw meat) behind our seats. Meal is not bad.. Of airline quality, and fairly early the lights are dimmed. Train is too bumpy (up and down/side to side, despite a low speed) to read, but fortunately I do manage to kind of sleep through the night.

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Photos

Aerosur... no one wanted to check how well the airline was rated..
Self-rated as ´Bolivia´s best airline´... is that a good quantifier?