After recovering from my unplanned drinking in La Paz I made it to Copacabana on the Bolivian edge of Lake Titicaca the highest fresh water lake in he world at an altitude of just shy of 4000 meters!
I was unsure of how long I would spend here because ongoing boarder issues so I planned a few activities to keep me occupied.
Copacabana has he feel of a small seaside town with a rustic beach side, again it had a chilled out Bolivian vibe. The Bolivians are certainly relaxed and friendly people it must be all the coca they chew!
I spent the first day climbing up a hill (mountain!) to view, what turned out to be, very limited Inca ruins!
The next day I planned the first day of two on the Isle del Sol... an island on Lake Titicaca which is, in legend, the birthplace of the Inca religion and empire. I took the early boat to the north of the island. My plan was to trek along the mountain ridge to the south, stay overnight and return the next day. As it turned out by the time I'd viewed the Inca ruins and trekked the (exhausting at altitude) 4km to the South I was in time for the afternoon boat back to Copacabana and so didn't actually end up staying. Was still a cracking day though.
I'd heard a rumor that the Bolivia Peru boarder was closed (again!) due to ongoing protests my indigenous people in the Peru side over mining contracts. I found out all buses were canceled until further notice so book a boat to Puno. Little did I know what I had in store for the next day!!!
No buses were going from Copacabana to Puno (according to the 11 agencies I trawled around). On the 16th June buses were attacked by protesters throwing rocks so all companies suspended buses until further notice.
I took a boat but this was equally difficult.
The 8.00am boats were massively oversold with those travelling to the border being packed onto rowing boats and taken to the boats only to be sent back due to overcrowding.. I was not even taken to the border before being told my boat was cancelled.
I then booked onto the (more expensive) fast boat at 11am. We got to the Yunguyu/Kasani border but just as we were stamped out of Bolivia the protesters showed up at the Yunguyu/Kasani border and closed that. We waited 3 hours for them to disperse before we could stamp into Peru.
We were then taken to the boat through fields to avoid the protesters. Unluckily they spotted us on the way and confronted us. Luckily a Colombian traveller negotiated with them and eventually once we each paid them 10 soles they let us get to the boats.
The boats we were on then ran out of fuel 30mins from Puno so we drifted for an hour until another boat brought us some extra fuel. I eventually arrived in Puno an 8.30pm. Some journey!!
But hey I arrived so it could have been worse.
After all of that fun Puno was quite relaxed. Unlike Copacabana Puno is a city. I spent weekend wandering around looking at the great markets and trying (unsuccessfully) to find some football to watch.
I also managed to visit the floating islands. A community of people who live and man made reed islands on Lake Titicaca. Fascinating to see but way too geared up to tourists.
Surprise surprise the road to Cusco was blocked by protesters and so I had to book a 12 hour night bus (it normally takes 6) but hey, at least there were buses going....
Saturday, 9 July 2011
Friday, 8 July 2011
La Paz & Rurrenabaque
Okay I'm back...
iPhone has been replaced with an iPod Touch and the blog can resume. I've got some catching up to do!!! So where we... Arriving in La Paz that's where.
The first thing I noticed about La Paz was the amount of uphill involved. The second thing was the ridiculously high altitude. Once I got my head around those two (which took a while) I spent a week or so exploring the place.
The first two days were pretty much wiped out once I went out drinking with the owner of the loki hostel, but I didn't manage to book my ticket for the "death road" cycling.
The death road is the most dangerous road in the world, it's single lane gravel road that descends approx 3500 meters in 3 hours. On one side is a shear drop off of the cliff... An average of 2 travelers die each year off the edge.... I didn't die!
Next up was a flight to the jungle for 6 days. The plane was a 20 seated biplane which was an experience, but nothing compared to the airport at Rurrenabaque!! A grass field with a straw hut is probably the best description!!
Rurrenabaque was my favorite place in Bolivia, it had a chilled out vibe and plenty to do if it took you fancy. On my first day I booked my jungle trip with an Eco-lodge and had half a day spare. I made use of this by booking a kayaking trip a short way along the Rio Beni including a short trek to a natural pool for a bit of a swim. Certainly a nice way to welcome the change from dusty Andes to Amazon basin.
The jungle trip turned out to be a highlight of my whole trip. The company I booked with was actually the tourist arm of a community based on the edge if the Madidi national park. All of the trip was on their land and the guide were all from the community and so had grown up on this land.
Day one was in the community visiting a village ( the only one of 7 open to tourists) and trekking to a natural pool for a swim. I was with a family of 3 in including a four year old. He certainly enjoyed the swimming!!
Day 2 we took a 3 hour boat into the Madidi Nation park, although still on Ticana (the tribe) land. We had two days in the deep jungle to do several wildlife treks. We we incredibly lucky seeing loads of animals quite rare in the deep jungle, including 3 types of monkey, wild boar, a tapir, capybara and made others. We also saw numerous birds including, a particular highlight of mine, a Toucan!!!
After an amazing 2 days I had an extra day back in the community where I had great trek though a canyon and learnt about traditional hunting method's. As I said before, definitely a highlight of the trip.
God knows what possessed me, but I decided to book a day zip lining in the jungle tops to finish of the trip... I've never been so terrified in my entire life!!
Back in La Paz I got stuck for a day because of a strike preventing my onward trip to Copacabana and so did what any normal person would do... Visited the Coca/Cocaine museum and then went out drinking....
Pictures from my time in India up to Uyuni are now up on my picasa page...
http://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge
iPhone has been replaced with an iPod Touch and the blog can resume. I've got some catching up to do!!! So where we... Arriving in La Paz that's where.
The first thing I noticed about La Paz was the amount of uphill involved. The second thing was the ridiculously high altitude. Once I got my head around those two (which took a while) I spent a week or so exploring the place.
The first two days were pretty much wiped out once I went out drinking with the owner of the loki hostel, but I didn't manage to book my ticket for the "death road" cycling.
The death road is the most dangerous road in the world, it's single lane gravel road that descends approx 3500 meters in 3 hours. On one side is a shear drop off of the cliff... An average of 2 travelers die each year off the edge.... I didn't die!
Next up was a flight to the jungle for 6 days. The plane was a 20 seated biplane which was an experience, but nothing compared to the airport at Rurrenabaque!! A grass field with a straw hut is probably the best description!!
Rurrenabaque was my favorite place in Bolivia, it had a chilled out vibe and plenty to do if it took you fancy. On my first day I booked my jungle trip with an Eco-lodge and had half a day spare. I made use of this by booking a kayaking trip a short way along the Rio Beni including a short trek to a natural pool for a bit of a swim. Certainly a nice way to welcome the change from dusty Andes to Amazon basin.
The jungle trip turned out to be a highlight of my whole trip. The company I booked with was actually the tourist arm of a community based on the edge if the Madidi national park. All of the trip was on their land and the guide were all from the community and so had grown up on this land.
Day one was in the community visiting a village ( the only one of 7 open to tourists) and trekking to a natural pool for a swim. I was with a family of 3 in including a four year old. He certainly enjoyed the swimming!!
Day 2 we took a 3 hour boat into the Madidi Nation park, although still on Ticana (the tribe) land. We had two days in the deep jungle to do several wildlife treks. We we incredibly lucky seeing loads of animals quite rare in the deep jungle, including 3 types of monkey, wild boar, a tapir, capybara and made others. We also saw numerous birds including, a particular highlight of mine, a Toucan!!!
After an amazing 2 days I had an extra day back in the community where I had great trek though a canyon and learnt about traditional hunting method's. As I said before, definitely a highlight of the trip.
God knows what possessed me, but I decided to book a day zip lining in the jungle tops to finish of the trip... I've never been so terrified in my entire life!!
Back in La Paz I got stuck for a day because of a strike preventing my onward trip to Copacabana and so did what any normal person would do... Visited the Coca/Cocaine museum and then went out drinking....
Pictures from my time in India up to Uyuni are now up on my picasa page...
http://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Salar de Uyuni and Southern Bolivia
To make the trip from Chile to Bolivia I booked a 4x4 trip across the Atacama desert and then across the Salar de Uyuni, the worlds largest salt flat. The trip was in a Landcruser with space for 6 people, although luckily our group was only 4 people so we had loads of space.
The whole journey to Uyuni in southern Bolivia took 3 days. Each day saw a completely different landscape
Day one we began by visiting several laguna´s, each a different colour, high in the volcano strewn mountain ranges dividing Chile and Bolivia. We also stopped at a hot spring situated at an altitude of 4200m and the incredible Sol de Manana Geyser Basin at 4950m! We finished the day at visiting the surreal Laguna Colorada. A laguna that's water is a bright red colour as a result of algae growing within. It is also home to hundred's of flamingos making a spectacular sight!
Day two began with a trip to a collection of desert rock formations cause by erosion of the different density volcanic rock. This was followed by several more laguna´s including the aquamarine coloured Laguna Verde at 5000m altitude. In the afternoon we visited the basin of one of the (long dormant) volcano's to see the bizarre lava formations. We finished the day arriving at a hostel made of salt on the edge of the Salar de Uyuni
Day three began with an early start to watch the sun rise on the otherworldly sight that is the Salar de Uyuni salt flat. This was followed by a visit to a volcanic cacti strewn island in the middle of the salt flat itself. The next few hours were spent viewing the salt flat from various different angles before we arrived at the edge of the town of Uyuni. The last sight of the trip was the railway graveyard, a collection of rusting steam trains and carriages that used be used to transport minerals from the region before prices made the extraction uneconomical.
The trip complete I stopped in Uyuni for two nights to wait for the train to Oruro, my next stop on the way to La Paz. Although I´d been told there was nothing to do in Uyuni I made the most of it. First up on arriving I found a bar where I could watch the Champions League final. That done I explored the entertainment options Uyuni had to offer. First up was the best pizza I´ve had since travelling at Minuteman Pizza, a restaurant run by an American. Next up was a few beers with some friends I made along the way before bed.
My full day in Uyuni I visited the local museum and predictably went to a local football match! The train journey was a pleasant overnight one to the city of Oruro .
Oruro is not really on the standard traveller route through Bolivia but I decided to stay overnight, I was glad I did. although Oruro wasn´t much to look at it had a nice central square, a great market and in the evening I had really good fun having a few beers in a local bar.
La Paz was only 3 hours by bus so the next nooning I headed to the bus station top catch one of the regular buses...
(Apologies for the lack of pictures and updates, I´ve been having technical difficulties also known as a dead iPhone)
Saturday, 4 June 2011
San Pedro de Atacama
After an amazing trip through the Andes mountain range I arrived in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile), a oasis town in the centre of the Atacama desert.
My primary reason for stoping here was to arrange a 4x4 trip across the Salar de Uyuni salt flats into Bolivia, but I decided to spend a couple of days to explore the Atacama desert.
First up was a trip to the Moon Valley to watch the sun setting on the distant Andes. A really pleasant couple of hours trip which highlighted the unique features of the Atacama desert landscape.
Secondly was a stargazing trip in the desert. This was one of the highlights of my trip so far!
A two hour trip, during the first hour the expert astronomers explained the southern sky. The naked eye view was incredible I had never seen anything like it. Several distant galaxies were visible, along with Saturn and a huge part of the Milky Way.
The second hour we were able to make use of 9 telescopes set up to view the best the sky had to offer and we were shown how to take pictures of the night sky however cheap your camera is.
The next day I visited a pre colonial fort built by indigenous tribes in the mountains surrounding San Pedro, before going for a small trek to visit a recommended valley nearby.
Although San Pedro was a place geared up entirely to tourists I enjoyed my couple of days stop.
My primary reason for stoping here was to arrange a 4x4 trip across the Salar de Uyuni salt flats into Bolivia, but I decided to spend a couple of days to explore the Atacama desert.
First up was a trip to the Moon Valley to watch the sun setting on the distant Andes. A really pleasant couple of hours trip which highlighted the unique features of the Atacama desert landscape.
Secondly was a stargazing trip in the desert. This was one of the highlights of my trip so far!
A two hour trip, during the first hour the expert astronomers explained the southern sky. The naked eye view was incredible I had never seen anything like it. Several distant galaxies were visible, along with Saturn and a huge part of the Milky Way.
The second hour we were able to make use of 9 telescopes set up to view the best the sky had to offer and we were shown how to take pictures of the night sky however cheap your camera is.
The next day I visited a pre colonial fort built by indigenous tribes in the mountains surrounding San Pedro, before going for a small trek to visit a recommended valley nearby.
Although San Pedro was a place geared up entirely to tourists I enjoyed my couple of days stop.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Salta
After the beauty of Iguizu I was a bit apprehensive over what to expect in Salta. I needn't have worried!
Salta is the capital of a huge state of northern Argentina bordering Bolivia to the north, Paraguay to the east and Chile to the west.
I arrived after an uneventful luxury 24 hour bus journey and immediately found my hostel. A pleasant place about 5 blocks from the centre of town. I was in a dorm but was lucky enough to be on my own for my entire stay which was a touch!
Salta is a great base for two reasons, first it is a picturesque city with colonial architecture and a great nightlife. Secondly it is a great starting point for exploring the surrounding countryside.
I decided to stop here for a week and quickly began planning my activities. The three outings I settled on were a trip to Cafayate through a fantastic gorge. The train to the clouds and some more whitewater rafting...
Once all these trips were booked up I hit the town, taking a cable car up the nearby mountain (1500 meters) for a great view over the town and then visiting a few of the local museums. The High Altitude Archaeology Museum, featuring a complete 3000 year old mummy was a particular highlight. That evening I hit the town to sample Salta's famous nightlife. It was a similar experience to Buenos Aires in that nothing started until gone midnight, something I'm still struggling to get used to.
Trip to Cafayate:
I was up early for this organised trip (6.30 ouch). It was a bus trip stopping off at several fascinating gorges and other rock formations
The afternoon involved a trip to a wine distillery and a trip to the town of Cafayate itself, a really nice trip overall.
Train to the clouds:
This was an 16 hour train ride up into the mountains that border Argentina and Bolivia. Initially built for mining use the train now runs four times weekly as a tourist attraction. On the 8 hour journey up you really get to see what a magnificent feat of engineering this was at the time it was built. The tide finishes at an aqueduct at 4200 meters before the long trip back down!
Whitewater rafting:
A really pleasant days rafting down through the green valleys south of Salta. Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge/RaftingInSalta#
Next up is a trip across to Chile on route to Bolivia...
Salta is the capital of a huge state of northern Argentina bordering Bolivia to the north, Paraguay to the east and Chile to the west.
I arrived after an uneventful luxury 24 hour bus journey and immediately found my hostel. A pleasant place about 5 blocks from the centre of town. I was in a dorm but was lucky enough to be on my own for my entire stay which was a touch!
Salta is a great base for two reasons, first it is a picturesque city with colonial architecture and a great nightlife. Secondly it is a great starting point for exploring the surrounding countryside.
I decided to stop here for a week and quickly began planning my activities. The three outings I settled on were a trip to Cafayate through a fantastic gorge. The train to the clouds and some more whitewater rafting...
Once all these trips were booked up I hit the town, taking a cable car up the nearby mountain (1500 meters) for a great view over the town and then visiting a few of the local museums. The High Altitude Archaeology Museum, featuring a complete 3000 year old mummy was a particular highlight. That evening I hit the town to sample Salta's famous nightlife. It was a similar experience to Buenos Aires in that nothing started until gone midnight, something I'm still struggling to get used to.
Trip to Cafayate:
I was up early for this organised trip (6.30 ouch). It was a bus trip stopping off at several fascinating gorges and other rock formations
The afternoon involved a trip to a wine distillery and a trip to the town of Cafayate itself, a really nice trip overall.
Train to the clouds:
This was an 16 hour train ride up into the mountains that border Argentina and Bolivia. Initially built for mining use the train now runs four times weekly as a tourist attraction. On the 8 hour journey up you really get to see what a magnificent feat of engineering this was at the time it was built. The tide finishes at an aqueduct at 4200 meters before the long trip back down!
Whitewater rafting:
A really pleasant days rafting down through the green valleys south of Salta. Pictures here: https://picasaweb.google.com/tumbridge/RaftingInSalta#
Next up is a trip across to Chile on route to Bolivia...
Monday, 23 May 2011
Puerto Iguazú
My visit to Puerto Iguazú was an impromptu one, I hadn't even heard of it before arriving in Argentina! Suffice to say, looking back I'd have been gutted to have missed it, definitely a highlight of my trip.
Puerto Iguazú itself is a small town next to the Iguazú waterfalls national park. The Iguazú falls are situated between Brazil and Argentina. Part of the river that actually divides Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. From a point in you can actually see all three countries:
In this picture I'm standing in Argentina, Paraguay is to the left of the river, Brazil to the right.
But back to the falls. From the Argentina side you see the falls close up. I spent 2 days exploring this side. It was certainly far and away the most spectacular natural sight I have seen in my whole trip and that's saying something!
In the park itself there were several fantastic treks as well as a speedboat ride into the falls themselves... It was damp...
On my third day in Puerto Iguazú I took a trip across to the Brazilian side of the river to get a different perspective of the falls. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great but I still managed to walk the main trail and get a couple of pics:
The pictures say it all. I'm fairly sure as natural wonders go. The Iguazú falls will take some topping!! A big thanks to those in Buenos Aires that recommended them!!
The next stop is Salta (where I am now as you know from the rafting pics) update to follow, hopefully in the next day or so....
Puerto Iguazú itself is a small town next to the Iguazú waterfalls national park. The Iguazú falls are situated between Brazil and Argentina. Part of the river that actually divides Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. From a point in you can actually see all three countries:
In this picture I'm standing in Argentina, Paraguay is to the left of the river, Brazil to the right.
But back to the falls. From the Argentina side you see the falls close up. I spent 2 days exploring this side. It was certainly far and away the most spectacular natural sight I have seen in my whole trip and that's saying something!
In the park itself there were several fantastic treks as well as a speedboat ride into the falls themselves... It was damp...
On my third day in Puerto Iguazú I took a trip across to the Brazilian side of the river to get a different perspective of the falls. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great but I still managed to walk the main trail and get a couple of pics:
The pictures say it all. I'm fairly sure as natural wonders go. The Iguazú falls will take some topping!! A big thanks to those in Buenos Aires that recommended them!!
The next stop is Salta (where I am now as you know from the rafting pics) update to follow, hopefully in the next day or so....
Montevideo
I'd love to say that I decided to visit Montevideo in Uruguay to see a more chilled out version of Buenos Aires with more welcoming people.... Buy in truth I went just because I found out that the oldest derby in South America between Penarol and Nacional as taking place that weekend.
The Penarol National derby is notoriously crazy (check out this link: http://www.thefootballramble.com/dwhof/entrant/penarol-v-nacional)
But more of that later...
First up being a cheapskate I took a ferry and bus combination from BA that took 5 hours rather than the 2 hour direct route. I was pleasantly surprised, at first, to discover the bus part of the journey (after the 3 hour ferry across the River Plate) had wifi so I could listen to Spurs V Blackpool. Effing load of Sh*te etc etc...
Anyway I arrived in Montevideo and took pleasant stroll to my hotel. On arriving I found out that getting a ticket to the match would involve a trip to the national stadium which is... Next to the bloody bus station!
Touted ticket purchased (£25, 10 times face value) I spent a day exploring the city.
I really enjoyed the place. Nice simple colonial architecture but with pleasant tree lined streets and squares. The night life was limited but good fun, an added bonus.
So match day... I headed to the stadium wondering if my touted generic ticket would work. It did, I was in the Nacional end (70000 people attendance) and had a great time. The match finished 1 - 0 to my new South American team Nacional. Good times all round.
I passed the next day wandering the streets of Montevideo in the pleasant sun. A really nice diversion on my trip !
The Penarol National derby is notoriously crazy (check out this link: http://www.thefootballramble.com/dwhof/entrant/penarol-v-nacional)
But more of that later...
First up being a cheapskate I took a ferry and bus combination from BA that took 5 hours rather than the 2 hour direct route. I was pleasantly surprised, at first, to discover the bus part of the journey (after the 3 hour ferry across the River Plate) had wifi so I could listen to Spurs V Blackpool. Effing load of Sh*te etc etc...
Anyway I arrived in Montevideo and took pleasant stroll to my hotel. On arriving I found out that getting a ticket to the match would involve a trip to the national stadium which is... Next to the bloody bus station!
Touted ticket purchased (£25, 10 times face value) I spent a day exploring the city.
I really enjoyed the place. Nice simple colonial architecture but with pleasant tree lined streets and squares. The night life was limited but good fun, an added bonus.
So match day... I headed to the stadium wondering if my touted generic ticket would work. It did, I was in the Nacional end (70000 people attendance) and had a great time. The match finished 1 - 0 to my new South American team Nacional. Good times all round.
I passed the next day wandering the streets of Montevideo in the pleasant sun. A really nice diversion on my trip !
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