Week 2 in Bolivia

Week 2 in Bolivia and we are being treated to a 13 hr overnight train trip to the far south (following a 4 hr bus ride). Not an ideal way to sleep but to get there it 'may' be the most comfortable and relaxing journey. Other options were to fly but landing and probably take off from La Paz can be quite ......exhilarating in the thin air - we landed at such a speed when arriving from Cusco and we wondered if there was going to be enough run way with the lack of deceleration. Buses are the other option and we have done a few trips lately over some narrow mountain paths, clocking up many hours in pretty cramped positions - so it is the train.

We left La Paz after 2 nights and visited 2 outlying mountain villages. While in Coroico to the north (end of the downhill bike ride) we visited a local village of Afro-Bolivians whose main income source is from growing and harvesting cocaWe walked in the fields, saw the harvest drying and ...... yes have tried chewing the leaves to assist with altitude (also drinking the tea, which is commonly available .These people are descendants of the slaves that the Spanish brought in initially for the silver mines and then to work on the plantations during the 18th and 19th centuries. These people have struggled to get equal rights within Bolivia since their freedom was granted – in the mid 1900’s. Coca isn’t a crop to be proud of producing as the majority of it goes into America for the production of Cocaine but it is a crop that provides them with income (and this area is one of the best for the coca production) – as so many communities around the world are caught in the middle of corruption and survival. Today, back in La Paz we visited the Coca Museum which told the story of Coca in Bolivia and the good the bad and the ugly sides of it.

We also visited Sorata to the north east of La Paz - a 3-4 hour journey over some spectacular country with a back drop of some Andean Mountains of 6,000+ m - "Yep, this was the cramped mini-bus trip along the narrow winding mud paths." There were only 21 'inside' the mini-bus at the peak (2 or 3 more on the roof!)

So now, we are heading to Tupiza where we have a 4 day/3 night jeep trip out onto the Salt Flats. We expect some unforgetable scenery along with unforgetable cold conditions .....rumoured to be below 22C (I can hardly wait!)

One more thing - we purchased 'another' piece of art before departing La Paz. Apparently the artist may be famous one day!!!! Just something we loved and different from the other pieces we have sent home. We will look forward to sharing them with you all. There has been 'few' photos on the blog lately. Bolivian internet is ..'.very' challenging. I have them ready so will attach to a blog as soon as we get the chance.

A.J. is going to add to this - his first comtribution to the blog!!!

I am sure I have contributed a paragraph along the way!!!!    Anyway La Paz was a cool city especially if you are in your twenties and like mountainbiking,trekking,mountain climbing etc and its a cheap place to hang out .The mountains in Bolivia all seem to be over 6000m and are pretty impressive .The locals have all been very friendly and we have had no problems although it must be said that La Paz has to be the public urination capital of the world judging by the sights and smells we have witnessed.I am looking forward to our 4 day trip over the salt flats and the desert lakes of south west Bolivia as it should be like a cross between the Sahara desert and Antarctica .The driest area on earth as it bounds the Acatama desert of Chile and the temperature at night collapses to -20 degrees celcius!!!! I have had to buy some shoes and socks lately as the socks and sandals weren't cutting the mustard as we travel south in the winter.The dry winter days of full sunshine are wonderful on your back and I dont look forward to wettish cooler days of Argentina, Chile and home.

I would sadly have to add to A.J's comments regarding 'fouling' of the earth. Bolivian's show little care of the environment regarding rubbish. It is simply EVERYWHERE. The streets are cleaned up each morning but the rubbish then simply get disposed off along the nearest river bank. And plastic bottles and bags would contribute to much of this litter. All modern civilisations have this common issue, it just that there is no organisation of it here.

……….Arrived in Tupiza. Off on the 4 day/3 night tomorrow. Next blog …..after the trip.

Bolivia

Day 3 in Bolivia and we have just completed the ride down 'Death Road' on mountain bikes. This is a 64 km ride - 34kms of it down the 'world’s most dangerous road ' - given this classification in the late 90’s due to the number of deaths on this road compared to any other road in the world ( an average of 26 vehicles a year used to disappear over the edge). In 2006 an alternative ‘new’ road from La Paz opened which takes the majority of traffic and now the W.M.D.R. is used primarily by cyclists and their support vehicles. The actual ride wasn’t as difficult as I had imagined (though Matt had told me I would ‘cope’. He did it last year.) and recent practice in Peru on the challenging downhill ride that we did, was good preparation. We chose to go with the more expensive but reliable Gravity Assisted Bike Co. that was started by a Kiwi and the guides, bikes (modern with fantastic twin suspension), safety equip were great. I actually learnt a lot from the instructions given and have never ridden so much ‘standing up’ as I did today (much less pressure on the rear end!)We had a great team of 14 cyclists and several others of our age – and I was one of the fast ones!! J I even past a truck at one stage (that re-past me on an uphill stretch – yep, there were ‘some’ up hill bits.) We started at 4600m in clear but cool weather, went through serious mist and then drizzly rain and finally into sunshine and heat after a 3300m drop. All and all a spectacular day.

Some interesting facts about this road. There of course has been plenty of fatalities on the road but one ‘stunning’ one was in 1944 with the general elections. The current ruler apparently offered a democratic election process. When the opposition’s’ looked like threatening his rule he had the 5 of them captured, bounded and pushed to their deaths over the side of one of the 350+m drops. There is a memorial to mark the spot! A few more memorials mark places where both tourists and locals have died. On our trip there were 2 crashes when people used their brakes incorrectly, but at no time did I feel at risk.

Robin and Claire departed yesterday afternoon after being with us for the past 6 weeks – 3 in Ecuador and 3 in Peru. They arrive back in N.Z. (Chilean ash permitting!) on early Thursday morning.

We are now in the country village of Coroico, nearby the end of the W.M.D.R. where we thought we would have a couple of nights before heading to another village for a couple more. The scenery is stunning – huge mountains and deep valleys with carved roads zigzaging their way towards La Paz.  

The end of Peru.

I have been meaning to mention 'food' again - and keep forgetting. Peru has offered quite a step up in the selection and quality and flavour of food compared to Ecuador. We sampled Guinea Pig in Ecuador and were not that impressed.  It is a well known delicacy in Cusco too, so some of us ‘re’-sampled it.  In summary, -a 'gamey' version of chicken or rabbit but not much of a meal!!! The restaurant selection in both Arequipa and Cusco has been amazing. There just isn't enough days and meals to eat! Food is relatively cheap (but it can be more pricey in the flasher restaurants) but the wine isn't far off N.Z. prices - mainly from Chile and Argentina but we have found one we like from Peru too. Soup is a common item on the menu and the creamy soups Peru offer can be a meal in themselves. Stuffed avocado with vegetables is another favouite. Alpaca meat - we have had one fantastic 'tender' steak and since them much of the meat has been tough. We were not expecting a lot of flavours with the meals but have also been pleasantly surprised there. A chilly salsa is common on the table. As for local drinks the one you have to try is Picso Sour (Pisco, a liquer made from grapes, lemon, sugar and egg white ) We had our first sample in Lima at 'the' bar recommended by Lonely Planet and we were really disappointed. But there have been further opportunities to sample and  …..it’s not too bad!

Now, for all those ‘Gentle Readers of Awakeri’ or people who have read the book about the story of Colour – we have seen the parasite on the cacti that produces the vibrant cochineal. We have had the fresh little bug squashed to demonstrate the red ink product and amazingly enough, the ‘dried’ insect also gives off the same vibrant red! This dye colour is just one used in the colouring of the lama / alpaca wool for all the hand knitted products available.

As far as luggage that we carried (yes, we ‘started with 13 kg each). We have bought very little in the way of extra clothes (a few warm things as we move south), but our bags are a similar weight. We are getting a little sick of the same clothes, but it is amazing what few clothes you need. We sent a parcel of ‘goodies’ including art, home from Ecuador which has already arrived. This week we have sent some art home from Peru and Claire and Robin who leave for N.Z. early this week will be heading home with an extra bag of gifts from us to the kids. (Along with another ‘art’ piece – a tapestry)

Yesterday we went mountain bike riding around the Sacred Valley. A 31km ‘very challenging’ route.  I had envisaged a gentle romp through the villages taking a couple of archeological sites. But this was serious downhill (and ‘some’ up), that took almost 6 hours. It will be good preparation for what is planned in Bolivia!!!!  Earlier this week A.J. and I spent a night out in the valley at a gorgeous village called Ollantaytambo – I needed to mention that as many of these names are simply a blur ‘until’ you visit and then they can roll off your tongue – this was one to tackle! This village is described as “unchanged for 700 years – a great example of Inca architecture”. It had ‘super’ narrow cobbled streets, great chunks of carved stone in the buildings and a couple of remarkable ruin sites on the adjoining hillsides – a good place to stay overnight.

We are now sitting at Cusco airport ready for a flight to La Paz, Bolivia. There ‘was’ trouble around Lake Titicaca (the road access into Bolivia) earlier, so we booked this flight 10 days ago just in case the trouble continued and there was a rush on flights (there are only 2 a week!)

We chatted to Matt on SKYPE the other night. He is still in Peterborough, England working on a berry farm – fencing and mowing. He says he is off to Romania in another week – for the barley and wheat harvest and then will be back in England for similar. He seems happy and well. He did go down to London last weekend and ended up catching up with Luke Milton who has just arrived from N.Z.

That’s about it for news – have just arrived in La Paz – another ‘well’ elevated city at 3600m – and our room on the 3^rdfloor of stairs is a puff to reach! 

N.B. The previous post was titled Puno and machu Piichu ...... a typing error ......Machu Picchu!

Puna, Cusco and machu Piichu

We have just returned from an unforgetable 4 day trek into the Andean Mountains to visit the ancient site of Machu Picchu. The trek was 42 kms (14, 14, 16 and then 5kms) over three mountain passes, the highest at 4200m above sea level. We were expecting the worst so we pleasantly surprised that we could cope pretty well with the test of endurance. Day 2 was the toughest with an ascent of 1200m with a starting altitude of 3,000, but this allowed us to see some really dramatic scenery. Our group was 16 made up of Canadians, Americans, a couple from the Ukraine and two from Porta Rica. The support crew were 22 including the two guides, who carted tents, tables, cooking gear, food - everything that you needed to make the trek as comfortable as it could be. Sleeping on thin mattresses on hard ground and in the cold was something that we will soon forget after seeing the site of our goal, Machu Picchu, as well as enjoying the company of our 'team'. Of course there are 'easier' options to arriving at M.P. but doing the Inca Trail to get there was always our intention and something we can feel 'we have done'.

Prior to this we spent 2 night at Puno on the edge of Lake Titicaca. This is a massive lake(8400sq m sitting at 3800m) shared by both Peru and Bolivia, with several islands you can visit, the most famous being the floating reed islands where hundreds of indigenous people live and receive boat loads of visitors each day to support their economy. A little over commercialised but well worth the visit. Leaving Puno at the ungodly hour of 5 a.m. (to avoid the threat of road blocks due to protests) by bus took us up to Cusco, the ancient capital of the Incas.

Cusco is an amazingly vibrant city of narrow cobbled streets full of character, restaurants, markets, art shops and people. We had 2 nights here previously and after the trek have returned for a further 5 days (though two of these will be spent back out in the Sacred Valley – still on the planning board.)

Have heard about Chch’s latest earthquakes and really feel for all those involved. We have heard from both of the kids and know that they are safe and well. Just waiting to hear what the University will do regarding the exams next week.

Details of photos:

1. Reed Islands of Lake Titicaca

2.Reed boats - stuffed full of plastic bottles - recycling!

3.Bachelor on island of Titicaca - knitting - what a catch!

4.A.J. and Robin - Lake Titicaca

5.Our first glimpse of Machu Piichu -early morning mist

6. Closer and the mist has cleared.

7. Baby Lama wandering around M.P.

8.Along the Inca Trail - A.j. and a porter

9.Robin, Claire and Viv on the trail - Inca site

10.Lunch on the trail!!!!!

11.A.J. and Viv on top of 4200m - mid Day 2.

12.View at top of 4200

13. And another

14. Viv along the trail

15. M.P. and surrounding mountainous view