101+ Lorries trying to cross the border

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We spent our last day in San Pedro eating a late breakfast in the town square watching a colourful parade go by. Did some shopping in the afternoon for a sun hat and knitted leg warmers - strange combination I know but essential! The cute little town of San Pedro is teaming with interesting shops.
We left on the night bus at 8pm and paired up with a lovely Spanish couple who were sat behind us on the bus.
At Arica next morning we were going separate ways but they seemed reluctant to leave us as we couldn't speak the lingo but I assured them we'd be fine.
I soon found the office for the bus to La Paz, established the time of departure and the duration, chose seats and found out if food would be served. Not bad with my smattering of Spanish.
There was a German guy , Garry,there buying a ticket to La Paz, he tagged on with us for breakfast while we waited for the bus. He had already booked a room in La Paz so we organised to share a taxi when we got there and hopefully get a room there too.
As the bus left Arica the road climbed steeply up onto the Antiplano, once again we surrounded by a rocky dessert with strange rock formations. Shallow rivers meandered out from small lakes and flocks of alpacca grazed on the scant vegetation.
The road was narrow and steep with deep drops and just an occasional lorry struggling along. Our side of the bus had the best views but unfortunately we also had the sun which shone relentlessly from a cloudless clear blue sky. Snow covered mountains towered up to the sky in the distance but too far away to offer shade. The bus quickly became like an oven.
A few hours into the journey we noticed a long line of lorries snaking along the pass. This must be the border to Bolivia 192km away from Arica. This was going to take hours!
However our driver had other ideas, as we got to the end of the line he pulled out and began overtaking the lorries, some honked at us in anger while others just sat back resigned to their long wait. This was fine until we met an on coming lorry, there was no room to get by each other so the queuing lorries edged closer together to make a space to squeeze in to allowing the oncoming lorry to be on it's way. Our driver then pulled out and we were off again. This happened a few times, sometimes the road widened out enough to allow us to pass, fortunately for us we were usually in between the queue of lorries and the oncoming lorry that was precariously close to the edge. Then the inevitable happened, another oncoming lorry and no room to pass! The queuing lorries refused to budge meaning we had to reverse back, I held my breath as the wheels got ever closer to the drop as the drivers mate yelled instructions. Miraculously we made it to the border, no wonder the lorry drivers were fed up, 44 passengers had to get off, get our passports stamped out of Chile then get back on, drive a few hundred feet and get off again, this time retriving our luggage to be searched and passports stamped into Bolivia.As we waited for the last passengers we stood outside drinking in the cool fresh air, according to Garry's watch we were at an altitude of 4,100 metres. When all the passengers had been searched and stamped in we reluctantly hauled our weary bodies back into the oven they call a bus.
An hour behind schedule we got close to La Paz, desert gave way to little villages, we could see the snowy mountains that create the bowl that houses the city of La Paz, building cling to the hillsides and in the middle were tall tower blocks that looked like matchsticks that had been stuck in the ground. This was a truly memorable site.
Once at the bus station we grabbed our bags, jumped into a taxi with Garry and found the hostel, thankfully there were vacant rooms so we checked in no problem,
The hostel was a straight walk down to the main square so in a good location. Walking down was no problem but when it came time to walk back up the altitude kicked in, our heads were pounding and we were fighting for breath. La Paz is just under 12,000 ft absl. so we'd been expecting this.
We'll see what tomorrow brings!

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Photos

At last the border crossing
When we got out to get our passports stamped, despite it being around mid day, it was freezing cold and the air was so thin.

Comments

[claire]

welcome to public transport, South American style
I laughed at your story, Sheila. It is so typical of how public transport operates on the road in this part of the world. Sitting in the upstairs front seats of the double-decker buses is a mixed blessing: you aren't shielded from the precarious driving, but you do get the best of the views. No doubt you'll have similar bus journeys to Cusco – see you when you get here. xx

[Still Crazy]

See you soon