Tranquila in the altiplano

Right now I am back in Argentina, in a small pueblo called Humahuaca in the Northwest. I will be visiting a couple of small pueblos out here, which are small, idyllic and beautiful, before heading to Buenos Aires in a week. I have to say that its really nice to be back in Argentina! Its just psychological but I really love this country. So beautiful, varied, cheap and modern with a wonderful culture.

But my last few days in Bolivia were unbelievable. Bolivia is a relatively small country in South America and also one of its poorest but the landscape changes so quickly in breathtaking ways. I spent time in Copacabana, a hippy lakefront town, La Paz, a hectic capital city nestled high up in the mountains, Rurrenabaque in the Amazon Basin and now the Southwest altiplano. I just finished a 4-day trip through the salt plains, high altitude lagunas and rock formations that seem to come right now of an old-fashioned American western movie. The tour started in Uyuni and since I was heading to Argentina afterwards, I decided to take the tour that would drop me off in Tupiza near the Argentina border. It was more expensive than the roundtrip tours but it was totally worth it. Despite spending 6 or 7 hours a day in a very rickety, bumpy jeep, the trip has been the most incredible thing I've seen so far in round dos.

We started in Uyuni to visit the salt flats. Its the middle of the rain season but it actually worked out better at least for the salt flat. The entire thing, which is literally a flat plain of salt that produces over 20,000 tons of salt a year, is covered with water and reflects the sky above perfectly. Its so eerie and beautiful at the same time to see the blue sky and clouds under your feet.

The salt plains provide all the salt in South American and for many parts of the world. Bolivians come actually shovel the salt from the plains for processing.

We were lucky that we came during the rain season. The salt flats are covered with water so you get the perfect reflection of the sky. The horizon line almost completely disappears.

Me on the salt flats! These photos don't even do justice to how amazing it was.

Without the horizon line, everything loses perspective. Kind of lame I know but its also kind of funny.

Enjoying our delicious lunch! They provide the most amazing meals, which is even more unbelievable since the food was cooked and served from our jeep.

We also saw many multi-colored lagunas, which were beautiful in their own rights but what made them extraordinary was the number of flamingos in them. We're talking 13,000 feet and 40 degree weather and yet here they were with their beaks in the water and skinny legs sticking out. The landscape around the lagunas was also incredible. I felt like I was on the moon! I've never seen anything like it before.

Me, Matias and Mariela at the Laguna Verde. The colors come from the mineral deposits in the water.

Flamingos at the Laguna Colorada! What? Flamingos?? We're in 50 degree weather and over 13,000 feet and yet here they are. They eat the micro-organisms in the water (not fish as I originally thought).

We also visited some geysers. We went through some weird landscapes on the trip - it really boggles the mind.

Another beautiful laguna, this time at 6am. All this in just a couple of days!!

By the 3rd and 4th day, we found ourselves in landscapes that reminded me of the Southwest in the US. Incredible considering the location and the altitude! We were up to over 15,000 feet! That's even more incredible considering that is about the same height as Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48. I took so many photos but they really don't do justice to the views we had. All I could do was stare outside the window in awe for 4 days.

We passed through many very small, very poor little pueblos along the way. The houses are made of adobe, nothing is paved and work comes primarily from mining (in very horrifying conditions).

Dusty deserts at incredible altitudes.

We also passed many interesting rock formations. I swear I've seen rocks like this before...

Straight out of a western. Actually, this is near San Vicente, the alleged location of Butch Cassidy's and the Sundance Kid's last stance.

More incredible rock formations in that small valley. Really, all this in just 4 days of driving.

I also have to really hand it to our guide, Freddy. We started as a 6-person group but 3 people dropped out at the very last minute because one in their party was sick. It was very very fortunate for me and the 2 Argentinos in the group because we had the car to ourselves. The jeep was big but it would have been very crowded with 6! Anyway, since our group was so small, we lost our cook and our driver, Freddy, suddenly found himself as guide, driver AND cook. He always had a smile on his face and despite our worries over the car that literally felt apart in our hands and numerous flat tires, would always reply, "Tranquila, amiga! Tranquila!" So that was what I was even when our jeep brokedown or got stuck. Definitely an adventure!

Tranquila, amiga! Yeah, we're stuck in the road but its all okay! The roads were the worst I've every seen. I was amazed the jeep even got through some of the roads.

Fearless Freddy and his batmobile.

Also, another good thing came out of the salar trip. It turned out the 2 Argentinos, Matias and Mariela, were also heading into Argentina and spending sometime in the Northwest so we decided to travel together for the next week. They are really the nicest and coolest Argentinos around so its been great. Not to mention that how convenient it is to travel with natives :). They have everything in hand and it also gives me a chance to practice my Spanish. And so far its been smooth sailing and very relaxing in Argentina. Perfect end to my travels before heading into the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. I also want to thank Thomas, the nicest German-speaking Italian around, for his great company in Uyuni. My trip to Uyuni included almost 24-hours in various buses with NO bathroom breaks except when the buses arrived at their destinations and would have been pretty unbearable had I not met him on the bus. Bolivia buses plus the rain season isn't the best combo ever, let me just tell you. Anyway, we did enjoy some good old-fashioned American pizza in Uyuni in a place called Minuteman Pizza. A badly needed taste of home!

Me and Thomas in Uyuni beforea heading out on our respective trips.

Yes, yet another long post but this trip was by far the best thing I've done so far. I would seriously recommend it anyone who visits South America. Bolivia isn't the easiest country to travel through but this makes everything worth it. Right now, I'm just chilling out in Argentina. I'll eventually make my way to Salta by Wednesday and in Buenos Aires on Saturday (its a 22-hour bus ride from Salta to BA if you can imagine sitting in one place for that long!). Until then!

A princess in the amazon

Well, I'm back in La Paz after a week in the jungle! I made it back safe and sound with far fewer bug bites than I expected but more than enough to make my life miserable. We had a really great time in Rurrenabaque and we ended up doing a 3-day pampas tour (sort of grassy lowlands) and a 2-day jungle tour with also some time to relax and hangout in Rurre. It really was a fantastic trip and a chance to see the slower, small town side of Bolivia. Rurrenabaque is a small town northeast of La Paz and its the gateway into the Amazon Basin in Bolivia.

Our trip didn't start off so well. We were supposed to fly out to Rurre on Friday but because its the rain season and the runway in Rurre is grass, our flight was canceled for the day. So after spending 7 hours in the La Paz airport, we headed back into town to try again the next morning at 7am. I also got sick (again) so I was not really feeling well to travel. Luckily, we flew out on time on Saturday and we found ourselves in HOT, humid weather in an itty bitty town full of rustic restaurants, small tiendas and tour agencies. The tours to do in Rurrenabaque include trips to the pampas to swim with pink (no joke! pink!) dolphins, ride horses and admire the wildlife. The other trip is into the jungle and into the Parque Nacional Madidi, one of the most pristine, intact ecosystems in the Amazon. We had no trouble booking our tours and we were off the next day for the pampas.

First view of Rurre with some kids horsing around. The rain was pretty heavy the week before and flooded a lot of the town.

View from the balcony of our hotel in Rurre, Hostal Beni. Nice except there was a frog in the shower that scared the crap out of me!

Our first wildlife viewing, a macaw! Too bad it was at the restaurant where we had lunch.

The pampas trip was pretty relaxing. Because its the rain season, the water levels are really high in the rivers and we ended up spending most of our time in the boat, which would have been fine except they were these rickety canoes with hard wooden benches and NO shade. We spent our time riding in the boat, looking for wildlife, riding horses, riding in the boat, sleeping in hammocks and riding in the boat. 3 days of sitting on those benches was so painful! But we did get to swim with pink dolphins. Its weird to think that dolphins in general live in the rivers of the Amazon but they do! There are pink and gray ones - their coloring depends on what they eat apparently. Anyway, they are attracted by the sound of the motor so we were constantly seeing them playing near the boats. So cool!

Ready for the boat!

Five hours later....

Beautiful views of the still river water on the pampas tour.

We got up at the dawn to see some wildlife. It was impossible to get any wildlife pictures but we did see a sloth in motion. The best thing we saw was the sunrise.

My horse! As some of you might know, I'm not the best horsewoman to ever live. My horse was slow and nice and had a baby with it that followed it everywhere. Amber's horse was really fat and kept yawning. We thought it was pregnant at first but it turned out to be male.

A glimpse of a pink dolphin. They were IMPOSSIBLE to get pictures of! They would jump and take a breath but you could never tell where they would pop up. But when we were swimming they came within a few feet of us!

Our accommodations in the pampas were pretty nice. Full showers, flushing toilets and big mosquito nets. They were really nice except for the immense bugs! Well, it is the Amazon after all. Amber and I would freak out because they were these HUGE HUGE HUGE spiders in our room. We're talking visible eyes and hairy bodies. I think I'm a pretty hardy traveler and that I can take a lot of gross things but I have to draw the line at huge hairy spiders. I think I'm way too much of a princess for jungle life.

When we came back to Rurre, we decided we wanted a day break before heading out the jungle. It was a good decision since it turned out that we were in Rurre during their annual festival to celebrate the founding of the town. They festivities last 3 days during which they have these elaborate parades with costumes that depict the history of Bolivia from indigenous tribes to the Spanish invasion to today. They also filled the main square with games, booths, music and even a trampoline. That night we went to the square, had a couple of beers and listened to live bands playing folk music. It was such an interesting experience to see a festival in this little town.

Old man taking part of the parade. They paraded for days, dancing up and down the streets. I'm sure there's some historical significance but they even had a parade at 6am.

More dancing.

I'm not sure what the stuff of his face is or means but I got a picture of it.

Re-enacting the river. I thought the boy on top would fly off!

We then headed out to Madidi Park for the jungle tour. It wasn't as relaxing or as luxurious (relatively speaking. None of it was particularly luxurious) as the pampas tour but at least we did a bit of hiking. The hikes were like adventure walks through streams, up hills and through many many bushes. Actually, hiking in the middle of the Amazon is hard, hot and humid. But we saw some really interesting plants and gorgeous views. Overall, though the jungle was harder and more rustic, I liked that we were actually moving around and doing things. That said, 2 days was definitely enough!

Our cabins in the jungle. The structure to the right is just to hang up hammocks.

Some type of mushroom. Toxic, I'm sure.

Sun peeking through on a stream.

A tower of fire ants. Apparently building a house for themselves but it was over a foot tall! Ants everywhere in the Amazon.

Swinging on a vine! Its a bit blurry but you get the idea. Yes, I see the joke. Where's Tarzan, right?

Amber and me in front of an amazing view of Madidi. It was so hot during the walk up!

A cool relaxing swim after hiking through the rainforest all day. It felt sooo good!

And now we're back in La Paz. We're just here really to organize ourselves and set off for the next part of our trip. Amber and I are splitting up, which is a bit of a bummer because she's really great and because its easier to travel with another person but we have different plans. I'm not to worried though since I'm heading directly to Uyuni (well, after 16 hours worth of bus time) to meet up with a tour group to go through the Salt Flats, which are supposed to be out of this world. I'm excited to see them! I was pretty tired from so much traveling when I got to Rurre but because it was such a quiet, idylic place to be, I was able to recharge and now I'm ready for more!

This is how I want to remember myself on this trip.

Welcome to bolivia

Well, after kind of a hectic time in Cusco, I'm pretty happy to be in Bolivia. I took a night bus into Copacabana to see Lake Titicaca (yeah, laugh it up) from the Bolivian side. On the bus I met this really cook Alaskan named Victoria who introduced me to Amber, another cool brit chick. Together, we spent a couple of super-chill relaxing days in Copacabana. I definitely needed the vacation! We stayed at this amazing place called Hotel Colonial and it came out to about $4 a person per night! I read my book, ate some delicious salmon trout and just sat outside in the sun. It was so nice to just hang out.

The view of Lake Titicaca after the all-night bus trip. It was pretty disorienting but at least I got this lovely sunrise picture, even though its a bit off-center (hey, it was 5am!)

There isn't much of a beach at Copacabana but there are a bunch of colorful paddle boats.

View of Copacabana from the paddleboat. There isn't much except some hotels and trout restaurants.

Amber, me and Victoria post-paddleboat.

Amber and I climbed the nearby hill to see some religious statues there. We happened to be in Copa during the Festival of Little Things where people bring minatures of cars, houses, baggage, etc to the top to be blessed for the coming year.

Little things to be blessed.

The next day, Amber and I went up to the Isla del Sol. It had been raining that morning so we decided to go to the island in the afternoon. Too bad the boat took about an hour and a half to get there (sooooooo slooooooowwwww) so we actually only ended up having about an hour on the actual island. We scrambled up as high as we could to get some photos but we didn't have time for much else. In any case, the boat ride was lovely.

View of the lake from Isla del Sol.

Caught an old women in traditional dress. They are very superstitious about photos but I wanted to show everyone how they dress. I didn't steal her soul, I promise!

Some guys paddling through the lake. We were probably moving at the same speed in our motorized one. We were actually told to sit as far forward in the boat as possible to make it go faster.

We also ran into a couple of people, Jacklyn and Shane, who did the Inca Trail with me. We decided to meet for dinner but because things run so haphazardly in Copa, we went to the one restaurant that was open. It was packed (as the only one open) but there was only one waiter on duty. So we were patient, waiting to order, waiting to get our drinks and waiting for our food. Its amazing how slowly things can run in Copacabana. Its like they didn't want our money! When we finally got our food, it was horrible. Soup that tasted it came out of a can and pasta that tasted old and packagy. The only good thing was the trout but since they were serving it all over the place, they really couldn't have messed it up. We had a good laugh but it was disappointing after eating so well thus far. But I still enjoyed my time in Copa and would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting Bolivia.

It turned out that Amber and I had similar travel plans so we decided to travel together through Bolivia and parts of Argentina. It works out so well since we can share hotel rooms and just keep an eye out for each other. Not as many people speak English in Bolivia so it helps to have a travel buddy. We won't actually be spending too much time traveling on our own since we are hooking up with 2 tour groups while in Bolivia. The first is in the jungle, which will be a 5-day tour through the Amazon and the Pampas. We'll see bugs, rain, bugs and more bugs!! But we will also see pink dolphins, which I'm excited about. The other tour will be through the salt plains but we haven't finalized plans yet.

We are currently in La Paz, which doesn't have much to recommend it except it has EXTENSIVE markets, including a huge black market. We did a bunch of shopping and now I have a big package that I'm going to be sending home so Mom, you'll be able to see what I've been up to! I would have taken more pictures of the markets but Bolivians are more sensitive to photography, which is pretty understandable. The markets sell everything imaginable from food, lamps, DVD players, knock-off clothes, you name it. Insane.

Really, the city is pretty dirty and ugly but it is the highest city in the world (4,500m)!

I took a sneaky picture of the markets and its of the traditional women skirts.

I even got a picture of the Witch's Market. If you look closely, you can see some llama baby skeletons with dried fur on them. Gross!

We're heading up to Rurrenabaque tomorrow for our jungle tour so my next post will be after that. I'm sure the most I will have to report will be the insane number of bug bites I will get but thankfully I have a bunch of malaria pills to get me through it! Thank god for vaccinations!