Hot n Cold
Ohh Bonito
seems so far away as Im sitting here in a cybercaff freezing my nips off. Seems a long time ago but, once Im off this tour, there will not be so much, so often, to tell.
Learnt a new card game called Ring of Fire (Or Ring of Death) that was seemingly so complicated at the beginning and yet still achieved its aim, which was to get mightily pissed. Well there wasnt much else going on in the Pantanal at night. The Pantanal by the way is a huge wetland on the borders of Brazil & Bolivia, but just my luck, not in the 'wet season' so not looking quite like the pics in the brochure... Still less mozzies I guess but still swimming in a Cayman & Anaconda infested river (I asked why dont the Anacondas eat people- the answer was they eat the Cayman crocs blah!!), there were monkeys, armadillos(!), giant otters, and millions of birds (of the feathered plummage mind). It was pretty nice to see them not in a sanctury too. Went Pirahna fishing on the last morning there, bagged three and got the snaps to prove it- their teeth are effing massive and you wouldnt want those chompers nibblin on your toes.
A quick flight saw us in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in time for supper and most of us were pretty surprised at how un-3rdworldy it felt. Very modern nice town. Still, at every traffic stop little kids begged for money, trying to wash windows or juggle fruit in an attempt to get a bit of change. Found you could get a peppered steak dinner for 3 quid - not the best but how would you complain?! But cant really go on about Santa Cruz because we had to fly again - two short flights to get us to the town of Sucre. Man, we covered so much barren mountain desert in the plane and all I could think was 'how could the Spanish be ARSED colonising such a vast area? Even as we were coming into land it looked just like a town in the middle of HOURS of desert. I mean WHY?'
Still, Sucre caught my imagination and Ive decided Im going to love Bolivia, aside from it being as cheap as chips, the people seem very nice and peaceable and the whole backpacker thing just a bit more..relaxed.
In quick succsession Id better say that I got mortal in a bar in Sucre called The Joyrider Cafe, 4am finish and starting to feel the altitude horrors.. followed by an 8am start on a two hour bus ride to the markets (Tarabouco, 4,400mt above SL) and then purchasing lots of fluffy stuff of the Alpaca variety (Carla you would have been proud) hats, scarfs... in fact I shamed myself (look I know I was going to finish but you all know I go on a bit so leave it) when I successfully haggled for a hat & bag down from 65 Bolivianos to 60.. and then realsied Id saved 50p. I reckon the Bolivian geezer could have done with it more than me. Shame on me.
Ummm, had my first going to the Cinema Alone experience which was cool and felt like empowered female traveller... and then we whizzed off to .. here. The highest City in the World at 4040mts above SL :Potosi. Its nice and warm in the day but at night? Winter a tell thee, winter. Whats all that about? Thought I was chasing the sun, instead im chasing my last breath. You cant walk up a flight of stairs here without a sit down. Why's it here? Who would want to be here?
Miners, silver ones at that.
So today was going into the mines, which were in a horrific state. Dressed up like the Beastie Boys (yellow jump suit, wellies and hard hat/face mask - you'd like it Ryan) we somtimes had to crawl through passages on our bellies when we werent crouching through the mini-man sized corridors - it was fairly claustrophobic. Even had a go at 'helping a miner' chisle away. Think he might have thought we were a gang of sad losers but he liked the gifts of cigs, coca cola and coca leaves we had armed oursleves with before going in. Harsh life, glad its not me.
And to bring me right up to date - though im sure no ones reading this by now - swims in the hot springs and a Llama barbeque. The meat is tough, like a shoe. Not keen. And its soooo cold at night!
Off to the Salt deserts anyway. If Im still breathing by then.
seems so far away as Im sitting here in a cybercaff freezing my nips off. Seems a long time ago but, once Im off this tour, there will not be so much, so often, to tell.
Learnt a new card game called Ring of Fire (Or Ring of Death) that was seemingly so complicated at the beginning and yet still achieved its aim, which was to get mightily pissed. Well there wasnt much else going on in the Pantanal at night. The Pantanal by the way is a huge wetland on the borders of Brazil & Bolivia, but just my luck, not in the 'wet season' so not looking quite like the pics in the brochure... Still less mozzies I guess but still swimming in a Cayman & Anaconda infested river (I asked why dont the Anacondas eat people- the answer was they eat the Cayman crocs blah!!), there were monkeys, armadillos(!), giant otters, and millions of birds (of the feathered plummage mind). It was pretty nice to see them not in a sanctury too. Went Pirahna fishing on the last morning there, bagged three and got the snaps to prove it- their teeth are effing massive and you wouldnt want those chompers nibblin on your toes.
A quick flight saw us in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in time for supper and most of us were pretty surprised at how un-3rdworldy it felt. Very modern nice town. Still, at every traffic stop little kids begged for money, trying to wash windows or juggle fruit in an attempt to get a bit of change. Found you could get a peppered steak dinner for 3 quid - not the best but how would you complain?! But cant really go on about Santa Cruz because we had to fly again - two short flights to get us to the town of Sucre. Man, we covered so much barren mountain desert in the plane and all I could think was 'how could the Spanish be ARSED colonising such a vast area? Even as we were coming into land it looked just like a town in the middle of HOURS of desert. I mean WHY?'
Still, Sucre caught my imagination and Ive decided Im going to love Bolivia, aside from it being as cheap as chips, the people seem very nice and peaceable and the whole backpacker thing just a bit more..relaxed.
In quick succsession Id better say that I got mortal in a bar in Sucre called The Joyrider Cafe, 4am finish and starting to feel the altitude horrors.. followed by an 8am start on a two hour bus ride to the markets (Tarabouco, 4,400mt above SL) and then purchasing lots of fluffy stuff of the Alpaca variety (Carla you would have been proud) hats, scarfs... in fact I shamed myself (look I know I was going to finish but you all know I go on a bit so leave it) when I successfully haggled for a hat & bag down from 65 Bolivianos to 60.. and then realsied Id saved 50p. I reckon the Bolivian geezer could have done with it more than me. Shame on me.
Ummm, had my first going to the Cinema Alone experience which was cool and felt like empowered female traveller... and then we whizzed off to .. here. The highest City in the World at 4040mts above SL :Potosi. Its nice and warm in the day but at night? Winter a tell thee, winter. Whats all that about? Thought I was chasing the sun, instead im chasing my last breath. You cant walk up a flight of stairs here without a sit down. Why's it here? Who would want to be here?
Miners, silver ones at that.
So today was going into the mines, which were in a horrific state. Dressed up like the Beastie Boys (yellow jump suit, wellies and hard hat/face mask - you'd like it Ryan) we somtimes had to crawl through passages on our bellies when we werent crouching through the mini-man sized corridors - it was fairly claustrophobic. Even had a go at 'helping a miner' chisle away. Think he might have thought we were a gang of sad losers but he liked the gifts of cigs, coca cola and coca leaves we had armed oursleves with before going in. Harsh life, glad its not me.
And to bring me right up to date - though im sure no ones reading this by now - swims in the hot springs and a Llama barbeque. The meat is tough, like a shoe. Not keen. And its soooo cold at night!
Off to the Salt deserts anyway. If Im still breathing by then.
posted by LesAlanos @ 3:41 PM
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