COPACABANA & ISLA DEL SOL

May 12, 2013July 6, 2013Leave a comment

Boarding the bus to Copacabana I must say we were a little excited to be getting out of La Paz. Being sick had taken its toll on both of us and we were looking forward to getting some fresh air. After a three-hour bus trip we arrived in the small village of San Pablo de Tiquina where we had to hop off the bus and board a small boat to take us across the strait. We left the bus and watched as it too made its way across the lake on a floating barge which looked really bizarre!Continuing on and it was not long until we had arrived in Copacabana (annoyingly named town because I always end up singing that song that is not about this place but it still gets stuck in your head)! Anyway, finally – fresh air, something La Paz was certainly lacking! We breathed it in, smelling the many eucalyptus trees that surrounded us and enjoying the peace and quiet (outside of a few noisy farm animals). Something in the air reminded us both of home and as we checked in to our suite accommodation overlooking Lake Titicaca, we were both in a happy place. With hammocks out the front we settled in and enjoyed the sunset over one of the highest lakes in the world!After a day relaxing it was time to explore Lake Titicaca a little further. We were up early for the boat ride to Isla del Sol, a large island located on Lake Titicaca. The boat ride was painfully slow but eventually we arrived at the North side of the island and were left with time to explore. There was a celebration of some sorts taking place (far from a rarity in Bolivia) and we watched as the locals danced and played their instruments to their own beat before we began our walk from North to South.We climbed slowly (well Will climbed at a normal pace I guess) up the rocky path leading to higher ground on the island. There are no vehicles on the island and we followed the same paths that the local families use as they travel between houses, farmlands and ports. We paused to take in the beautiful views (and also to take a breath), admiring the crystal clear water as well as the tall eucalyptus trees above the lush green pastures. Lake Titicaca is 3800m above sea level and at the top of Isla del Sol it is approximately 4100m above sea level so I really enjoy being able to blame the altitude for my hopeless efforts walking up hill – Will doesn’t seem to be as badly affected but that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it! I have absolutely no idea how the locals do it, carrying their various bundles on their backs (sometimes huge) up and down the hills, not breaking into a sweat or stopping for a breather!

Will’s “bundle” vs. “Bolivian lady’s “bundle”… I can’t believe he didn’t offer to help!!!

As you reach the Northern end, you have complete 360 degree views around the island and at the tip lies the Chincana ruins, remains from the Inca pilgrims. The ruins are a maze of stone walls and walkthroughs, the doorways rather small by today’s standards. A rock table can be found close by where apparently animals and even humans were sacrificed as offerings to the gods. From the Northern end we began our walk across the island to the south. We continued to admire the island’s beauty with every up and down (there are a lot of hills walking North to South), stopping for lunch at the highest point. We greeted locals and did our best donkey impressions as we passed them grazing in the fields along the way. It was all good fun until a previously unseen man stood up next to his donkeys and gave us a rather strange look!The arid landscape complete with hundreds of eucalyptus trees was refreshing and had it not been for the snow capped mountains in the background you could be forgiven for thinking we were back in Australia. One last big hill and we were making our way back to the water where we enjoyed a well deserved beer before the boat ride back to Copacabana. Copacabana & Isla del Sol_075 It was my birthday the next day and for those playing at home, yes that means I’m officially two months behind with this blog (it should be named herewhereweWERE). Anyhow, being that it was my birthday I got to do whatever I wanted which for me included going out on a paddle boat that looked like a swan and having my photo with two baby alpacas (yes I turned 12). It was a beautiful day and the perfect spot to relax on my birthday, finishing off the big day at a Mexican restaurant with Will & Niels.As is always the case, it was necessary to keep moving so we enjoyed a final day relaxing in our hammocks, taking in the scenery before walking up Cerro (hill) Calvario to watch the sunset over Lake Titicaca.

LA PAZ

May 7, 2013July 6, 20131 Comment

I ‘m not sure that I’ve ever been on a quicker plane ride than the flight from Sucre to La Paz, it seemed we were landing only moments after we had taken off! A quick mention to the dinosaur phone booths they had at Sucre’s Airport – hilarious! Together with Niels and Sander we caught a taxi towards the centre of La Paz and as you approach, you can’t help but let out a little “wow”. Unfortunately I don’t really have a photo that shows the city as a whole (in fact, I don’t have many photos from La Paz at all!) but it is just a really unique city – highest capital city in the world and visually different to any other. It does however seem to lack a lot of the charm that other capital cities possess and after spending 10 days in the picture perfect Sucre, it was quite the contrast. Unfortunately within our first 24 hours I was battling my second case of food poisoning with Will to follow 24 hours later. Instead of seeing the sights of La Paz, we saw a lot of the hostel bathroom! When we finally were up to the challenge we walked around the city, huffing and puffing with every hill which I like to blame on the altitude but is probably more so general unfitness. This, along with the fact that you are breathing in vehicle fumes rather than air 90% of the time! In some respects it is hard to paint a pretty picture of La Paz – thousands of red brick buildings cover literally every inch of the city, many looking like the builders reached a point in construction and thought “you know what, that will do”. That being said, the city centre contains some beautiful old colonial buildings, while downtown skyscrapers tower high in the sky with perfectly manicured gardens surrounding.When we were finally feeling up to it we decided it was time to get adventurous and signed up to bike ride down the infamous Death Road. Our imaginations were in overdrive after meeting various backpackers along our travels with sprained ankles, broken arms and bruised egos! Could it be that dangerous? There was only one way to find out. Feeling slightly nervous we piled in to a minibus and drove to the beginning of Death Road. With protective clothing, knee pads, elbow pads, gloves and helmets we were as prepared as we would ever be as we hopped on to our bikes and began travelling downhill. The first part of the Death Road is now bitumen which is perfect to familiarise yourself with the bike (in particular using your brakes, which are the opposite sides to our bikes at home)! We flew down the hill, trying to pick up as much speed as possible while looking at the dramatic landscape surrounding us. This section helped to boost confidence in your riding abilities as the road was very smooth and wide (plus it had railings that could potentially stop you going over the edge).
Our first section of rocky road and that confidence was lost as we bumped and slid across the rocks (or in the case of one Brazilian girl, totally ate s#!t)! We then had a quick ride in the van again to avoid a boring uphill section before arriving at the REAL Death Road. A quick briefing and we were free to begin descending – from 4700 m above sea level, in a matter of hours we would ride to just 1700 m above sea level. The cloud was incredibly thick and in some ways perhaps this made it slightly less daunting as we couldn’t see the staggering drops off the cliff. Not to mention that rather than hugging the mountain side of the road you are advised to stick to the left (closest to the edge) as any vehicles coming up will be on the inside! We commenced slowly but realised you have to be pretty special to fall off your bike and opted for flying down as fast as we could go!At it’s thinnest, the road is literally JUST a car width across. There is now a new road built so the original road is used predominantly for bike riders/tourism but just imagining what it was like when cars, trucks and buses used it is scary enough, let alone the fact that a number of vehicles did actually go over the side! For the most part, it was completely exhilarating rather than scary and in sections where it opened up wider you could really get your speed up. Occasionally the cloud would break and we peered over the edge realising that there really wasn’t much between you and a 1000m drop. We also had to stop ourselves occasionally just to take in the view – so much of the time you are fixated on the uneven road in front of you that you forget just how beautiful your surroundings are. In contrast to the never ending brick buildings and dry, polluted air of La Paz, the Death Road takes you through green jungle and large valleys, with waterfalls trickling beside you. After having been quite unwell in La Paz, it really was the perfect antidote.With the final stretch complete we arrived in a small town where we stopped for a well earned beer. We had officially survived Death Road (and had the t-shirt to prove it) and with lunch and a quick swim it was time to return to La Paz. We piled back in to our minibus and began our journey back up the new alternative road which was a relief as we had been warned that due to roadworks we may have to go up the original road and were not necessarily thrilled with that idea. Nevertheless, it didn’t make much of a difference as driving up the new road our whole van of Death Road survivors sat on the edge of our seats as our driver sped through clouds of fog, overtaking trucks at any given opportunity with no visibility of what was in front of him. We may have survived Death Road but we were seriously lucky to have survived that car ride and it was without a doubt the scariest part of the day!
With one day remaining in La Paz we decided to hit the markets. The streets are absolutely filled with Bolivian women dressed in their traditional outfits, bowler hats and long braids, selling everything from alpaca magnets to gigantic handmade rugs – and so ridiculously cheap! We couldn’t help ourselves and stocked up on our share of alpaca wool goods (with a 100% baby alpaca jumper costing a small $14) as well as beautiful large rugs, resulting in a whopping 21kg of items being sent home from La Paz. Love it or hate it, La Paz is quite the experience and in some ways I feel like perhaps we only scratched the surface. It is a city I find hard to describe as in many cases it seems neither one way or the other but rather a city left open for interpretation and you either get it or you don’t.

SUCRE

May 2, 2013July 7, 2013Leave a comment

We were rather keen to leave Uyuni and were on a bus to Sucre first thing the next day. I’m not sure we could have anticipated just how much of an adventure that would be! Sucre_001 As we approached the town of Potosi (a stopover on the way) we quickly realised there was a problem with our bus turning around and heading a different direction. As we continued up another road, our driver stopped the bus and looking ahead we could see there were trucks blocking the road. Before we really had any idea what was going on we were all off the bus and on the streets of Potosi, our bus driver giving us no real information but suggesting that we walk to the bus station ourselves! We began walking uphill in to Potosi, realising quickly that walking uphill in the highest town in the world takes slightly more effort than a stroll in the park. After multiple attempts to get a taxi, we all piled into the back of a friendly local’s ute and were finally driven to the bus station. Too bad it was the wrong bus station and we sighed as we were told the one we needed was 40 blocks away.While we pondered what to do next we were approached by several taxi drivers who claimed they could get us to Sucre. In small groups we filled taxis and our driver proceeded to make his way out of Potosi (encountering a road block nearly every second street). Finally, we made it to the highway and were on our way to Sucre! But wait, what’s this? More cars and trucks? You can only take us this far? Arriving to the outskirts of Sucre it was apparent we were dealing with the same problem and we (now as seasoned road block experts), proceeded to walk in to the city. You would think one truck would suffice but no, let’s put 30 odd trucks across the road just in case someone manages to slip through! I wish I had more photos to show just how ridiculous it was! We finally made our way through all of the trucks and with one last taxi ride for the day, we made it to our hostel!Sucre is a beautiful city and the constitutional capital of Bolivia (there is actually two capital cities of Bolivia just to confuse you with La Paz considered the legislative and administrative capital). Sucre is also known as Ciudad Blanca, meaning the White City, as bascially every building is painted white, generally with red-tiled roofs and different balconies. It is well-documented as a city where tourists stay a little longer than expected and this ended up being the case for us, staying in Sucre for 10 days (we also didn’t really have a choice with the various road blockages that were taking place)!Our hostel Kultur Berlin was the perfect place to spend some time relaxing. It is ran by a German named Klaus and was in a really pretty Spanish colonial building with an internal courtyard, pub and café. We spent our days hanging out, walking down to the main plaza for a freshly squeezed juice and we even challenged our brains a little with a handful of Spanish lessons. We had a few drinking sessions and enjoyed the flavoursome Bolivian food which was wonderful after the rather bland food in Chile and Argentina (although Niels and I did feel a little sorry for ourselves after one restaurant outing that had us sick in bed for two days)! We also frequented the Mercado Central, which was fantastic for people watching and walking the many aisles filled with fresh produce. There is an incredible amount of fruits and vegetables for sale, so much so that I think it would feed the whole of Sucre 100 times over! Everything is really cheap and it is hard not to stop for a quick taste test of an avocado or mango, which for the sake of roughly 50 cents you then just have to buy!In addition to the fruit and vegetable section there are other aisles, each dedicated to a different product – some ladies sell cheese, others potatoes, clothing, handcrafted cakes, household goods, spices – the list goes on. Then there is the rows of white-tiled cubicles where butchers chop away at different chunks of meat – cows, chickens, pigs, fish (and not just your normal strip loin cut)! It is a fascinating place and a photographer’s dream however Bolivian’s are incredibly shy when it comes to photographs and we only snuck a handful of shots.Another must-do at the market is the juice/fruit salad section. As you approach, the different ladies compete for your attention as they peel, slice and juice every type of fruit imaginable! The fruit salad comes in a range of sizes and no matter what size bowl you select, you can guarantee it will be piled as high as possible, leaving you wondering where exactly to begin.At the top of Recoleta Hill you can get the best view of Sucre and its surrounds while enjoying deliciously cheap meals at Cafe Mirador. The walk up the hill is testing but the view is certainly worth it and it is the perfect place to watch the sun set over the “White City”. Sucre_155 As the days passed by we realised there was still more to explore and walked beyond the main plaza to the french-styled Parque Simon Bolivar. On the walk we passed beautifully well-kept colonial buildings which were surrounded by equally well-maintained gardens. We passed through the replica Triumphal Arch of Paris and walked through the park, where there is also a replica Eiffel Tower with an incredibly sketchy staircase you can climb. It was peaceful in the park which was nice as the one downside to Sucre is the uncanny amount of car alarm sirens you hear all day long (I know the whole sequence off by heart now)! Our time in Sucre was the longest spent in one place so far and was very much a little home away from home. Its beauty had surprised us, its people had fascinated us and its history inspired us but it was time to continue our journey. With the road blocks still continuing we decided to book a flight to La Paz. On our last day in town, the locals were participating in a festival which was the perfect way to say goodbye to Sucre.