A traveller at last

After getting back to La Paz from the jungle I had a couple a day before starting on my last GAP tour from La Paz to Rio. The day we were due to depart was unfortunaly also the day that workers in La Paz decided to go on strike and bloke the only road out of the city. So had en extra day in the crazy city, but by this point I'd seen pretty much all of it. Our original plan was to get a train to Ouru and then bus from there to Uyuni we ended up getting a night bus all the way. Was possibly the worst journey I've experienced. The driver kept stopping to pick up and let off random people and at one point he decided to get through a traffic jam by driving on the hard shoulder (which was just a dirt track). Was quite scary when he tried to get back on the road by going in front of the on-coming traffic! It was also freezing cold and very uncomfortable. Has put me off going on more night buses (although suspect I won't have much choice!).
We finally arrived in Uyuni at about 7am and don't think I have ever felt so cold in my life. We went to the hotel for breakfast and showers and then set off for a drive to the train cemetry and then through the salt flats. It's a really amazing landscape and we had a long time for a special-effects photo shoot! Also saw how they collect up all the salt before it's shipped to Chile for processing. A bit more driving and we saw a brilliant sunset, then went on to out accomodation for the night- a hotel made of salt! We had a couple more days touring round the area, and at one point we were going though the snow, which I wasn't expecting on this trip and can't have been more different to the weather I'd experienced in the jungle just a few days before. We were really close to the Chilean border and could see an active volvano in the distance (apparently not the one that has been disrupting all the flights!).
After Uyuni we went on to Potosi, which is the highest city in the world (about 4,100m). It's a really nice colonial city but the main reason people visit it for Cerro Rico- the mountain where all the mines are. On our first evening we watched a documanraty 'The devils miner' about a 14-year old boy called Basilo who worked in the mine. It was quite sad to see the conditions he had to work it- shifts can be 24 hours and the only thing the miners have to keep themselves going is coca leaves. The next morning we had a tour of one of the mines and it turned out that our tour guide was Basilo from the film! He's 20 now and working as a guide, which he says is a lot better than working as a miner. Wasn't a very pleasant experience going inside but because it was Sunday we didn't see any miners working and didn't go right into the deepest parts, which can ben 40C.
From Potosi we had another bus journey to Sucre, where we stayed for three nights. Sucre is lovely, it's known as the 'white city' because all the buildings in the centre have to be white. Had a good few days chilling out, doing a bit of shopping and eating food in the market (delicious and cheap). The weather was nice, a bit warmer than we'd had before, and this was our last stop a high altitude. From Sucre we got a flight to Santa Cruz, which is a balmy 400 metres above sea level. Felt a lot different to the rest of Bolivia but I met up with my Bolivian friend from Cochamaba and went to watch the Cuppa America semi final in a very Bolivian bar (great experience- I'm actually looking forward to seeing the final now!).
Sadly that was our last night in Bolivia. The next day we got a night train to the border and crossed over into Brasil, a whole different experience.....

I could have flown to the jungle and stayed in a nice eco-lodge or gone on a steam boat up the river but instead I chose to do the Deep Rainforest 5-day jungle rafting trek. Didn’t really know what I was letting myself in for but thought it would be interesting. It all started with a 4am get-up in La Paz. I was picked up from my hotel by Raul, the company manager, who explained that the other three people on the tour would meet me at the raft on the river. He then dropped me off into a shared taxi to Caranavi. I was squashed against the door in the back with two rather large Bolivian ladies, who took up most of the seat. The first part of the journey involved another trip on the death road and think I would have preferred to have been on a bike again with some control over where I was going. The taxi driver was pretty crazy, drove really fast and kept over-taking two cars at a time on the bends in the road. I was told that there’d be a stop for breakfast but we only had a short stop at a run-down petrol station where I went to use the worst toilet in the world. It was on a par with the toilet in Trainspotting, only much much worse. I was tempted to take a picture of it but decided that it was a memory best forgotten over time. After 3 hours we arrived at Caranavi, which was pretty hot and humid after La Paz. I was ushered into another taxi but this time had the honour of sitting in the front. The road to Gauvay was less dangerous but pretty bumpy and after another 3 hour trip I was hot and exhausted and also struggling to communicate in my pidgeon Spanish. I was dropped off in the main plaza and was wondering what to do next when a girl came up to me and said ‘Usted es Rebecca’ or something like that, plus lots more that I didn’t understand so I followed her to a restaurant where I was presented with my lunch and also met my guide, Ruben. Turned out that the girl was Lupa, our cook for the tour.
We then had yet another taxi ride to the river where I was introduced to the raft. Couldn’t believe it when I first saw it, it was about 4’ by 12’ and made of wood and inflated rubber tyre things. Ruben and Lupa loaded it up with all the stuff for the trip (quite a lot for a small raft) and then I had to get on. Flet a bit like the stupid blonde in Indiana Jones- wasn’t sure I could cope with sitting on the raft and also wasn’t very balanced when I first got on! I’m not sure what happened to the other three people who were meant to be on the tour. They weren’t at the river and I was too tired to try to ask about them in Spanish. Neither Ruben of Lupa speak much English so I was forced to practise my Spanish for the next 5 days. I got used to the raft pretty quickly and it was quite nice to drift along. There weren’t many other people on the river for the first few days and definitely no other tourists. The views of the forests and hills were lovely and for most of the time we had a clear blue sky. After a couple of hours on the raft we stopped at a village for fresh coconuts then carried on to the ‘campsite’.
Our first camp was actually the best of the trip and was a short distance away from the river, next to a stream and forest. Very idyllic. There was even a toilet (just a hole in the ground really but it had a seat and was inside a shed). After a long day I slept pretty well in the tent and tried to block out all the sounds that were coming from the forest. In the morning we had a walk to a waterfall and I had my first forest bath in the pools under the waterfall. Then it was back on the raft. There were some pretty choppy bits along the way and I got quite wet (this was a sign of things to come, I don’t think I was properly dry until the last day!). We had a nice stop for lunch on a beach and then had another couple of hours on the raft until we came to another village. We stayed there for a couple of hours and had a few beers, which were a welcome reflief from the sun. We then had a short trip to the second campsite, which was on a beach and didn’t have the luxury of a toilet. I attempted to find somewhere to go to the toilet after dinner when it was pitch black and ended up getting stuck in a bog. Had to dig into it to retrieve my flip-flops and then scramble back to the river to attempt to wash off the mud (unsuccessfully).The next three days we spent much more time on the raft. Ruben and Lupa even cooked hot lunches on it with a gas stove! We also had some trips into the forest. At one stop we went for a walk and came to a bog with a tarzan swing going over it. Surprisingly I made it over without falling in the mud!!!! However, on the return trip Ruben said he would take a good photo of me swinging so the pressure was on. I didn’t even make it half way across before landing in the mud. After that they kept calling me ‘Mal Tarzan’. We had quite a few other walks and I managed to fall or stumble on most of them. Don’t think I’ve ever been so dirty, smelly and hot. Also got eaten alive on the 4th day. My 100% natural 100% effective insect repellent obviously hasn’t been tested in Bolivia.
Despite all the calamities it was an amazing experience. I saw loads of tropical birds, capybaras, monkeys and beautiful scenery. And Ruben and Lupa were brilliant and definitely helped me improve my Spanish. Our final destination was Rerrenabaque and we had a night on the town after a very welcome shower. It would have been nice to stay in Rurre for longer but I had a flight back to La Paz this morning. Getting to the airport was another adventure. When I left the hostel it was pretty early and there weren’t any taxis. Ended up getting a moto- taxi. Had to get on it with my rucksack on my back and didn’t know where to hold on or where to put my feet. Didn’t really want to cling to the driver so put one had on his shoulder (assumed that was ok etiquette!!) and the other holding the back of the motorbike. Wasn’t feeling very secure, especially on the bumpy roads, and realised about halfway there that my feet where on the wheels instead of the foot rests! The airport was more like a big shed and the plane was a tiny 40-seater. The flight was pretty smooth though and only took an hour. Now I’m back in La Paz one final time. Start another group tour tomorrow that will take me all the way to Rio (but trying not to think too far ahead because that means thinking about going home :-().

Arrived in Cochabamba quite late on Sunday evening after a delayed flight from La Paz but luckily Janine and Joaquin from the Runawasi School were at the airport to meet me. They took me to my home for the week- I was staying with Ubaldina, her daughter-in-law and two of her grandchildren. It was really nice to be staying with a family but quite hard to be speaking Spanish right from the word go. The next morning I started at the school and over the week I learned loads and loads, although I’m pretty sure that I’m going to forget it quickly.
At the end of the week I went to Toro Toro National Park with three other students from the school. Our guides only spoke Spanish so I think I only understood about 40% of what they were saying but it was a great experience. The park is a dreamland for geologists and palaeontologists. The rocks are really amazing- loads of different colours, and we also saw lots of dinosaur footprints. On Saturday we went down the Umajalanta cave. It’s full of stalactites and stalagmites, and there’s also an underwater river and waterfall. It was a bit of an adventure making our way through the cave- it involved quite a lot of rock climbing and a few points were we had to squeeze through small spaces on our hands and knees. It’s not easy for a tall person- I kept banging my head.
The next day we went on a walk through a canyon to El Vergel waterfalls. You can swim in the pools below the waterfalls but I decided to just test the water with my feet. Unfortunately the way down to the pools was quite slippery so I ended up falling and only just stopped myself from going all the way into the pool. Landed on the same knee I bashed on the road of death so it now looks even more attractive with a few cuts added to the enormous bruise (which goes from my knee all the way down my shin!!). Apart from my stupid accident the waterfalls were lovely. Had a long walk back up the canyon (and also a bit more rock climbing) so now my legs feel like jelly.
Last night was my last night in Cochabamba and this morning I got up early to get the bus back to La Paz. The bus itself was really comfortable but it was quite hot and there was a strange smell so I felt a bit queasy for most of the 8 hour journey! A shame because some of the scenery was really interesting. At one point we were up as high as the clouds and there was snow on the ground.
I now have a day to prepare for going into the jungle on Wednesday…

We had a very interesting journey into Bolivia. Instead of the usual way going south round Lake Titikaka we had to go round the northern part of the lake. It was a long drive and some of the roads were pretty rough- especially on the Bolivian side! We finally reached Copacobana, which is a small town on the lake. We spent a day visiting the Isla del Sol, which is a really beautiful island in the lake. All the tourism is run by local people so it had a very nice feel to it. We walked from the south to the north of the island and although there were some tough uphill parts (I’m still not used to the high altitude!) it wasn’t too bad and I didn’t suffer as much as doing the trek in the Sacred Valley.
The next day we travelled to La Paz for the last stop on my Dragoman tour. La Paz is a completely crazy city. After lots of travelling I decided to spend the first afternoon there relaxing in my hotel room but my snooze was soon interrupted by the sound of a marching band coming down the street! They were followed by loads of dancers in really colourful, sparkly costumes. Thought that it was just a nice coincidence that we were there for this spectacle but saw two more similar processions on the following days so looks like it might be something that happens a lot in La Paz.
The next morning we had another early start to do the bike ride on 'the most angerous road in the world'. Not quite sure why I signed up for it, since my bike-handling skills are pretty poor! The ride starts at 4,700m/15,400 feet, where it's pretty chilly. I was introduced to my bike 'El Optimista' (good start!) and had a bit of a practice ride. We started on nice tarmaced roads and going downhill was pretty exciting once I'd got over my fear. Unfortunatley only the first third of the route is tarmac so we soon had to start riding on the rough track. Our guides were really good and explained how to use the brakes and avoid big rocks in the road ('baby heads'). One of the key instructions was to use your eyes to see where you wanted to go- i.e. if you look over the edge of the cliff you'll end up going that way. Unfortunately my inante inability to remember left and right meant that I couldn't get to grips with which brake was the front and which was the back. At first I spent most of the time braking with both anyway, but after I'd got a bit more used to the bike I started going faster and let go of the brakes. This is when it all started to go wrong. I was nearly at the end of one section of the route and was slowing down when I pulled the front brake too hard and went over the handlebars! Luckily I didn't damage myself too seriously but I did get a nice war wound on my elbow. After that I decided to take it slow and stay at the back of the group but after a few more sections I started feeling confident and starting picking up speed. I even overtook my friend who was in front of me! It was at this point that a large baby head appeared in front of me. All I could do was stare at it, and true to the warnings of the guides my eyes led me straight to it. Not sure what happened when I hit it but I've been told it looked pretty spectacular. I landed about 5 metres away with my legs tangled up in the bike. Went into shock then and couldn't feel my legs properly but when I'd calmed down I realised they were still working and were just a bit battered and bruised. Had to get onto the bus for the next couple of sections but made it back onto the bike for the last bit. The ride ended at La Senda Verde Animal Refuge, 40 miles and 3,600m/11,800 feet from the start of the ride. We were greeted with a lovely cold beer and had a tour of the refuge, where there are loads of rescued monkeys and birds. Was nice to chill out a bit before we had to take the bus all the way back to La Paz. This was actually more scarey than the bike ride. When you're on a bike you don't really notice the sheer clifff edges but on the bus the drop was quite clear, and all the way back our guide kept telling us about all the accidents that have happened on the road.

Back in La Paz I had a couple of days to wander around but unfortunately came down with dodgy stomach infection so couldn't really enjoy the city. It was quite sad to say good-bye to my Dragoman bus and all my friends on it but I’m excited about doing a bit of solo travelling and looking forward to the Spanish school in Cochabamba.

Can’t believe that I’m leaving Peru tomorrow- feel like the last couple of weeks have flown by but I’ve also done loads. The community trek in the Sacred Valley was tough but amazing. It’s an alternative to the classic Inca trail, run by Dragoman and Andeana Travel, and for pretty much all the time we were trakking we didn’t see another sole. The scenery was beautiful- massive mountains, glaciers and lagoons. On our first night we were lucky enough to see a full moon rising over the mountain behind out camp, which was an incredible. Most of the trek was at high altitude and I really struggled to get up the steep hills- I could only go a few metres at a time before I had to stop to get my breath back and I was at the back of the group for most of the time. It was also freezing during the night- it was -6C when we got up on the second morning. It’s made me realise that my 18 year old sleeping bag isn’t really up to the job anymore so think I’ll have to retire it at the end of this trip! We had brilliant guides, porters and cooks and ate loads of great food. Think my stomach has doubled in size, which was ok when we were burning off lots of energy with all the walking but not so good now that I’m spending long hours sitting on a bus. Because the trek is aimed at supporting local communities we were also able to visit the places that have benefitted from the scheme and we camped in the grounds of a school on the second night and then had a Quenchua lesson with the local teacher, which was good fun. The campsite for the last night was next to some thermal springs, which were very welcoming after three days of hard walking.
After the trek we went to Machu Picchu, which was really amazing. From there we had a really long journey to Lake Titikaka due to problems with road blockages/ strikes. Think I’ve had enough of sitting on a trick going along dirt roads now! It was worth it when we got there though. We visited the Uros flaoting islands on the lake and it was really interesting to see how people live there. Plus we got a ride on a reed boat and dressed up in traditional clothing, which was good fun. Next stop Bolivia.....