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Published: June 19th 2010
We arrived in Sucre (2800m asl) late afternoon with the sun shining yippee!
We checked into our nice hotel in the centre of town after our seven hour bus journey.
We went out for dinner in a place where you could watch movies so we saw a film about the working conditions of the Potosi silver mine we had visited called "Devil Miner".
Next day we took the opportunity to get our laundry done and chill in a restaraunt balcony and have a look around the city and sit in the sun, gladly away from the cold at last!
The second day eight of us had booked a mountain bike tour for the majority of the day for a measly twenty pounds.
This was "real" mountainbiking in that it was offroad and on a mountain!
We set off around 0900 picking up our crash helmets and packed lunches before heading off in a van and 4 x 4 to the start of the track about half an hour drive.
We offloaded the bikes from the trailor and chose one each, spookily mine was called "Honduras"! the bikes had front
and rear disc brakes and suspension which at first took a bit of getting used to as if you pulled front brake too hard you lunged over the handlebars!
We set off downhill around the mountains for about an hour or so taking it easy getting used to the bikes and to suit the different capabilities of the group.
The views as ever were amazing and after the first downhill section we hit a few uphill parts which were really difficult due to the altitude..... breathe! Then after a flat section thru some splashy water we hit a 2 km uphill section and agreed to cheat by walking up and letting the trailor take the bikes up for us!
Another hour of flat and down hill before we reached the spot where we left the bikes and then hiked for 20 mins to the Secret Canyon, a secluded canyon with some amazing water erosion from the rising and falling river.
We stopped here to eat our lunch and sunbathe on the rocks, some had a dip in the icy water and we all had an opportunity to use the 2 man inflateable
dinghy to paddle into the canyon.
After two or three hours we we headed back to the bikes but only four of us opted to ride the bikes back to the bottom of the original downhill section which would obviously now be uphill, while the others were to follow in the cars.
Then it happened! I was coming down the last downhill which was steep and made up of quite large pebbles with vehicle ruts in the path.
My front wheel went into a hole and i was thrown over the handlebars! Ouch!
I layed there at first then got up and i seemed to be ok other than some small grazes, and very dusty. i rode on down to meet the other 2 and wait for the last rider. Within ten minutes the cars arrived and we loaded up and head off back into town.
By time we got back i was starting to feel the pain in my ribs but poking around they did not hurt it so decided not bruised or broken my ribs! seemed to be a muscular pain, not quite sure what i had done but it hurt!
We set off for dinner in the evening and had an early night ready for our 0500 start of our 16 hour truck ride, but of course by now we are all used to it!
It may seem a lot of trucking to some but you need to to be able to get to see these great places.
We stopped by the roadside in the countryside for breakfast and lunch. The road to Santa Cruz was only paved / tarmaced about halfway so a bit of a rough ride!
We also had to wait a couple of times for Bolivian roadworks, well earth works as they were widening some sections and building a new road which we could not go on in other areas see pickies!
We arrive in Santa Cruz only 400m asl hooray! that evening checked in then went out for some dinner and an early night. The next day we headed off into town to an Irish bar to watch the England game, Greenie what you up to!
We had quite a bit of beer and ended up staying out til 0300 in a club playing live
music to drown our sorrows!
Then off again next morning towards Chochis where we would be camping in the middle of nowhere!
My chest / ribs were still hurting and had now resorted to some pain killers as it hurt if i coughed or laughed!
While in Chochis we went on a couple of hikes including the "Rock Tower" and a waterfall where we had a dip. The campsite tour guide had a really skinny dog! Cant tell you what we called him as may offend! Alledgedly had punctured its intestines on some fishbones!
Following day we headed to Corumba just over the Brazilian - Bolivian border.
We stopped for a buffet lunch just over the border, welcome to Brazil a brazilian barby loads of meat continuously brought to your plate cut off skewers yum yum!
Then headed to our hotel just in time to have a dip in the pool and watch the Brazil first game which they one and hence had some street parties to attend! Everyone we saw in town was wearing a Brazil footy shirt.
We only stayed here one night then set off into The
Pantanal, one of the worlds largest seasonal wetlands (the size of France!) with loads of wildlife. We were staying here for 3 nights in hammocks!
When we arrived we chilled in the sun for the afternoon and played some footy then the second day some horse riding in the afternoon which i opted out of as my muscles were still hurting! Kerry managed to sort of feint and fall off and Emily just fell off!lol
In the afternoon we got into a truck and did a sort of mini safari seeing water pigs (like giant guinea pigs!), giant river otters, Toucans, Parakees, Parrots, storks etc and loads of caymen (alledged to be 45 million of em in the Panatanal!)
We then got off the truck , were given some fishing poles well bamboo and some hooks and line to go Piranha fishing!
We caught about twenty five between the ten of us but threw some back before heading back for barbecued lamb (well i reckon it was goat!) and grilled Pirhana back at the lodge.
There were lots of mosquitoes around this night so all picked up a few bites!
Also when you flush the toilets little frogs appear in the toilet! and on the last day went to wash my hands and got a fright when one landed in my hand!lol
Generally thought the place was amazing!
The third day we did some hiking, some of us went guide style as in bare foot! with lots of water sections to paddle through. In the afternoon watched the England game, oh how dire!
After the third night we left and headed towards Bonito en route to iguasso falls.
Only two more weeks left of the GAP trip then will be staying in Rio for nearly 3 weeks doing some sight seeing, hiking and chilling on the beach. Will be nice to stay in the same place for a while! Was gonna bus it to Buenes Aires via Montevideo then on to Santiago but have now booked a flight to Santiago from Rio on 25th July then few days there then off to Auckland NZ.
By time I hit Rio will have been away travelling for five calendar months.
Take care.
Larf
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Dee
non-member comment
How is your chest?
Amazing pictures and stories as always! So what have you done to your chest? Is it still hurting? Hope you are ok and it improves for you soon. Take is easy on the bikes! Dee:)