Blogs from Bolivia, South America - page 582

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South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Uyuni April 19th 2005

Vi hadde satt kursen mot Bolivia och närmare bestämt La Paz, men först skulle vi innom Puno som ligger pa den peruanska sidan av Titicacasjön. Här tog vi en dagstur för att besöka dom flytande öarna och en annan ö vid namn Taquile. Dom flytande öarna bebos av Uro indianerna och är flytande vassöar med plats til tva til tre familjer. Det tar dom ca tre manader att konstruera en ny ö som varar i rundt 15 ar. Dom är ocksa nagra jävlar pa att fixa vassbatar och det var ocksa här som Thor Heyerdahl hittade expertis til sin expedition över Stilla havet. En vassbat pa runt 10m tar mellan 20 til 30 dagar att bygga och när den inte längre duger sa tas den upp pa land och används til att odla potatis. Pa den ... read more
"The worlds most dangerous road"
Huayna Potosi
Äntligen pa toppen!


Lenge siden forrige oppdatering, men vi gjor et forsok paa aa ta det igjen naa. Etter at kontrollen over nervene var normalisert etter turen paa verdens farligste vei, la vi like gjerne ut paa en todagers klatretur til Huayna Potosi like utenfor La Paz. Vi startet paa 4 700 moh og endte paa toppen paa 6 088 moh. Dette var trolig noe av det mest utfordrende vi noensinne har gjort. Formen vaar er rimelig rusten etter to maaneder med playa&cerveza i sentral-amerika, og den tynne luften paa 5 000 meters hoyde hjalp ikke stort heller. Stort bedre ble det ikke av at utstyret vi brukte var av typen tungt og umoderne, med sko av plastikk som veide like mye som slalomstovler. Vi var ogsaa utstyrt med store brodder, is-oks, gore-tex og hodelykt. Lykten trengte vi fordi ... read more
Trening i fjellklatring
Paa toppen
Paa vei ned

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » La Paz April 15th 2005

Da var vi her igjen! Sekken var snoert, niste medbrakt og kamerabetteriene ladet! Dette var dagen for aa ta turen til Lake Titicacca og mingle litt med lokalbefolkningen. Historien om lokalbefolkningen begynner for lenge lenge siden..Det var noen slemme nabostammer som mente at omraadet ikke var stort nok for alle, saa de bestemte seg for aa ta over sjappa. Som sagt saa gjordt og de fredelige indianerne fikk fyken. Men..da alt saa som moerkest ut var det en luring som fant ut at hvis man bare la nok siv paa et sted, surret det sammen og lot det vokse over tid saa kunne man flyte paa det! Mer skulle det ikke til foer hele stammen flyttet ut paa sjoen og kunne leve lykkelig i alle sine dager.. Slik var det det hendte, kort fortalt..Men det interessante ... read more
Paal&Snorre
Baat
Paal&Snorre&barna

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » Copacabana April 12th 2005

With my jungle adventure out of the way it was time to say farewell to La Paz. Though I still hadn´t warmed to the city, I had to admit that it had served me well as a base for multiple excursions into other areas of Bolivia. There was no regret but a definite sense of uprooting and moving on, I was starting to get used to my criminally cheap room at the Hotel Majestic. This next phase of the trip was all a bit fuzzy as I had never been able to get a firm idea of how long it would take me to get from La Paz to Cusco and whether I really wanted to see anything in between. So I set off with Roxy (still with me until after Cusco) for the bus terminal ... read more
Peruvian Tyre Smuggling
Isla De Sol
A peaceful place to farm

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » Tiwanaku April 8th 2005

So I just spent the last 5 hours at Tiwanaku--a lil more than an hour outside of La Paz. There, one can see ruins from before BC..all the way back to 1000 BC....the Tiwanaku people reigned south america before christ and from this group came the incas as well as many other native tribes. the site was great as there is actually a pyramid there--only part of it is uncovered as this site is still be excavated. it was pretty cool and on the way back we took a road that overlooked all of La Paz. Back to Copacabana tomorrow and into Chile on monday --arriving back in Viña around 2pm or so. love to all. D... read more


Part two of my Bolivian Amazon adventure was a three day visit to the pampas or ´grassland´. After a relaxing night of amazing cocktails and some curious dinner menu items (“Winner Chicken”), we were up an at 'em early for a loong trip by jeep to the river port where we would transfer to our motor-canoe. This bumpy and generally uncomfortable trip allowed us time to get to know the other members of our group and to occasionally smash our heads into the roof as the wheels found another pothole. Roxy and I had fallen in with two other Australians (retired teachers from Sydney), two Brits (a cool young doctor and her boyfriend) and an abrasive American stand-up comedian making a documentary with a CNN-style video camera. The temperature had soared again and we were all ... read more
I could have stared at it for hours
Pirate Monkeys
"Hey Speedy..."

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » La Paz April 7th 2005

So we were in Copacabana this morning. It is a resort style town..smaller..but totally cute on lake titicaca. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the three of us had a blast. We arrived here in La Paz this evening!! I love the city--it is just amazing. We went and got some dinner when it suddenly started to hail...and i mean rocks of hail were falling. We did some shopping...i got a lot of great alpaca stuff--presents for everyone!!! We went to the presidential palace which was cool cause of all the political stuff that is going on here in Bolivia. Tomorrow we"re off to see some ruins that are 3000 years old so im stoked for that!! Again, thanks for the continuous cards and emails from everyone. I got to talk to some of you people ... read more


Happily washed and rested in La Paz after my Uyuni expedition, I had a day to kill until MsRoxyRyan arrived for our jungle boogie. I signed up for a two-part tour of La Paz - the high, high lakes of Mt Chacaltaya and The Valley of The Moon. It was a pleasant enough day with the surprise of some heavy snow (?!) which prevented us from making it to 5000 metres... and also nearly killed us all. We had a funny little guide who was chattering away to the packed minivan in his peculiar way as we wound our way gingerly up a tiny muddy mountain road. Clumps of snow thudded out of the sky on all sides. This road was truly miniscule and I couldn’t help but stare into the enormous drop to the valley ... read more
Unexpected snow-cave action
Land it!!
King of the...

South America » Bolivia » Potosí Department » Uyuni April 1st 2005

I had always planned to visit the Bolivian Salt Flats (Salar de Uyuni), I just didn’t realise that it would be such a mad dash to get there. This trip was next on my list after the bike ride but I hadn’t actually researched transport or booked anything in advance. This policy which seems to be working quite well, I’m saving money by paying at the pointy end and I have less stress about whether I am going to be in the right place at the right time. BUT… It requires some quick decisions. I chatted to someone about it in La Paz one morning and, an hour later, I had all my stuff packed and had leapt onto a three hour bus ride to Oruro to connect with the train to Uyuni. Talk about cutting ... read more
Run!
Am I downwind?
Money Shot Flamingos

South America » Bolivia » La Paz Department » La Paz March 24th 2005

If Buenos Aires was the party, La Paz was the morning after. I wasn’t doing myself any favours coming off a massive night like that and not sleeping before my flights (BsAs - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz - La Paz). The second leg was a bit surreal as I fought sleep and elderly Bolivian Hugo tried to give me advice in his broken English (“You will come back and I will buy you”). Still, despite the nervous energy and the bitter cold on top of the mountain where the airport sits, I was able to appreciate the spectacle of descending from a dizzying height into the valley city of La Paz. I sat in the back of the battered taxi feeling like a marble that had just rolled over the lip of the hill. The city ... read more
Bolivians are grouchy!
Ed the corruptor
Splish Splash BZZZT!




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