Llama Country

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We spent 3 days and 2 nights from Uyuni to almost the border of Chili, on an organised trip in a jeep that kept breaking down. (Anyone reading this dont go with the company called LIPEZ). The first day we spent waiting for the front suspension to be fixed before we finally went to a train graveyard (yes full of old rusty trains) and then on to the salt plains of Uyuni. They were beautiful. The mountains were reflected in the salt water. We saw the locals digging it up in to mounds and then taking it back to the village, presumably to purify it before baggin it up and selling it on. Had lunch in a ´salt hotel´where all the furniture was made out of salt blocks, something different to eat off a salt table! Kept driving to Fish Island, which is a island in the middle of the salt plain with loads of cactuses growing on it. We walked to the top, and were totally out of breath due to the altitude. Some of the cactuses there were over 200yrs old and like 9 meters tall! More driving off the salt plains and instead of going to the caves we ended up at the hotel where we sat and waited hours for dinner. During this time 2 kids came to éntertain´with random hitting of drums and blowing of pan pipes, as noone paid them for their services they walked of with a guys camera. Luckily he got it back!

Second day we went to 2 caves, the first which had a few mummies in it and armadillos stuck on the ceiling??!! The second which was full of fosillised algae and water plants. This cave had only been discovered 7 years ago and was proof that millions of years ago the salt plains were under water. Very interesting. Next door was an area of cave where the pre Incas burried their dead in hole in the floor. Then we walked on top of the cave to get the view where the salt plains ended, and the desert and the mountains began. From then on it was driving on dusty, dirt roads. While going up hill the accelerator cable came unattached (or something) and Max, the ingenious driver with no English, got out some wire and tied it on. Unfortunately this mean that we had to drive slower over the thousands of bumps incase it came free again! We drove past volcanic areas full of lava, past one volcano that was smoking. We eventually had a lunch stop and kept on driving to 3 lakes with flamingos and vicunas (they look like llamas but their fur is even finer, therefore more expensive). It was also in this area that their are herds of llamas wondering around. Some with ppl herding them, others just roaming around free. After the flamingos we drove to the mountain of 7 colours....all variations of brown if u ask me, and a stone tree. This 'tree´ was a random rock in the middle of the desert which did not look like a tree from any angle!'
Then we arrived late for the last nights accomodation which is where all the jeeps stop, it worked on a first come first served, basis. It look them ages to work out where another bed was as we had 2 beds for 3 ppl.
On the third day we were up at 4.30am. The idea being we were up in time for sunrise in the hot springs. The temperature was below zero as we drove thru a frozen stream up in to a thermal area. The area had bubbling holes in the earth and gizas, looked a lot like Rotarua, New Zealand. On the drive to the hot springs we saw sunrise, and arrived to find it chocabloc with tourists. We didnt strip off to get in the pre built square hot pool, but other brave soles did. Then we had a breakfast of stale bread, cake and jam off napkins, no plates avalible?! We drove to the Green Lagoon which was not as green as it looked in pictures and then had a 7 hr drive back to Uyuni. Stopped for lunch by a stream, where they washed our breakfast cups in the stream for us to have drinks with lunch! The drive took longer than necessary, as this time the radiator had a hole in it, and every 45mins we had to stop and fill it up. Not to mention we were going slow because of the accelarator cable! That journey definately bonded our group, as we played name games and sherades the way back.
The scenery was amazing the whole trip, just a shame about the car, the food, and the fact our friendly guide Max´s only form of communication was smiling!

We arrived back at 7pm, and got the night bus to La Paz. As u can imagine the 3 days of dust and dirt were ingrained in our bodies we were very grateful for the shower and laundry facilities when we arrived at the hostel. Its just a shame we couldnt check in right away and had to find a resaurant for breakfast in our stinky state!


La Paz is a busy city built in a bowl, so it traps the pollution in. Wherever u walk ur out of breath because of the altitude and as all the roads are a steep uphill slog from the centre of the valley. We filled up on a lots of tourist tat went into a coca museum and cycled the Death Road.

The Death Road is the most dangerous road in the world as it is right on the cliff edge, 1 lane wide and mostly gravel. We were under the impression that it was no longer used....we were wrong. Got the mini bus out of La Paz, got the bikes which had front suspension and thankfully breaks that worked. The first part was tarmac road, downhill for 12km thou a valley that was amazing scenery. Carina was looking at the scenery while the rest of the group seemed to be having a competition as to who could get to the bottom the fastest. The guide then hurried her up as she was waving at local villagers and kids, and men changing their punctured wheels! The next part was the gravel. The gravel road was loose stones and rocks that went thru waterfalls and rivers. This was the tough part, Carina´s hands and arms ached from breaking. Coaches kept beeping loudly and passing us, and we were forced to stop, or end up over the cliff. Russ fell off and grazed his arm and elbow as he was ´gunning it around a corner´, so much for the elbow and shin protection we were wearing. Bolivia first aid consisted of washing his oil covered hands in water and a baby wipe, the washing out the cut with bottle water, then trying to dig around the graze with a rusty pair of tweezers to get the gravel out. NO WAY would we let him, so he bandaged it up and when we got the end for lunch stop we cleaned it with salt and water. Russ was a brave boy! The rest of the journey we held on, managed to lose the group when we needed to cycle thru a river. Carina fell off right into the river, and was not at all happy about the fact the support driver was laughing at her. We decided that Russ would walk thou, as we didnt want to dry 2 pairs of shoes. When putting them back on, the driver started putting our bikes on the roof of the van. We explained to him we were cycling the last 12mins, but to no avail. So in typical Carina and Russ style we told him we would walk, and we did! This was the first time a tour company has left us behind on a trip. We were slightly worried as all our kit was in the van, but never mind were stubborn! We almost got to the end of the route, waving at the school kids and admiring the view when the van came back and we were forced in. Met the rest of the group who didnt seem to care that 2ppl were missing on the Death Road...! We were taken for lunch and á swim. The pool was green in algae and the lunch, in typical Bolivian style, was cold. If your reading this wanting to do the death road, dont go with the company El Solario, they will leave u behind!

From La Paz we went to the border town of Copacabana, which is on Lake Titicaca. Russ needed a day of recoverey as his thumb was swollen and needed bandaging and his thigh muscles were tight and he was limping around! He still made it up a big hill to watch the sunset over the lake. But the next day we got the boat over to Isla Del Sol, and walked for 3 hrs to see the Inca ruins, and then walked from the north to the south of the island. Beautiful scenery as we walked along the mountain ridge, past villages with their pigs and sheep tied outside their houses and llama herds. Saw a little boy herding his sheep across the mountain. Saw the Inca stairs at the end of the walk, and got the boat back.

Got a bus into Peru. Peru is similarly priced to Bolivia which is great. We arrived in Puno which is also on the lake. We had a huge yummy lunch of fried trout, the national dish in the Lake Titicaca area, and looked around the town. Not much to see, so next day we got a bus to Arequipa, where we are now. This is the 2nd largest city in Peru and famous as its surrounded by 2 volcanoes. These volcanoes are where the Incas made child sacrifices to the Gods, as we found out this morning. We went to a museum which had uncovered frozen bodies of children who were the chosen ones! They walked 160miles from Cusco, up this huge volcano and then hit over the head and killed in hope of pleasing the Gods to stop wars, disease and natural disasters!

Were doing a trek in to the second deepest canyon in the world on Friday, which should be fun...well at least the downhill part! Then heading to Cusco to do the Lares Trek, as Gap and STA messed us around and we cant do the Inca Trail. We still get to see Match Pitchu but we have to get the train up there.

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