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Published: March 11th 2010
Ok well i think we left u when we went to Iguazu falls. So here is the update.
We got another night bus up to Campo Grande, where we organised a 2 night 3 day trip in to the Panatanal. Easy we thought. But the first day we spent on a very hot mini bus to get out there. When we arrived we got on to a jeep and bumped down a dirt track for 45mins to the camp.
Off the jeep and the road into camp was under water. All the bags went in the boat, but we had to wade, bare foot, thigh deep in to the swampy sludge that was also home to caymen, pirannahs and thorny plants. We waded for about 20 mins and arrived with all toes intact, phew. The camp was the basic of basic. It did have toilets and showers, but this was also home to frogs and loads of mozzies. We slept that night with 7 other ppl in hammocks in a hut. After a night cacooned in a hammock we were up and out at 7.30 to wade back to the road for a game drive up to the Pantanal River. Unfortuantely Carina came down with ?bug or ?food poisoning and was rough all day with a temperature and needing to be in close proximity to a loo..... On the plus side we did see giant rats, loads of caymen, racoon things, lots of amazon kingfishers, jabaroos. A boat ride to the other side of the river which is where we went pirannah fishing!!!! Would have been great if we caught anything, but we didnt. Had lunch in a half built house and then did a boat ride up the river to get up close and personal with the caymen, and thousands of mozzies. We spent most of the time swatting the buggers, than caymen spotting. Arrived to a bank upstream and got to do more fishing. Carina caught 3 fish, none of them pirannahs, Russ didnt catch anything as they nibbled and 1 fell of the hook!
Boat ride back, we were sunburnt and had loads of bites. Sun set on the jeep ride back, and we were lucky enough to see a caymen eating an anaconda. It had just caught it off the bank, and there was a caymen on each end of it pulling, and then one ate it!!!! Then a tyre exploded. We walked to the nearest bar (can u beleive it) and they drove it on the rim, and fixed it while we all watched on. Instead of changing 1 type, they did a re-jig and changed 3!? Brazilian logic im sure! Got back and again had to wade, this time at night by moonlight, back to camp, not nice.
Next day Russ came down with whatever Carina had and we decided to miss the walk through the swamp...The other in the group said we missed nothing as the guide walked them through more swamp, and then a biting ants nest and they just saw more birds. We packed up ready to leave and a cobra slithered through camp.... and then a armidillo walked through!!! (Hollie i was hoping to see an anteater with a long nose and sharp claws, but a crunchy on the outside, smooth in the middle armadillo will have to do!)
We then waded out of camp will all our bags on, as the water had gone too shallow to use the boat. So if we had slipped on the sludge all our stuff would have been covered in stagnant, stinky water, with floating horse poo! At this point Carina was exclaiming that this was the worse thing we have done in the 9 months we have been away, and a waste of 90 pounds we had paid!!!!!}
But we made it out safely and got on a bus to the border town Corumba where we had to spend the night before we could go throught the border to Bolivia and get the train up to Santa Cruz. All was going well until we hit the Brazillian border, when we had to wait 2hrs20mins for it to open after lunch, all for the sake of a stamp that took 10 seconds! Got in Bolivia no problems, taxi to the train station at 2.45pm, and then waited for the train ticket office to open. Finally got ticket and wait at the station for the train at 7pm. That was our day of waiting.
The train was more of a wooden rollorcoaster than a train as it only had 2 carridges. Its a shame Bolivians didnt line up the tracks as it bounced and bumped for 15hrs to Santa Cruz. Was uncomfortable as kept hitting the arm rest. Luckily Carina was sitting next to a Jabba the Hut sized man, so could bounce off him! We were served food and drink on it, and managed to eat most of it and not throw it on the floor when the train veered to either side!
Having arriveed safely in Santa Crus there was not much to do. Lots of sitting watching the people who were also just sitting in the main square, getting coffee from the street vendors and having their shoes shined! We went up the cathedral tower and spied on the ppl. On Carina´s birthday we celebrated with pizza for breakfast (left over from night before) and an oreo icecream, and then went on another night bus to Sucre which was a really interesting town. It has laws to keep it traditional and they have to white wash their buildings every year and neon signs are banned. Its full of narrow winding one way roads, and people here are still wearing their traditional dress. So again its a great place for people watching as every so often a baby will poke its head out of the big blankets they all carry on their backs. They can hold anything from more blankets to flour to babies! We went to Tarabuca a little village in the hills 60kms out of Sucre for their Sunday market, mostly selling tourist tat but also sacks of dry foods and local clothes. We stocked up on our wall hangings, and llama gloves and hats!
Back in Sucre we also went to the dinosour footprints. There are 4 different types of dino that walked around here millions of year ago. The strange thing is they were found while digging in a cement quarry and it looks like the dinos walked up the cliff face! Apparenlty they are now vertical as plate tectonic have moved the earth 90 degrees! Were not sure if they were real, but fun to see and debate the issue!
Then got a bus to Potosi, only 3hrs yay! Potosi is the highest city in the world 4060m asl. Its cold! Potosi is famous for the mountain in which they found silver 600 yrs ago. They are still digging now, and we went on a tour of the mine. Its now a co-operative mine, so each for themselves. There is no laws deciding where u can dig, or what direction. Men work in their dig where they want and hope they come across minerals as they cant afford geologists to tell them where to dig. Our tour of this working mine started out with us changing into wellies, over trousers and coat, hard hat and head lamp. Then to the miners market to buy presents for the miners. We bought dynamite, fuse and detanator (all for 2 pounds), soft drink and some coca leaves (they are costantly chewing these and store them in their cheeks like hamsters) and some sort of stone to help break up the leaves. Then into the mountain, where we had to avoid the trolleys of rubble coming out, and the live electric wire just above our heads which the trolley runs off.
We met some miners waiting by a statue of the devil. They worship the devil as they work in the depths of the earth, and give him offerings of alcohol and coca leaves to ensure they get more minerals out the earth. We then decended a level by a series of 6 ladders, all very steep. Down there it was much hotter, and we walked, waded and ducked into an area of the mine currently being dug by 3 men. They were using a pneunatic drill for 1hr a day to drill holes to put the dynamite in. We sat with them while they chewed, drank their 96% alcohol, and exchanged stories. The miners showed us that they climb down the walls in to their mining area so ppl dont come in when they arent there and dig their mineral! When they find their tin they put it in sacks on the backs and carry 20 to 30kgs of rock up the 6 ladders to the surface. To use the lift they have to pay the equivalent of 6 pounds. We gave our dynamite to these men and made our way back to the surface. We could hear other men using dynamite in the mine, exploding the rock as we were coming out. Then we got to see the dynamite explode. We were outside the mine where our guide lit the fuse, put it down hit trousers and then did a dance as he lost the stick of dynamite. After finding it again Russ then held it while the fuse was burning. The guide then put it in the ground about 50m away and we saw it go bang. It was loud and it echoed around the mountain. This was the highlight of the trip for Russ.
We stumbled across a carnival/festival/celebration where all the kids were dancing and dressed in traditional clothes in the main square. The priests then did a service, was interesting to see even though we couldnt understand much.
Today we went to the old mint, where the silver from the mine was used to make silver coins that were sent all over the world in 1600´s. Now Bolivian money comes from Spain, Canada and France! At lunch time, as Bolivia stops for siesta, there was a peaceful protest in the square, which is apparently a favourite Bolivian pastime!
Tonight we are getting a bus to Uyuni, where we arrive at 2am. The plan is to find somewhere to sleep so tomorrow we can organise our trip to the salt plains and a national park for 3 days (like Ben Fogle did when he took those ppl on that tv programme😉
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Nikki
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just a Question
So i read a lot of blogs so far and it seems that they all road busses was that the only transportation besides walking dirt roads?