voyage: Pérou et Bolivie / trip: Peru and Bolivia

Sucre, where we stayed 4 days, is a great town. From Sucre, we went to one of the biggest markets of South America: Tarabuco.

We left Sucre for our final destination, Santa Cruz (in the jungle). We mist our bus for 10 min and we booked the next hostel, so we had no choise. We had to go to Cochabamba and directly take another bus to Santa Cruz. In total we did about 20 hours of bus.

For our last days, we are staying in a very nice hostel with swimming pool. It is very hot and humid here. Tomorrow we are flying back home. We don't really want but...

Our trip to Uyuni was one of the best trip we did. After a few problem with the agency we booked or trip with. We were shure to go to the Salar of Uyuni but had to go with an other agency.

8.30 we were ready and packed on the meeting point. There we met or driver (Secondido) or cook (Profundia) and an English copel (John and Nora).

First day, we left Tupiza direction San Antonio de Lipez. We had to go up to 4200m so we were driving trough beautiful landscapes (some times a bit like the far west). We had our lunch in a old abounded mining village. At 4 PM, we arrived in San Antonio de Lipez it was a village middel of nowere they had electricity sinds 2 days. After a half night sleeping and a better one for Guillaume, we were ready for the next day.

Plan was to do the fantasma village (just ruines), few lagunas were we saw the first flamingos, few villages and a little salar (Salar the Chalvri). We stopped in Aguas Calientes. A natural hot water spring (37 degrees) where we had a little swim and our lunch.

Then we went to the Laguna Verde (green laguna) who is on the border with Chilli. Afthr the laguna we went to see the geisers at 4900m. Geisers means boiling mud (apparently 200 degrees hot). Endely we were heading for the hotel in Huaylijara. It was next to the Laguna Colorada, a red laguna with lots of flamingos. We went to see it before our meal. I forget to tell that we had a amazing cook. I think we took 5kg in 4 days.

Tirth days of the trip, the driver took us to the Stonen Tree, just a rock in shape of a tree, to 4 lagunas with always lots of flamingos, then the Salar of Dechiguana. From there we went direction Salar of Uyuni. We arrived at a salt hotel on the boarder of him. After a few card games of shit head (Guillaume and Nora triple shithead Vinc none) we saw the moon rising. Yes moon rise.

Fourth and last day. We started crossing the salar to see the sun rise. Amazing. In the Isla del Pescado, we had our breakfast it is a island of coral middel the salar.

The salar is beautiful and undiscrible. You have to see the pictures. We ended the trip in Uyuni with the train cimetery.

So like Guillaume said there was (or still is) a strike in Uyuni. Trying to get out of the city was impossible (unless you payed 300 dollars). The head of tourist of Uyuni tryed to organise a bus for all the tourist to the next city: Potosi. But no possobility so we tryed on our own. We went to the council were we met we don’t know who. He couldn’t do anything and after some complainings he called the secretary of the president (you know Evo the “guy” we saw in La Paz). All this stuff for nothing. He told us to go to the subprefecture. In the subprefecture you had one of the striker giving a live radio intervieuw (very funny). When we entered his office his only hightec machine (faxmachine) wasn’t working he told us he was expecting a fax and that this fax will end the strike. So normally half an hour later the strike would end. One hour later, it was officially confirmed that the strike would go on until friday (we were on tuesday).

(stolen picture)

We wrote a list with all the tourist who wanted to go out of the city. We ended with 72 tourists on the list. No permission had been given to the responsible of tourism to let cars out of the city, so she had the idea to drive the tourists to the blocate and from there catch the bus who was comming from Potosi and go back with the same bus.

Next problem: no diesel in the city. Finally around 11 PM, 35 of the 72 tourists could go to Potosi. First by car to the blocate 20 km far, then cruss them and in to the bus. It was a bit a permenant stress because they where scared that the bus would be blocked or attacked by the strikers.

After 6 hours sitting next to the driver with 2 others spanish boys we arrived in Potosi. (the bus agency asked at 3 persons to speak to the driver because they were scared he would fell a sleep. He drove 9 hours to come and will drive 6 hours back. So a total of 15 hours). The road was not one of the flatest and I had back pain so happy to arrive in Potosi. In Potosi the most of the people were going to an other direction: La Paz, Oruro, ... . We went with the same driver untill Sucre (total of 19 driving). Maybe it is a bit crazy but this is how he work.

In Sucre we had breakfast and we went straight to bed. I had, and have alraedy, my back hearting so thinking it would be better after a good night of sleep. Walking up this morning it didn’t go better we went to the hospital. I had a good injection in my buttem and a few pils. Everything is going better.

There is a taxi drivers strike who blocked all the city. 20 tourist, and at his head Vincent the big boss of the "association", try to have a bus to Potosi. H'is negociating with the coach agencies and the taxi drivers to start tonight.

Uyuni was the end of our trip. He's called "Gringo-town", town of tourist. There is absolutely nothing to do here and we hope have a lift to get out as soon as possible.

More information by Vincent in the next topic.

Comimg soon.

We are a bid disapointed about the city of Tarija. There is not a lot to do and to visit. It seems we lost 2 days in or trip.

We went to a vineyard were we could taste the different wines and Porto (this was good).

Second day we went to a lake that the touristic information center told us was good. When we arrive nothing to see.

Now we are going to Tupiza where we will start a trip in the Salar of Uyuni.

So like you know we went to Cochabamba there was not a lot to see. we just had a look trough the markets and  had a rest after the trekking we did.

On Sunday we went to Tarata, this village is famous for his ferias on Sunday. But when we arrived we had the good (or bad) surprise to have the Bolivian national trompet  contest. It was amazing during 5 minutes but no more.

after this we went back to Cochabamba to take the bus direction Potosi were we spend 2 days.

Potosi is until now the most beautiful city we visited. It's not very touristical but has lots of good restored buildings and is also famous for his silver mines.(we were not intrested to visit them).

Now we are going more south to Tarija. Tarija is famous for his wine production ....

We had a great trip. Sorata were we arrived is at 2.674m and is next to the Illampu mountain.

8am. in the morning we where ready and packed for the trip.

8.30am. guide (Alejandro) and his mule (Alberto) were waiting for us.

from Sorata we walked to laguna Chijllata, at 4,200m. we arrived at 4pm. ( it was a bit hard but nothing compaired with what will come).

it was time to set or tent and to have a good meal. Alejandro cooked very well.

Freezing cold night but we where well equiped. Next morning 6.30 am. we wake up. at 8.30 we were ready to go to the Laguna Glacial (5,030m). after 4 hours of walking and klimming we finally arrived. there we had a great view on  the glacier.

after an hour break we went back to our camp.

After very cold night when we woke up we had the good surprise to see that we were above the clouds.

we had to wait for 3 hours because our tent was frozen and we could go back down. Back in Sorata we were heading for La Paz were we are now.

we were lucky to have a nice guide. Alejandro is a local farmer, who like all the other guides, is doing this trip to earn more money. He knows lot about the mountains and for his 55 years was a very good trekker. (our dads who have more or less the same age wouldn't be able to do it). we have lot of picture but not possible to post them

are next stop is Cochabamba....

Today we left La Paz for Sorata it is a city 3 hours from La Paz. We wanted to go to Sorata only for 2 days. But we met french people who went on a 4 days trip to the mounthains and they told us it was butyfull. So finaly we will stay here 4 days. Tomorow we are going on a 3 day trip to the Laguna Glacial (more or less 5000m high). We expect cold weather and some snow.

We will put some photos but internet and computers are very slow. So quite impossible

It's allready 3 days that we are in La paz. It is very big city with 2.3 million inhabitans. Bolivia has 9 millions inhabitans (not like we sayed before)

First day we had a look true the city. Not a lot to see but the great thing about the city is to see how they live.

Second day we went biking on the death road. It was great. It was raining a lot so we didn't see a lot. But with the rain it seems more fun . We were very dirthy at the end. After a good shower and a swim in the swimming pool we were going back to La Paz.

Today we went to see a football match in La Paz: Bolivar-Oriente Petrolero (Bolivar one of the 2 teams of La Paz and champion this year. Oriente Petrolero is one of the 2 teams of Santa Cruz). Very bad level of football, lots of mistakes maken, it ended 1-1.

On our way back we stopped in front of a building "Vicepresidente del estado" full of police cars and bodyguards. We decided to wait. After one hour there he was Evo Morales himself. We have very bad pictures but we saw him.

Here we are with some frech news!!!!

Like we told you the Machu Picchu was very nice. From there we went to Ollantaytambo by truck. It was fun but we don't think we will do it again. At 15km/h in "not macadamed" roads.

From there we went to visit some salt terasses and Morray where they have impressionant inca terasses. At night, we were back in Cusco were we took the night bus direction Puno. Puno is both the biggest peruvian city before to the Titicaca Lake and the border. In Puno we had 2 days of chill out so we had enough time to organise the rest of the trip.

Bolivia.

We were looking forward to go to Bolivia. because we had a bit of a bad feeling in Perou when we were travelling . The thing we did on or own where great but the "orgenised things" were a mistake. People were liying to sell us tickets (expl. the final destination, arrivel time, ...) at the end you always discover you have to pay more.

Crossing the border was no problem we took the bus to Copacabana. First city in Bolivia, where we stayed for one night. We went to the Isla del sol. It is a island middel of the Titicaca Lake. It was not wonderfull but the landscape was great. We had a good walk true the island then we had a 1.5 hours boat trip back to Copacabana. From there we took the bus direction La Paz were we arrived last night.

Now we found good computers so we will try to put some pictures tonight.

So Guillaume asked me to write that Anderlecht won there UEFA match but we saw the great match of Standard de Liege in Bolivia and concluded that they didn't diserve to lose 2-3 but a 2-2 draw was a fair score.