The 'rents arrive!

Saturday, April 30, 2011 – Sunday, May 1, 2011

Woke up at 6:30 in order to meet mom and dad at the airport.  Turned out their flight was supposed to get in earlier than I thought so I rushed out of the hostel searching for a taxi.  Got there with plenty of time and was anxiously awaiting their arrival.  Cried when they finally walked out of the doors.  So wonderful to see them after 4.5 months; am so excited to have them here.

Transferred to hotel and checked-in.  Went to Jack’s for breakfast; my first time eating there in the morning.  Such huge portions: banana pancakes, fruit bowl and a scramble egg dish with delicious sauce. Walk around Cusco for a bit. Visit to San Pedro market, enjoying the chocolate row but avoiding all the intestines and heads hanging from the meat vendors stalls.  All exhausted; back to hotel for a nap.

 

Dinner at Cicciolina, modern restaurant with deep red walls; could be in any city.  Excellent dinner – shared starters, one seafood skewer dish and one cuy causa (guinea pig); I ordered the alpaca, mom a salad and dad the duck special.  First night together so naturally had to order dessert – chocolate pudding and sweet pears.  Fantastic end to their first day in Cusco.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Day from Cusco to Aguas Calientes.  Vladimir picks us up at 7:30.  Beautiful drive into the Sacred Valley.  Pisac ruins with a local guide (who also happens to have little items for sale).  Quick stroll around the Pisac market.  Drive to Ollantaytambo.  Lunch at Heart’s café.  Ruins at Ollantaytambo with another local guide (has lots of photos on hand).  Starts raining while we’re there without our umbrellas.  Train to Machu Picchu.  Pretty tight fit.  Mom and I sit across from a Swiss couple after dad convinces them to change seats so that we can all face forward. 

Pouring rain when we arrive in Aguas Calientes.  Find hotel person and wait for rain to let up since we need to walk.  Doesn’t stop so we eventually head out.  Hear back from Rudy (guide) while we are waiting for our room; agree to meet after dinner to discuss tomorrow.  Large room.  Dinner at 7:45.  Three-course meal.  Dad and I start with two different types of ceviche and mom with some type of fried chicken dish.  Mains.  Dessert.  Way way too much food.  We are all so full by the end and dreading the early wake up to get in line to climb Wayna Picchu (only 400 people are allowed up per day and so it is necessary to queue for a spot).

Dad and I meet Rudy, since mom is exhausted and ready for bed.  He tells us of an alternative hike, up Machu Picchu, which doesn’t involve getting up at the crack of dawn.  Agree this is a good plan.  Confirm in Lonely Planet that Machu Picchu Mountain is actually better because it gives a view of Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu.  Perfect solution.

Leaving South America tomorrow... ahhh!

Just a very short update since I realize I am a month behind on my blog.  It’s not because I haven’t written anything in the past four weeks, I’ve just only written bits.  As you’ve probably noticed, I generally like to keep my blog chronological and therefore don’t post things out of order.  Hence the backlog. 

Crazy enough, I’m leaving South America tomorrow.  In just over 24 hours I’ll be on a plane headed for London.  Very very very hard for me to believe.  As much as I’m ready to take a break from all this travel, I can’t believe the last 5.5 months (or 10 months really) have passed so quickly.  Before I know it (two weeks) I’ll be back in Oak Park living at home and looking for a job.  But today I’m going to enjoy Buenos Aires.  I promise to finish writing about South America, even if some of the entries are somewhat incomplete, as soon as possible.

Long day back to Cusco

Friday, April 29, 2011

Spent the entire day on the bus from La Paz to Cusco.  Pancake breakfast at 7:30.  Walk to bus station and check-in for ride.  Met a nice young guy, Andrew, from Chicago.  Leave just after 8:30am.  So lucky nobody sitting next to me.  Border crossing at 10:45am Bolivia time (9:45am Peru) at Desaguadero.  Stamped out of Bolivia.  Stroll across the bridge into Peru.  Get hit in the back of the legs by a bike-driver as I’m trying to take a picture.  Clear control in Peru, find a bathroom (disgusting), and look for bus.  Insane number of three-wheel vehicles.  Tons of traffic.  Have to wait for the bus to weave its way through the traffic.  Back on the bus. 

Stop in Puno to let some passengers off before continuing to Cusco.  Feels like a long 12-hour ride.  Watch new Glee and Ratatouille.  Listen to lots of podcasts.  Finally arrive in Cusco around 7pm.  Share taxi with Andrew to my family house to pick up my bag then continue into town.  Check in to my hostel Eco Packers (across the street from the hotel I’ll stay at with my parents).  Drop off my stuff and head to Jack’s for dinner.  Wait in line and talk to a Canadian couple who don’t want to share a table with me.  Sit at my own table and two American girls (from Seattle and Dallas) join me.  Great conversation.  The couple invites me for a drink, but I head back to the hostel exhausted.  Early morning tomorrow to get my parents at the airport.  Woohoo!

City heights: La Paz

Thursday, April 28, 2011

After a seven hour almost sleepless train ride we pulled into Oruro station.  I shared a taxi to town center with a couple people and got an 8am bus to La Paz.  It was almost noon by the time I made it to Adventure Brew Hostel.  Back in the same room.

Since today was the only time I had in La Paz, I quickly headed out to do some sightseeing.  I started by walking up a huge stepped hill to Calle Jaén, a picturesque colonial street with lots of museums.  The Museo de Instrumentos Musicales was open, so I had a peak at the numerous musical instruments housed in a refurbished colonial house.  From there I continued to the main plaza, Plaza Murillo, a large flower-filled (and pigeon-filled) square with the Cathedral, Presidential Palace (in Italian renaissance style) and the National Congress.  Not sure who it was, but someone came out of the Presidential Palace surrounded by four cars.  It all happened very quickly.

Calle Jaen

Musical Instruments Museum

Plaza Murillo

By this point it was after 2pm and I was starving (having not really eaten properly since dinner last night).  I ended up in a local coffee shop type place with a sandwich.  With a satisfied tummy, I walked around a bit more past some type of street demonstration/protest to Iglesia de San Francisco and into the tour office where I’d purchased my train ticket.  Time to find out if I could get a refund.  After much talking, I got a partial refund.  Just enough money to cover the rest of my expenses in Bolivia without having to exchange more money.  Perfect.

Street demonstration

I half-passed by Mercado de Hechieria (witchcraft market) before heading back to the hostel, exhausted.  Now I’m just relaxing with a couple people (including a girl Katie from Colorado). Will have the taco dinner at the hostel tonight and get ready for my long 12-hour bus ride tomorrow back to Cusco.  So excited to see my parents in two days!

The Salar de Uyuni: Southwest Bolivia tour day 4

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Fantastic end to our four-day journey!  The salt flats were spectacular.  We were driving there by 5:30am in the pitch black.  The sky slowly became brighter casting a warm yellow glow on the small salt mounds pilled near the salt hotel.  After shivering while watching the orange ball rise over the mountains, I joined my group inside for pancake breakfast.

When our stomachs were full, we headed deeper into the Salar to take photos of the brilliant white ground against the blue sky.  Before going on the trip I’d seen lots of funny perspective pictures – people walking into Pringles cans, standing in shoes, sitting on hands, etc.  Well, let me say, those pictures are REALLY hard to take.  I started trying to get Alex and Faye on their llama and was failing miserably.  In the end, I recruited Gonzalo to help us figuring he’d had plenty of experience.  Turns out I was right.  He was extremely helpful and even suggested more poses for us (given that we had over an hour there).

Our other stop was Colchani, a small village on the edge of the Salar selling salt-made objects.  We had way too much time to hang out there and eventually had lunch at 11am.  Bit early but that was all we had left to do.  So after we finished lunch, Gonzalo and Jaclyn took us back to Uyuni and said farewell.  Alex, Faye and Jon had all decided to stay the night in Uyuni and my train wasn’t until midnight, so we found a hotel to stay at for the night. 

We’d read about a pizza place for dinner and decided to go there when they opened at 5pm, leaving us with a few hours to spare.  We sat in the main square having a soda and wandered around town.  I showered and got ready while the others went for a walk.  The time eventually ticked by.  Minuteman pizza is owned by a Bostonian; Jon had a long talk with the guy before we ordered our pizza.  It was true American style pizza.  Delicious!  And I was finally able to get online to talk to my parents, very important since I’ll see them soon.

Last night with the group.  Real pizza!

Before my train, I sat with the group at the hotel watching a strange movie with Claire Danes about a woman who designed more humane cattle conditions.  Really weird.  Sadly I had to leave a few minutes after The Blind Side started.  I hugged my new friends goodbye, left the hotel while the guy at the front desk was trying to get me to pay for the room (even though I wasn’t sleeping there) and walked across the street to the train station.  Luckily I was not alone; one of the guys from the other jeep was on my train as well and we ended up with seats next to each other.

La Torre description of Day 4 (with a tiny bit of editing)

The Salt plains have a very particular ecosystem that is limited by altitude.  The salt flats of tunupa (Uyuni salt flats) are the largest in the world at an altitude of 3650m.  They have very unique weather condition.  The air is thin and the sun’s heat transmitted almost exclusively by radiation because of the situation one can feel a large thermal difference when going from sunshine to shade.

Temperatures average 5°C (41°F) with highs over 30°C (86°F) in summer and lows down to -25°C (-13°F) during winter (June-September).  Temperatures can reach wind chill temperature of -45°C (-49°F).

The rainfall in the region is less than 300mm per year.  From December to April parts of the salar are covered with water from 10 to 60cm deep, creating a marvelous reflection of the sky on the salt floor.  When the sky fills with clouds, the horizon blends with the water part of a great interior lake.  

Through the years the evaporation of the water gave birth to the salt flats.  The immense Salar de Uyuni is 12,100km².  This is the largest salt plain in the world stretching away in all directions as far as the eye can see.

With the uplifting of the Andes 25 million years ago, the altiplano, formerly at sea level, became an immense depression between two mountain ranges.  Salt deposits scattered about the surface were dissolved and transported by water courses to the lower lying areas to the south.  A series of flooding and drying cycles followed, the most recent of which were Lake Michin, which flooded the southern altiplano 40,000 to 25,000 years ago.  The latter filled today’s Uyuni and Coipasa salt lakes as well as Lago Poopo for some 3000 years before drying and leaving the landscape we know today.  Drilling in the Salar de Uyuni has revealed successive layers of salt and clay 120m deep and geophysical studies suggest alt accumulation 500m before the surface.

The evaporation of a lake left this salt plate.  It has several layers which are formed by numbers of successive floods and evaporating cycles.  The rivers carry sediments and salt with water into the lake and during the dry period, the water dries up causing the precipitation of the salt.  Surface hexagon structures, due to the desicciostion and temperature variation the crust or top layer of salt will contract a fracture.  The fractures will form small capillaries in polygon shapes, through which the salt water that has low density raises to the surface and crystalizes when reaching the surface, forming crystal rings that form in a polygon figures.

Recent studies say that this huge salt lake has eleven cycles registered belonging to 11 lakes that successively accrued.  And besides rain and water drain along the sides of the mountains.  During the rainy season the salt flats are flooded by rain water that covers the salt flats and during the dry season the water evaporates extremely fast (up to 6-8 mm per day) due to the suns radiation and wind.

Montones de sal (small salt mountains of salt) are created when salt is piled so the top part of the salt dries.  That way it can be transported weighing less.  Leaving the salt bed we will visit Colchani, 22km northeast of Uyuni.  On the edge of the salt flats, the village of Colchani lies at an altitude of 3940m above sea level.  With a population of 1,420 residents, most of whom work at extracting salt from the salt flats; locals use rudimentary tools such as pick axes and shovels in their work.  The village also contains various salt treatment plants in addition to rustic workshops where artisan objects are made out of salt ground from the surface (but not from salt blocks due to bands produced by the different layers).  The refined product is 4000 tons for livestock.  This village is also known by the name Puerto Seco (dry port) because its access to the salt flat.

After this it will be time to say your goodbyes… and for us to say thank you for choosing to travel with us.  Sniff, sniff…

Crazy rocks and more lagoons: Southwest Bolivia tour day 3

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

This morning we got to “sleep in”, only had to be up at 6am.  After forcing myself out of bed into the cold I threw on clothes for the day and ate breakfast.  The jeep was so cold all morning; I was just waiting for the sun to heat it up.  Some eroded lava formed rocks were our first stop of the day, including the famous and highly photographed Arbol de Piedra.  Jaclyn provided us with an 8:30am bubblegum pop; great way to start the day.

Arbol de Piedra

A couple of still-water mountain-reflecting lagoons later we arrived at another area of nature-carved rocks.  It was hard to believe how quickly the landscape changed.  At noon we stopped in a small town to have lunch before continuing on towards the city of Uyuni.  Tours used to spend the night at a salt hotel, but that seems to have changed in the last couple years.  Before going into town, we played in the train cemetery on a bunch of rusty old train carriages and locomotives.  That’s where the latest inside joke of our trip came from.  Alex and Faye overheard a kid say, “Jasper, Jasper mate, take a photo.”  That was all it took.  Next thing I knew they were imitating the kid and putting down rich English gap year travelers (whose trips are funded by their rich parents).  The rest of the day we were trying to come up with other traditional British names; Jon’s attempts were fairly pathetic J 

After dropping our bags, we went for a short walk in Uyuni.  The books are correct; it is really just a jumping off place for the Salar.  Our hostel in Uyuni was pretty basic, but at least they had showers with hot water (well, a shower that had some form of non-cold water).  It felt good to get clean before dinner.  Have to say that was probably the best meal of the trip, just soup followed by simple spaghetti with tomato sauce and a bottle of wine.  We toasted to a wonderful journey through the southwest of Bolivia.  Not a late night since we had to wake up early for the salt flats.

La Torre description of Day 3 (with a tiny bit of editing)

After driving by the Laguna Colorada you will pass through the Desert de Siloli to visit the famous Arbol de Piedra, one of the most visited by tourists.  The tree stone is an Eolic formation, formed of ignimbrite (petrified lava foam), volcanic rock.  The bottom part of the rock has a softer composition made up of Biotitic quartz crystals and others.  The top part of the structure has a great amount of harden materials rich in iron which makes it harder and resistant.

The rocks in this area have strange shapes that form through time.  This is due to the sediment that the strong and violent winds carry, hitting the rocks and sculpting them into different shapes.  After visiting this attraction you will arrive at Laguna Onda, the smallest of the surrounding lagoons.  It has a variety of wild ducks and partridges and offers a spectacular panorama, thanks to the surrounding extinct volcanoes and the different rock colors caused by numerous mineral deposits. 

You will continue at Laguna Chiarkota, at an altitude of 4285 m.  The lagoon is characterized by a very small number of flamingoes (all Lumber).  The mysterious colored water, due to the minerals that are found below its surface, can trigger anyone’s imagination.  On the shores of the lagoon one can find the nests of wild ducks and other birds.  Next is the Laguna Hedionda (a foul smelling lagoon).  This rather strange lagoon lies near Lagoon Cañapa at an altitude of 4250m above sea level.  The sulfur saturated waters of the lagoon give off an incredible odor that can be noticed from several kilometers around the area.  However, it is still a natural habitat for three varieties of flamingoes that fly from lagoon to lagoon in the region.  On the outskirts of the lagoon one can also observe the partridge nests in the Thola plants.  This will be the last lagoon that you are going to visit.  At an altitude 4265 meters above sea level, the lake spreads out more than one hectare, with a depth of only 10m at its deepest point.  Located at the foot of Mt. Cañapa, it is surrounded by mountainous terrain and extinct volcanoes.  The green colored water contrasts majestically with the flamboyant colored flamingos that inhabited the area.

After lunch we will pass by volcano Ollague (5865), which is classes as semi-active, as its crater is constantly releasing smoke and continue through the Salar de Chiguana.  Then you arrive in San Juan (3750m) with a population of approximately 980 Quechuan and Aymaran residents.  This village is one of the passing points on the route from the Salt Flats and is also an important place because it is the central distribution road that unites Uyuni, Tupiza and the Chilean border.  Necropolis de San Juan, which are archaeological evidence that pertain to the first habitants of these regions during pre-Hispanic times. 

From here you will head to the train cemetery, located (3600m) southwest of Uyuni.  At the cemetery one can observe a great number of antique steam locomotives and the rail cars of the early railroad days built mainly in France and England.  Now totally rusted, these trains transported minerals to the ports of Chile from where they were to be exported to the rest of the world.  Finally you will reach Uyuni where you will spend the final night.

Lagunas, geysers and hot springs: Southwest Bolivia tour day 2

Monday, April 25, 2011

(Short and sweet; more details from the La Torre description.  Oh, and if you hadn't noticed, my camera has spots on it again. Sigh.)

4:30am wake up, 5am breakfast, 5:30am on the road.  Drive by the ruins of San Antonio – barely light out, but definitely not a small Machu Picchu.  Laguna Morejon at 4,855m.  Breathtaking landscape.  Pay entrance fee and head south.  Green area with river.  Another lagoon with mountains reflecting in the water.  Polques hot spring.  Jon and I went in the water surrounded by snow-capped peaks.  After I dried off and changed clothes, I started feeling light-headed.  Monisha came over to help me since I temporarily lost my eyesight and my hearing went funny.  Sitting down on a rock and drinking some water helped a bit.

Laguna Morejon

Jon, Faye, me, Alex at Laguna Kollpa

Hot springs

Lunch at the hot springs.  On the drive to Laguna Verde is a striking multi-colored mountain.  Green colored water in the lagoon is incredible; mountain on the opposite side is the Chilean border.  Geyser field.  Smelled like eggs (of course).  Lots of bubbling mud.  Quick stop in Wayllajara, our town for the night, to secure beds.  Other jeeps had already arrived so we didn’t get first pick.  Drive to Laguna Colorada.  Amazing red lagoon with three types of flamingoes.  Perfect in the afternoon light.

Laguna Verde

Geysers

At Laguna Colorada

Flamingoes in Laguna Colorada

Back to town for afternoon tea.  Ran into Rene (Julia’s friend who I met in Cusco) and Heather (from horseback riding) who were also on a La Torre tour but we’re traveling on the same schedule.  After bundling up, we were served dinner.  Another very basic accommodation, basically the same type of facilities as the last. Luckily they put on the small old-fashioned stove in the middle of the dining area for a little heat.  All three La Torre groups sat around the fire.  I couldn’t help but be satisfied with my group.  We all seemed to be on the same page (chilled-out and in bed early), while our wingman jeep (we travelled together most of the time on the road) had two smokers and were interested in drinking.  Took another Ambien to get some rest.

Rene and me

Faye, Alex and me trying to stay warm

La Torre description of Day 2 (with a tiny bit of editing)

Today you will have to get up fairly early as today is the longest day (9 to 10 hours).  You will head through the abandoned ghost town of San Antonio or the small Machu Picchu as tourists who visit the area call it; because they compared both places (4690m). This place is a village once famous for its wealth in gold.  According to local legends (though stories seem to vary a bit!) the devil ruled here and forced the suffering villagers to flee.

After San Antonio you will pass the first altiplanic lagoon named as Laguna Morejon and the area of the same name, with formations of eroded volcanic rock.  After you will visit Eduardo Avaroa National Reserve and Quetena Chico, at an altitude 4150 meters above the sea level.  The village has a population of approximately 720 Quechua speaking residents who pan for alluvial gold.  They dig a one meter deep hole along the Banks of the river, manually washing the dirt until the much heavier gold separates to the bottom of the receptacle.  On average, each miner will take out between 15 to 30 grams of gold monthly resulting in a very small amount of cash.  Next you will pass through Quetena Grande and arrive at Laguna Kollpa.  Here large amounts of raw material are extracted for making soap.  If you want, you can get out and take a few photographs before continuing on through the Salar the Chalviri to arrive at the Polques hot springs, a popular destination.  Small reservoirs of hot water are formed with a temperature of these reservoirs around 26 to 30°C.  These thermal waters have medical effects that help to ease the rheumatism, arthritis and other pains.  You will have about an hour here for a swim and lunch.

Your next stop after lunch will be the Laguna Verde (4350m) located southwest in the Eduardo Avaroa National Park at an altitude on 4350m above sea level.  The green lagoon can be found at the foot of the Licancabur volcano.  This Lagoon has a surface area than 17 kilometers.  The incredible Green Lagoon is a salt water lagoon with an elevated content of magnesium, arsenic, lead and calcium carbonate, giving the lagoon a brilliant emerald color.  On the shores of the lagoon one can find giant volcanic black rock and saline boulders that bring the scenery together and make for a perfect picture.  The water has this color due to the constant wind that keeps it in motion this movement cause the minerals to mix with the water giving it that magical appearance.  We can consider this point as the border with Chile.

El Desierto de Dali is our next stop, a place with mountains of surrealist colors, reminiscent of the photos of Salvador Dali and rock formations of petrified lava.  Then you will arrive at the “Sol de Mañana Geysers” (5000m above sea level).  This volcanic area lies an hour south by car from Laguna Colorada, at an altitude of 4855m above sea level.  In this volcanic basin, one is able to observe the bubbling mud, geysers and “fumaroles” emerge from the depths of the Earth.  Fumaroles are cervices in the Earth where volcanic lava, sulfuric and other type of gases are emitted out into the air, a nauseating smell.

Geysers are the fountains of water that sprout up from below the Earth in water and vapors and form thermal pools like those of Challviri where one can bathe in water temperatures ranging from 26 to 30 C.  In many cases, the salts and minerals in the water are ideal in the curing or relieving of rheumatism, arthritis, stress and other illnesses. 

Before heading to Wayllajara, where you will spend the second night, you will visit Laguna Colorada. Located 582 kilometers southwest of Uyuni at an altitude of 4278 meters, Laguna Colorada sits at the foot of the Colorado and Negro mountains.  The lagoon has a surface area of more than 60 kilometers and a depth of only 80 cm.  The temperature may drop down below -20 C during the winter season.  Laguna Colorada receives its name from the fiery reddish colored waters, which are caused by the presence of plankton and microscopic flagellate algae of the species called Unadilla salina, that contain a red colored pigment that is emitted with a great intensity between 11am and 4pm, when the solar radiation and temperatures composts made up of sodium, borax, gypsum and magnesium.

Observe the red lagoon.  A beautiful view of the red lagoon, it also has information in Spanish and English of the biological environment that exists in the lagoon such as flora, microorganisms, geological, climate and other interesting facts.  The first attraction where you will see masses of flamingos in the warm season.  The lake is fairly shallow but has interior islands of borax and ice and its rich red color is caused by chlorofitas bacteria and sediment in the water.

The lagoon is also home to three types of flamingos: the Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), the James flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) and the Chilean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus chilensis) that arrive to mate and reproduce in the freezing cold and elevated lakes.  These flamingos have a sophisticated nutrition filtration system used in the laces with a high amount of alkalinity, they feed on the plankton and seaweed, which are sucked and filtered from the water beaks, various times per second.  The tiny particles are then trapped in the plumage, producing the impressive fiery reddish color as well as giving origin to the intense orange-ish season and more than 5300 nest have been recorded during the rainy and reproductive season.  This is one of the few sanctuaries in the world where all the flamingo types nest.

Into the heights: Southwest Bolivia tour day 1

Sunday, April 24, 2011

(Not even sure if anyone is reading this since I haven't had an update is three weeks, but I am trying to catch up.)

Salar de Uyuni tour starts!  Breakfast at 8:30am before meeting my group.  The three of them were hanging out in the tour office and I guessed it was Jonathan, Alexandra and Francesca (Jon, Alex and Faye).

We got started a bit late (supposed to take off at 9am) but instead of heading straight out of town we made about six stops gathering various food items and supplies.  The four of us looked at each other with skepticism.  What were our driver Gonzalo and cook Jaclyn doing?  When we finally got on the road, our driver sped like crazy down the windy cliff-dropping roads.  Bit terrifying… and I thought I’d booked with a tour operator with safe drivers.  We caught up to the other cars at the first viewpoint, Sillar.  

 

Gonzalo didn’t break again, as our Toyota Highlander passed other jeeps, until we reached Awanapampa, our lunch stop in a field of llama.  Jon even asked if it was really necessary to pass and our driver Gonzalo simply replied yes.  So we sat there holding on to our seats hoping for the best.  Lunch was pretty basic, self-serve sandwiches with cheese, meat slices, tomato, onion and cumber, all having been cut by Jaclyn’s hands (which had in no way been washed).  Also on offer were alpaca tamales.

After lunch we had a three hour drive to San Pablo de Lípez through stunning scenery of snowcapped peaks and river valleys.  Jaclyn served up some bubblegum lollipops (a very sweet afternoon snack) on arrival in the small town where we were given a few minutes to stretch our legs and snap some photos.

San Pablo de Lipez

We were the first jeep to pull up in San Antonio de Lípez at 5pm (a good thing since there are no reservations permitted, simply first-come first-serve).  We settled in to our five-bed room, each bed stacked with three blankets as a substitute for heating; I was glad I rented a sleeping bag.  I expected basic, and it was basic.  One light, hard mattress, no outlets, no shower, one flushing toilet for about 15 people and one sink with ice-cold water.  My face wipes came in handy since I had no interest in freezing my face even further. Jaclyn set up an afternoon snack with some crackers, cookies, dulce de leche, jam and tea/coffee/hot chocolate.  A very pleasant, unexpected treat.  Before sunset, we took a stroll around town, the highlight of which was the incredible mountains in the distance, as the town consists of small adobe houses and a church. 

View from San Antonio de Lipez

Our group enjoyed a dinner of soup and meatballs with mashed potatoes.  We sat under the dim light trying to stay warm, even though we were wearing all of our layers.  A venture outside to experience the night sky with no other light source ended up being short due to the extreme cold.  We stood for a couple minutes observing the Milky Way, Southern Cross and Orion’s belt before rushing back inside.  I sorted out my sleeping bag and sleeping liner and gently climbed into bed.  It was only 8:30 but I was exhausted and not looking forward to a 4:30am wake-up call.  To make sure I slept through the night, I popped an Ambien, and slowly, breathing very heavily (since we were at over 4,600m, or 15,000 feet, above sea level), drifted off to sleep.

La Torre description of Day 1 (with a tiny bit of editing)

Today you will visit the Quebrada de Palala, a spectacular jagged rock formation, formed over many years by intense erosion and rains of the mountainside.  After this you will head on to the Sillar where you will have few minutes to get out and enjoy this dramatic landscape. Here you will appreciate some cacti which belong to the area before we continue on through Nazarenito, a small gold mining community.  Then you visit “Awanapampa” whose main characteristic is its massive amount of llama.  For many years these animals have been used to transport salt, charke (llama meat dehydrated) and other things in exchange for corn, sugar, etc.  The llamas travel from the biggest Lipez altiplanic to Tupiza, Tarija or other valley regions.  The journey takes between 15 to 20 days which is why they must stop in Awanapampa.  

After visiting this nice landscape you will continue your trip visiting Cerrillos, Polulos, San Pablo de Lípez, where you will be able to appreciate animals like vicuñas, suri, zorro andino, alpaca, etc.  Also you will appreciate altiplanic plants such as yareta, commonly used for cooking in the region, paja brava other type of plants used for building roofs.  Finally, through San Pablo de Lípez you will arrive at San Antonio de Lípez (4260m, population 250) where you will spend your first night.  If you can stand the cold, it is recommended heading outside for a few minutes to appreciate the immensity of the Milky Way above you, because in San Antonio there is no light pollution and the sky is truly breathtaking.

Riding around Tupiza

Friday, April 22, 2011 – Saturday, April 23, 2011

Full day of travel.  Woke up to have a pancake breakfast at the hostel.  Was still waiting for my tickets, a bit nervous about getting them, but the guy finally showed up at 9:30am.  He walked me to the bus station and pointed out my bus.  While I was wandering around wasting time, I ran into Chris (from my hostel) so I had company until I boarded.  A large woman with a young boy sat next to me.  She seemed to be pissed off that I was taking a more local bus and started talking at me that I should have paid more.  Traffic getting out of the city was crazy and the queues for gas reminded me of Myanmar.  Bolivia is noticeably poorer than other countries in South America.

Partway through the four hour bus ride, she decided to put up the arm rest.  I made a fuss because that was the only thing keeping her off my seat, and she furiously yelled back.  So for the rest of the ride, to my annoyance, the armrest remained up.  I couldn’t wait to get off that bus when we pulled up in Oruro.  Struggling to find a taxi, I eventually found some Bolivians who were also going to the train station and agreed to share the cab.  They even paid for me.  Such a contrast to the woman on the bus.

At the train station I decided to purchase my return ticket from Uyuni to Oruro.  Oddly it was more expensive than my ticket to Tupiza, which is farther.  Well, turned out it wasn’t so odd.  The agency that I’d bought the ticket from in Copacabana (with an office in La Paz) purchased a second class ticket, instead of first, even though I’d paid for first.  This was “mildly” frustrating, but I sucked it up and upgraded my ticket (which took a bit of time), concluding that I would return to the agency in La Paz and ask for a refund.

I ran into the nice people from the taxi who offered me some food, but I passed and said I’d see them on the train.  After dropping off my luggage, I found my seat in “first” class.  The first class on the Bolivian train wasn’t what I would consider first class, but it did have a large flat screen TV and blankets, and luckily, my seat was facing the direction in which we were traveling.  We took off just after 3:30pm.

A woman from La Paz sitting in front of me struck up a conversation and after a few minutes invited me to a cinciñera in Tupiza.  I was flattered and considered going.  She introduced me to some of her friends and Marco, a Bolivian who spent 22 years living in Virginia, continued talking to me.  They invited me to the dining car for a late lunch, but because there were five of us I ended up at a table with just Marco.  A very friendly man, but he seemed a bit too interested.  The spaghetti bolognese had terrible flavor, so I ate around the meat and sipped my orange juice.  Marco didn’t offer to pay, thank goodness, and as soon as we settled the bill I headed back to my seat.

I read a bit until they put on The Tourist, subtitled in English.  When that ended I read a bit more before attempting sleep.  I was very restless and felt myself moving around a bunch.  I guess I eventually fell asleep because the next thing I knew Marco was shaking me awake, telling me we’d arrived in Tupiza.  It was 4 in the morning and freezing outside.  While I was grateful he woke me (I would have ended up in a town a few hours south otherwise), I decided that I couldn’t go to the cinciñera if I had to spend the whole night talking to Marco.

While I was walking down the platform, a woman approached me and asked “are you Erica?”  Of course I responded yes and she told me she was with La Torre, my hotel.  I had specifically requested a transfer but was told it wasn’t possible.  It tuned out that a couple that I’d met on the train were staying there too and had arranged a pick up.  I wasn’t complaining, and quickly located my luggage, before finding the jeep.  Once I got to my room at 4:30am, I organized a few bits and crashed until 9am.  I strolled downstairs at 9:30 just in time to catch the end of breakfast with the couple (Monisha and the Polish guy from the train).

At the travel agency I inquired about horseback riding and was informed I could take a tour at 3pm, so I went back up to my room to chill.  I read for a while and eventually took a hot shower before going downstairs.  Heather, from Toronto, and I enjoyed a three hour horseback ride with our almost silent guide.  We walked through town (it was hotter outside than I expected) to find three horses tied up on a tree.  We both looked at each other and shrugged.  It was a bit of a way down the railway tracks until we turned off into a more natural setting.  The surrounding hills reminded me of home while other bits of the trail looked like Arizona.

When our guide pointed out Devil’s door it was the first time he spoke in an hour.  Compared to Cusco, everything was dry, dry, dry with red colored sand and rocks.  The wind constantly blew dust in the air making it difficult to breathe, especially with the altitude.  About an hour and a half into the ride, we got off the horses to have a walk in a canyon.  We met an Australian couple and chatted (and posed for some pictures using their cowboy hats) for a bit before briefly scaling the rocks to have a better look in the “canyon”.  Our guide, who really followed our horses rather than lead, took a nap in the sun while we stood around for him. 

On the way back we took a different trail and came to a stream enclosed in concrete.  My horse hesitated a moment before jumping over the foot wide obstruction.  I went flying forward and held on to the horse to keep from being thrown over its head.  It was frightening.  Heather was laughing for a second before her horse jumped. 

Guide dropped us off a 15 minute walk from town.  Stopped into our hotels to wash up before going for dinner.  Shared the “doritos” (a plate of spongy bread covered in ketchup, mustard, mayo, onions and sausage) and I tried the chicken Milanese (very different from the others I’ve had).  Got back to my room by 8pm, and will do a bit of reading before going to bed.

Major update

I made it to Bolivia.  It’s Thursday night and I’m at a hostel in La Paz after having spent last night on Lake Titicaca in Copacabana.  I figure I’ll probably have time on the train tomorrow (I have a 13 hour ride starting at 3:30pm from Oruro to Tupiza) to catch up on a bit more writing, but I’m not sure what my internet connection will be like when I get to Tupiza and on Sunday I begin a four day journey in the Salar de Uyuni.  Therefore, I’m going to quickly highlight what’s been going on over the past three weeks.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Day out with Judy and Stuart.  Say goodbye to Sarah and Michael (and Sandy).  Pro-life demonstration in the Plaza de Armas by kids.  Q'enqo, caves, Tambomachi and Puka Pukara with our guide Isaiah.  Q’oriconcha, little time since Judy isn’t feeling great.  Tea and lemonade at Jacks.  Bit of shopping. Greens for dinner (run into Sarah, Michael, and meet the friends).  Say goodbye to Judy and Stuart.  Called parents from Bondiet and found out they were actually considering visiting Peru.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Day tour to Moray and Salinas.  At breakfast met the new girl in the house (for one week), Zehra, 34 year old Pakistani woman living in London for 7 years.  Drive to Moray, guide speaks horrible English.  Hour at Moray.  Drive to Salinas, a salt mine from pre-Inca times.  Back to Cuzco at 3pm (was supposed to meet the group for soccer game) and go for lunch at Jack’s.  Afternoon at Don Estaban, talked to dad a bit since plans for Cusco are starting to take shape.  Skipped dinner because of my late lunch, but met Erick, a 50 year old from England living in the house for two weeks.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Back to the weekly routine.  Class, all the new students in one class as there are only 5 people this week: me, Zehra, Erick and two women from northern California, Tina (who works at Kaiser) and Nancy.  After class is over, they split us in two for the rest of the week.  Lunch at home, new dish of chicken ceviche, pretty good.  Zehra and I go to town.  Afternoon at Bondiet online.  Dinner is special type of potato and rice.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Breakfast, class with Jossie, lunch, nap. Don Estaban. Talk to dad for almost two hours making plans for Peru.  Mom complains that the flight is a bit far for one week so I suggested she join me for Northern Chile (San Pedro de Atacama) and agreed to look into details. Home for dinner.  Online research.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Breakfast, class.  Lunch at Jack’s with Zehra.  Run around town to book train tickets and flights and check out some other things.  Dinner. Online researching since it looks like mom is coming with me to San Pedro de Atacama.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Breakfast, class.  Lunch, delicious vegetable soup, tomato and onion salad, beans with rice.  Taxi to town with Zehra.  Stop at 3 different hotels for my parents.  Agency to buy tickets from Juliaca to Lima and Lima to Antofagasta.  Bondiet for cappuccino and mocha cake.  Dinner.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Breakfast. Class – last day for Tina and Zehra. Pack for weekend in Ollantaytambo.  Lunch.  Met Tina, Nancy and Tina’s son Eric and girlfriend Tracy and her daughter Monica since they were also going to Ollantaytambo.  Taxi to bus station, ended up with a nice collectivo.  Arrive in Ollantaytambo by 4:30.  Checked into my hotel, they don’t have my name on their main list, but all is ok. Wander into town and main square.  Met a girl from Montreal on the street, Caroline, traveling on her own; chatted for a bit before she went to the train station.  Dinner at Puka Rumi, ordered the burrito with chicken, make your own type deal.  Talked to a guy from Vancouver, Steven, sitting at the table next to me, then to a family from San Francisco who were staying at the same hotel.  Walked with the family (Mike, Kate, Julie and Matt) in town and then back to hotel. Bed.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Relaxing day in Ollantaytambo.  Lunch at Heart’s.  Dinner at El Albergue (my hotel) with Tina, family and Nancy, fantastic steak, excellent food.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Election day in Peru.  Big day since everyone is required to vote.  11 candidates for president. Ollantaytambo is swarming with locals from the Sacred Valley who are there to vote. Beautiful day, sun is shining, warmest I’ve been in weeks.  Breakfast, then showered and packed. Checked-out and made reservation for when parents are here.  Walked into town.  Ran into Caroline.  Walked up to ruins on my own, meet a couple (Mexican/German) and then a girl from Ohio (whose parents are Argentinian and Bolivian) who is living in Ollantaytambo for a year working for an NGO.  Relaxed at ruins. Heart’s café for lunch; sat with a Canadian girl who is working in Cusco for two years.  Enjoyed the sun. Van back to Cusco but the arriving train only has a few passengers.  Found one van.  Beautiful sunlight on the drive back, huge rainbow when it starts raining.  Back at 5:30 and get a taxi home. Dinner with Erick, Ally and Danny.  Sad that Zehra is gone.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Breakfast. Class, walking with Erick is really quiet, turned out I had private lessons with Jossie for my last week. Lunch at home –tarwi, some local vegetarian dish made with cheese and milk, I didn’t like it very much.  Sun was out, read on porch a bit (Twilight in Spanish, with the English version on my kindle). Walked to town, buy train tickets (the woman sold me the wrong train at first), went to Hotel Picoaga to book room for my parents visit, got a discount.  Coffee at Bondiet to use wi-fi.  Taxi back.  Dinner at home.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Breakfast, class, lunch. Read outside. Taxi to Don Estaban.  Wrote for a bit.  Home for dinner, same as lunch. Wrote and read.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Breakfast, class. Lunch at Jack’s with Zehra since she was back from the Inca Trail.  Go to a few agencies about options for Bolivia, found out I can get my Bolivia visa here.  Bondiet for internet.  Dinner.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Breakfast, class.  Taxi to Bolivian consulate, but it was already closed, went home. Lunch. Read for a bit.  Go back to Bolivian consulate.  Turns out I don’t have all the papers I need, start crying, don’t even know exactly why, but the guy is telling me that I need to have hotel reservations, etc.  He can process the whole thing in five minutes, so I tell him I’ll come back on Monday.  First time near Avenida de la Cultura, a more modern part of town and nicer than I expected.  Saw a Don Estaban on the way to the consulate, so I walked there after my terrible meeting to have a cappuccino and mocha cake.  Uploaded photos, talked to mom and tried to figure out Bolivia.  Taxi home. Dinner.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Last day of class!  Four weeks went by so fast. Took Jossie to lunch at Heidi’s afterwards.  Travel agent to book my bus ticket from La Paz to Cusco then to Tortamundos to print off my newly reserved hotels.  Taxi home to pick up a few items for the visa then to the Bolivian consulate.  Man was surprised to see me back again but I had all the paperwork.  Bank to deposit visa fee then relaxed at Don Estaban before going back to get my visa.  Man was really friendly and I ended up sitting through three short movies on Bolivia before telling him I really needed to get home.  Picked up a chocolate cake for Ally, Danny and Franklin.  Big dinner for my “last” night (Saturday was my last night).  Pisco sour, roasted chicken and fries (from outside) and Coke.  My cake for dessert.  Great night.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Spent the day packing, reading and just relaxing.  Lunch at the house.  Popped to Don Estaban for internet.  Dinner at home, made me wish the last night was my last night.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Slept in.  Ally and Danny went to a memorial service and Franklin asked if I wanted to wait to have breakfast.  Since it was my last meal I said sure, but I didn’t realize that Ally’s family would be coming over.  There were more than 16 adults and 5 kids, and it wasn’t even her whole family.  Craziness!  Relaxed in my room.  At 1pm went to say goodbye but they insisted I join for lunch at Ally’s daughter’s house.  Turned out ok since I got to see Franklin’s house (under construction).  Finally got to hostel around 4:30pm, not as great as I expected.  Picked up bus tickets, stopped by Chabad to get my Seder ticket and went to Bondiet to call home and Shell (who had a funny story for me).  Dinner at 7:30pm with the family from school (Kristen, Frank, Maddie and Isabel) and their friends who were visiting (Karen, with her daughter and daughter’s friend and another couple with their two kids).  Fun night.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Tried to sleep in.  Breakfast at hostel then online but computer took forever to start.  Stopped by Andean Wings to make sure we didn’t have a reservation, Picoaga to give my parents flight details and Eco Packers to make a reservation for the night I come back to Cusco.  Lunch with Jon (a mutual friend of people in London) at Jack’s.  Plaza to watch the beginning of the procession.  Huge Christ figure, the men holding it looked in pain.  Bondiet again.  Back to hostel to get ready.  Jon and an Israeli from his hostel picked me up for Seder.  Turns out the building is one I used to walk past every day.  Seder with Chabad, about 1,000 people, all in Hebrew.  Didn’t sit with the English-speaking table but when I went to say hi, I ran into one of my campers from 11 years ago.  Small world!  Talked to family and people at my house for Seder when I got back.  Shower, bed.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Up at 6:15am to get ready to leave Cusco.  Transfer to bus didn’t show up, so I took a taxi to the First Class tourist bus.  Finally left around 8am and began the drive to Puno.  First stop at a church, second at some ruins.  Horrible buffet lunch.  Viewpoint and museum.  Arrived in Puno around 5:30pm and got a taxi to my hostel.  Man working there put me off a bit.  Pizza for dinner.  Shower, internet, bed.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Up at 6am to prepare for bus to Copacabana, Bolivia.  Taxi to station at 7am.  Boarded bus and left around 7:30.  Arrived at border around 10am (Peru time, Bolivia is one hour later).  No problems crossing or with my visa in Bolivia.  Continued on bus to Copacabana (on Lake Titicaca), arriving around 12:45pm.  I went to my hotel (had a view of the lake) and decided to spend the afternoon in town rather than rushing to Isla del Sol.  Lunch at Le Bistrot, took forever.  Wandered around Copacabana town and lake front.  Returned to hotel to relax on the hammocks, talked to a couple from Vancouver Island.  Dinner at hotel, before showering, reading and going to bed.

Today, April 21, 2011

Another early morning.  Wanted to go to Isla del Sol so I was up at 6:45am.  Breakfast at hotel before checking out.  Boat to Isla del Sol (delayed because the motor wouldn’t start).  Barely had an hour on the island but it was worth the trip.  Ran into a guy from my bus yesterday (Alain from Scotland).  Boat back to Copacabana, stopped at hotel for my stuff and went back to town.  Waited around for the bus but didn’t have enough time to eat lunch.  Bus left around 1:45pm and we arrived in La Paz at 5pm.  Shared a taxi to my hostel.  Alain was trying to check-in but they didn’t have beds.  For some reason they had me down for two, so he’s here as well.  Called home.  Went to the bar upstairs for my free welcome drink but not before starting dinner (chicken quesadilla).  Chilled with four girls from Melbourne, Alain and Chris (from my dorm).

And that brings me up-to-date.  Wow.  Tomorrow I have a loooong day of travel to Tupiza.  Night night.