CITY LIFE TO COUNTRY LIFE

WEATHER: Cold and 18C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Another record today – highest city in the world

WORD OF THE DAY: Those damn hills again

Today we leave the Worlds Highest capital city and travel to the Worlds Highest city of Potosi.  It is a travel day today, and I think this is what I like about the whole trip are the days in the truck.  I love just watching the world go past, listening to music and it also gives you plenty of time to think and mull things over, this is probably the downside, as you sometimes get too much time for the thinking and it can drive you crazy sometimes.

We had our shuttle pick us up from the hotel at 7am this morning.  We lose one of the team this morning.  Nic is off to explore parts of South America on her own (and a gal pal for 2 weeks) before we meet up with her again in Rio for Carnival in February.  We are going to MISS you Miss Nic.  You are a ray of sunshine every day and we will miss that.  Can’t wait to see you buddy for a PARTY in 8 weeks.

As we waved goodbye to Nic, and to busy busy busy La Paz it will be good to get to a smaller, slower paced city.  La Paz was a mass of cars, humans and buildings and the traffic was intense to say the least.  We now head out from the business and the scenery today was a drier landscape with massive mountains that looked like that have been cut through with rivers a long time ago.  We also climb from 3660m to 4060m today, and I think this is the highest we stay for the rest of the trip.  Let’s just hope we don’t get a 5^th floor room in Potosi – now that would just be damn mean.

Lunch was a roadside job and I think it has been the most scenic to date.  The sun was out, it was a flat piece of land that was scattered with Llama’s, Alpaca’s and Vercuna’s, with massive mountain in the background.  Mark had a bag of old carrots in the fridge, so we tried our luck at getting close to one of the animals to feed them, but they didn’t want to have a barr of us and the closest we got was to a black Alpaca 10m before he skittered and ran off.  It was an amazing place to stop for lunch.  I think it was also the highest place for lunch at 3800m.  The things that I noticed driving today was the kids that we saw along the road.  We were in the middle of nowhere and they would just be standing by the side of the road with their hats in their hands and begging for money.  And there were families, small children, women and men all lolling around on the grass as we drove past looking after their herds of llamas, sheep, vicuna’s and alpaca’s.  Once again we are talking the simple life, looking after your assets each day.  What a peaceful life if nothing else.  Blocks and plots of lands are marked with stone fences.  Some of them went on for kilometers and there were plots on the side of mountains and with the stone fences they looked like letters or symbols trying to tell us something. The stone fences were amazing and reminded me of the stone fences in the Aran Islands, they really are a piece of work in themselves.

We arrived into Potosi at 4.45pm and it looks like a busy city.  We squeezed under power lines to get as close as we could to the hotel.  Some of them were scrapping on the roof of the truck, so this is a perfect example of why we get shuttles into the larger cities, besides the streets a little tight for a turning Rosita as well and then the impatience of the Bolivian drivers makes for an interesting experience.  We only had to walk 200m to the hotel that was located not far from the local markets.  After checking in we had a free hour to chillax before heading out for our orientation tour if the town. 

Potosí is one of the highest cities in the world by elevation at 4,090m and it was the location of the Spanish colonial mint, now the National Mint of Bolivia. Potosí lies beneath the Cerro de Potosí—sometimes referred to as the Cerro Rico ("rich mountain")—a mountain popularly conceived of as being "made of" silver ore, which has always dominated the city. The Cerro Rico is the reason for Potosí's historical importance, since it was the major supply of silver for Spain during the period of the New World Spanish Empire. This silver was taken by llama and mule train to the Spanish Main whence it was then taken to Spain on the Spanish treasure fleets. Cerro de Potosí's peak is 4,824m above sea level.

Founded in 1546 as a mining town, it soon produced fabulous wealth, becoming one of the largest cities in the Americas and the world, with a population exceeding 200,000 people.  In Spanish there is still a saying, valer un Potosi, "to be worth a Potosi" (that is, "a fortune"). For Europeans, Peru—Bolivia was part of the Viceroyalty of Peru and was known as Alto Peru before becoming independent—was a mythical land of riches. Potosí appears as an idiom for "extraordinary richness" in Miguel de Cervantes' famous novel, Don Quixote (second part, cap. LXXI). One theory holds that the mint mark of Potosí (the letters "PTSI" superimposed on one another) is the origin of the dollar sign.

It is from Potosí that most of the silver shipped through the Spanish Main came. According to official records, 45,000 short tons (41,000 metric tons) of pure silver were mined from Cerro Rico from 1556 to 1783. Of this total, 9,000 short tons (8,200 metric tons) went to the Spanish monarchy. Due to such extensive mining, the mountain itself has diminished in height; before the mining started it was a few hundred meters higher than it is today. Indian laborers, forced by Francisco de Toledo, Count of Oropesa through the traditional Incan mita institution of contributed labor, came to die by the millions, not simply from exposure and brutal labor, but by mercury poisoning: in the patio process the silver-ore, having been crushed to powder by hydraulic machinery, was cold-mixed with mercury and trodden to an amalgamation by the native workers with their bare feet. The mercury was then driven off by heating, producing deadly vapors.  A 1603 report stated that of 58,800 Indians working at Potosi, there were 10,500 mingas (contractual workers) and 43,200 free wage earners. The colonists made a request in 1608 to the Crown in Madrid to begin allowing the importation of 1,500 to 2,000 African slaves per year.  An estimated total of 30,000 African slaves were taken to Potosí during the colonial era. African slaves were also forced to work in the Mint human mules. Since mules would die after a couple of months pushing the mills, the colonists replaced the four mules with twenty African slaves.

In 1672, a mint was established to coin silver and water reservoirs were built to fulfill the growing population's needs. At that time more than eighty-six churches were built and the city's population increased to nearly 200,000, making it one of the largest and wealthiest cities in the world.  After 1800, the silver mines were depleted, making tin the main product. This eventually led to a slow economic decline. Nevertheless, the mountain continues to be mined for silver to this day. Due to poor worker conditions (lack of protective equipment from the constant inhalation of dust), the miners still have a short life expectancy with most of them contracting silicosis and dying around 40 years of age.  It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of Indians died under the harsh working conditions.  We were going to see the mines first hand tomorrow on a tour, so I am not too sure what to expect.

We left the hotel at 6pm and like most cities we have been too it is built on a hill and we were more towards the bottom of it, so the good thing is that what goes up must come down, so we would get a downhill run on the way home after dinner.  So we were shown the local food stalls, the local market where you can buy all your day to day needs and then further up past chicken shops, local take away to the more touristy part of town walking past a park that was all decked out in Christmas decorations, flashing lights, Santa, Christmas stall and this is the first time it has actually felt like Christmas.  It was like a mini carnival and there were other people around also wearing Santa hats, so Kate didn’t feel like such a dick here with us wearing ours.  Paul and Lizzie have been troopers with the Christmas hat wearing, we have had them on for days, and Kate and Mick haven’t been so festive.  Potosi has a great vibe and the whole city looks like it is geared for Christmas.  Homes have Christmas trees, shops have decorations up and there are a lot of stalls selling Christmas paper, cards and decorations.  It is a shame we don’t get to spend Christmas day here but it was a great lead in. 

It’s 2 sleeps till Christmas and if I was back home it would be manic.  Shelly would be buying the rest of her billion presents, organizing feeding 50 billion people and also organizing work presents and holidays.  The girls would be super excited and we would be opening advent calendars and talking about Santa, the elves and reindeers.  My how I miss all that and also my Elkins.  Work would be slowing down, all my corporates would be back in town till January, crazy stupid people would be coming in to work for last minute holiday specials in 3 day’s time and I would still be recovering from a month full of Christmas parties and hangovers.  But I am in Bolivia, with new friends and we will be doing some interesting things over the next 2 days, so I am with my friends in spirit and I miss you guy’s every day. xx

LA PAZ AND ALL IT CHAOS

WEATHER: Beautiful and 20C – the sun is out in La Paz

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting another parcel sent home

BUYS OF THE DAY: My new pair of sneakers for 95USD

WORD OF THE DAY: Sleep in!!!!!!!!

Free day today in La Paz and we got to SLEEP IN.  We set the alarm for 9am, but those pesky little internal body clocks just don’t know when to turn off and we were awake at 8.30am.  Still 8.30am is a great sleep-in for us at the moment.  We headed downstairs for breakfast with the intentions of heading out early, but we were able to get Kate a masseuse to come to the hotel at 11am, so I decided to spend the morning uploading my photos to Facebook, I had a few albums to catch up on and Google Chrome hasn’t let me down since I have started using it.   We also put in some more washing this morning.  I don’t think I have had so much washing done on my trip so constantly.  It was good to get yesterday’s bike clothe washed and a bunch I had forgotten I had from Lake Titicaca. 

11am came and so did the masseuse for Kate, so we made plans to meet at 12.45 at Oliver’s for lunch and I was going to do some running around to get some chores done.  I have figured out that my Bolivian texts are getting out but I am not receiving any texts back and here I was thinking that nobody loved me.  So I have put in my UK sim and this seems to be working okay, so if you want to get in touch I am back on my UK number for the next week.   

My first stop was the bike shop.  Getting the pictures on disk was going to be no good for me, as I don’t have a disk drive.  So I went in with my USB stick and they loaded them right then and there for me, which was great of them, so I will be able to load Death Road this afternoon and be completely up to date with my pictures.  I wish it could be that easy with the blog.  I am still 3 days behind with that, so I really need to pull my finger out to get them done in the next few days.

My next stop was the post office.  I had a massive bag to post home and wanted to get rid of it.  I went through it all this morning and I still had Galapagos gifts and souvenirs in there.  Yes it was time to send it home.  I always have gifts for the god-daughters in each and every package and this one was no different.  This one was a good one for them as I had turtle purses from the Galapagos, little pink purses from Peru and dolls that I bought in Bolivia.  It is a stash for a 6 and 4 year old!!  I need to make sure that they don’t forget who their favorite God-mother is, even if I am halfway around the world. 

There was an information counter at the entrance to the post office, so I went up and asked about sending a package to Australia.  She spoke no English, but I was getting the gist of it all I think, but there was a lady at the counter waiting and she translated for me.  If my box weighted more than 3kg I had to go downstairs and if it was less than that I had to stay upstairs.  To send a parcel you also need 2 photocopies of your passport, and a smart Bolivian has a copy machine right near the counter, so it was easier enough for me to get the copies and I ventured downstairs.  There were 2 rooms and I could clearly see that one was a packing room!  Awesome, so the first thing they do is weigh your bag to make sure that it was over 3kg, which mine was.  They then need to pack all the stuff for you in the box, and it all needs to be checked and then they sealed the box and stitched it in a blue canvas with a copy of my passport.  There was a form I had to fill in, which I did and there were signs in English around the place for each step, so I knew what I needed to do.  After that was all done, I took my box and all the paperwork to window number 9 where I paid for their service, which was 5AUD, and then I also paid for the postage which cost me 69AUD and seemed pretty average for a 3.6kg box.  So that makes it box number 16 I think.  It really will be like Christmas when I finally get home and look at what I have actually sent home over the last 12 months.

My next stop was Western Union.  I have only just discovered this marvelous service to send money as needed to anywhere in the world with no fuss.  It truly is an amazing way to pay back people ie: credit on my UK number for example.  Once this was done it was time to meet Kate for lunch.  What a productive morning I had. 

After lunch we walked Witches Lane, which basically a bunch of souvenir shops for a few hours.  I bought a few small gifts, some stickers for my computer and my diary, a great chess set, which I don’t play much and I’m not very good at, but it was pretty cool hand made chess pieces of local people and Llama’s it was too cute to resist.  We have found that the La Pazian’s aren’t that keen on bargaining and if they do they only reduce their price by a dollar.  They really aren’t interested and if you play the ‘walk away’ trick, they just let you go.  They don’t budge.  On the way home I stopped into a travel wear shop and bought a new pair of sneakers.  After wearing my old sneakers yesterday on Death Road I could smell a nasty little smell emanating from them and they were still on my feet!  They have seen better days with the soles unsticking, some holes I the toes and the terrible smell.  It was time to hang them up and get new ones.  So I found a pair straight up, so after 10 minutes I was walking out of the shop with a nice shiny new pair of sneakers.

Dinner was at a place called The Star of India.  It is a British Indian curry house and is renowned for the hottest curry in the world.  I am not a curry person, but I was able to find a korma on the menu that I could eat.  But there is a challenge that the restaurant has and if you can eat the hottest curry they have you get a free t-shirt for your efforts.  You can’t have anyone help you, not even taste the curry otherwise you are disqualified.  So there were only 2 people up for the challenge and it was Paul and Malar.  Once Paul started to eat, he had to take off his Santa hat as he was getting hot and then the beads of sweat broke out on his forehead and then he started to turn a shade of red, but he ate it all and he got the shirt.  Malar struggled more with hers and after giving it a good shot she wasn’t able to finish it, so the bowl went around the table for everyone to try and to see all their faces after they had a little taste, I think Malar needed more credit for eating what she actually did.  I didn’t try it and I am glad I didn’t as Nic and O struggled after their taste.  Yeah no thanks.  So well done to Paul and Malar, you guys did awesome.

So it was our last night in the highest capital city in the world.  Tomorrow we head to Potosi, which is apparently the highest city of its size in the world.  I will need to Google that to check the facts on it, but we have a travel day tomorrow and then a visit to a silver mine the day after. 

3365M, 65KM, 7 HOURS - WE SURVIVED DEATH ROAD

WEATHER: Bloody awesome 2C in the morning and 23C in the afternoon

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Surviving Death Road

BUMMER OF THE DAY: A little saddle sore after 6 hours on a bike

BUYS OF THE DAY: My fried chicken and potato for breakfast for 1.80AUD

WORD OF THE DAY: Wooooooooooooooooo Hooooooooooooooooooooooo

DEATH ROAD HERE WE COME.  We are spending better half of our day today on what is termed as ‘the most dangerous road in the world’.  Are we crazy?  The road was built in the 1930s during the Chaco War by Paraguayan prisoners.  The Yungas Road was modernized during a 20 year period ending in 2006. The modernization included enlarging the carriageway from one to two lanes, constructing asphalt pavement, and building a new section between Chusquipata and Yolosa, bypassing to the north one of the most dangerous sections of the old 'Death Road'.  This new route features modern construction (bridges, drainage, etc.), multiple lanes, pavement, guardrails, and many other elements that make it considerably safer than the original route. The original North Yungas Road is currently much less used by traffic, although an increasing number of adventure travelers bike it for the thrills.

We had to be at the bike shop at 6.30am to be kitted out in our gear before heading to the start point of the ride.  When we arrived the bikes were getting loaded onto 2 vans.  There was a bigger bus for the ‘Tucan’ group and then a smaller van for 3 additional people joining us for the day.  We got fitted for a full bike helmet, gloves, pants and a bright orange vest we were asked to wear. As usual there were no pants to fit me, but I knew this would happen, so I came prepared and dressed for warmth to start with.  Layers was the recommendation as it was going to be cold at the top and as we descend it was going to warm up as we dropped 3356m.

As it was early, breakfast was a secondary thought, so after we left the city, an hour and 15 minutes later we made a stop beside the road that had food stalls selling deep fried foods, biscuits, drinks, hot corns etc……  As we were going to be active all day, Seamus, O and I decided to go the whole hog and we watched our chicken pieces and potato pieces get deep fried in oil that had been used goodness knows how many times and I have to say at 7.45am it was the best breakfast and the chicken was super tasty, I just hope that I don’t get any adverse effects of the deep fried food, as today would not be the day to have the runs…….. 

We only had to drive a further 20 minutes to get us to our departure point at 4700m above sea level.  I was starting to get butterflies at this point as it started to hit home that I would be on a bike for 65km, whether I was pedaling or not, riding on a road with trucks and then tracks that in some places were not wider than 3m.  The last time I rode a bike was on Contiki in Munich when we did the city tour on bikes in April.  So it has been quite a few months, but I am sure I will be okay….right!  As we waited for the bikes to get unloaded, we were given the safety briefing on how to ride the bikes.  There were three basic rules that would ‘keep us alive’ and they were ONE: Always have 110% concentration, no looking at scenery, no chit chatting to your friends, always riding in a single line. TWO: Always keep your bum on your seat, no standing on pedals as your weight shifts and you could lose your balance. THREE: Always keep to the right.  So far so good.  The company had a camera that they would be using all day, so they were strongly hinting that we didn’t need to take ours as it would be an additional distraction when riding.  I am not one to not have a camera, so mine was tucked in my pocket, but I would use it wisely and responsibly.  Shut up – I can do it……..

So with our helmets on, gloves on, our beautiful orange vests on we departed for the first leg.  At 4700m the weather was cold up here at 2C.  The first section was 25km of downhill paved road the whole way.  We told to take our own pace, we had 2 guides one was at the front and the other was at the back and off we set.  We stopped 10 minutes in to make sure that everyone was okay, all gear was okay and then off we went again.  I wasn’t the fastest, but I wasn’t the slowest either.  I was picturing myself to be in the middle of the pack, but unfortunately 90% of the riders were in the ‘faster’ pack, so technically I was the 5^th slowest.  Oh well I’m into survive the experience and I wasn’t that far behind the lead pack anyway.

The ride down was amazing.  The weather was good as we had blue skies, the sun was out, which apparently the day before it was raining and the scenery was …...WOW.  I had to yell out a WOO HOO at one stage, the exhilaration of travelling down the Andes on a bike was just too much to not yell out something.  It was so hard for me not to take photos on my way down, as this was an additional distraction that we shouldn’t be doing, but I did take one snap and it scared the shit out of me I vowed to only take photos when I was stationary.  We had the 2 vans follow us all the way down as well.  There was one in the middle, and he had the camera, so he was getting photos of us and video’s as we came down the valley and the other van was at the back to pick up people if they got tired or scared.  With a few more stops in between, to get more information on what was coming up, to readjust and to have a rest we would all then move on again.  The weather being this high up changed a few times.  Luckily we had gloves on, as the sun went behind the clouds it got quite cold at some pints, but then the sun would pop out again to warm us up.  At one point the cloud was coming over the road and it was that thick that you could see the deep valley below.  It was like we were birds flying with nothing else around us.  It was a pretty amazing feeling.

The trucks must be used to ‘gringo’s’ riding the winding road to the police check point.  In some parts the trucks would be kicking up dust and I wasn’t wearing glasses, so there were some calls where I had to ride one hand as I had to wipe my eyes.  This is how the last person died on Death Road.  Not on this section, but on the actual road itself, a Japanese woman was wiping her glasses and she lost balance and went straight off the edge.  I got a few waves from drivers, to which I replied with a nod of my head, but a local bus passed and a guy blew a kiss so who am I do deny a reply, so I caught it and slapped it on my cheek to which he laughed, but then both hands were back on the handle bars again quick smart.

There was a police checkpoint at 3500m.  It took us 1 hour and 15 minutes to ride 1200m.  This is also where we had to pay 3.50AUD as tax to which the money goes towards the upkeep of the Death Road.  Sounds ironic really.  The next section was an 8km uphill section.  So this is where we loaded the bikes back onto the vans and drove this section to the next point which was the start of the actual Death Road.  We leave the safety of the bitumen and now head onto loose gravel and stones and dirt tracks.  This is where the fun and games begins.  We are now on Death Road with 40km still ahead of us to travel.  At this point I think I have actually pedaled for a total of 2 minutes.  This is how to cycle.

Death Road is one of the few routes that connects the Amazon rainforest region of northern Bolivia,  Upon leaving La Paz, the road first ascends to around 4,650m at La Cumbre Pass, before descending to 1,200m at the town of Coroico, transiting quickly from cool Altiplano terrain to rainforest as it winds through very steep hillsides and atop cliffs.  Because of the extreme drop-offs of at least 600 meters, single-lane width – most of the road no wider than 3.2m and lack of guard rails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain, fog and dust can reduce visibility. In many places the road surface is muddy, and can loosen rocks from the road.

From here we were now split into 3 groups.  They had the fast, medium and slower group.  The main group was the fasties and I was in the middle group.  But we would just ride at our own pace again and if we swapped over groups this would be okay.  It was just a numbers thing to keep tabs on all of us I think.  All the same rules applied as before, but instead of sticking to the right, we now had to stick to the left, which was also the side that the cliff was on for the whole way down.  The theory behind that was we could see what was coming up the other way, as local traffic still use the road and they have right of way.  The tip for riding down was to try and stick in the tire tracks for a smoother ride and this is where for the first time I was thankful for the suspension on the bike.  It would be pure discomfort if we didn’t have that let me tell you.  The track was so bumpy and mixed with big and little rocks you really had to concentrate. 

There were several stops on the way down, for photos, for views and stories.  Always well timed and plenty of information was always passed on as to what was up ahead, tight curves, waterfalls, bigger rocks etc……  There were also other companies on the road, so we also had to make sure if we were overtaking people they knew we were coming through, but some of the guys were flying down the road, and you can see how there could be accidents, some of them were crazy flying.  They were also dressed in ‘team’ colours so it was pretty cool to see the different colours and teams on the mountain as we all descended.  It was funny, even the crazy riders had to stop for photos etc….. so we would pass them, like the turtle and the hare story and then 10 minutes later they would ‘fly’ past us again!

At the 24km mark we stopped for a soft drink and a ham and cheese sandwich to refuel and re-group as a whole.  This is where I saw Kate sitting in the first backup van.  WTF.  She had fallen off her bike and got a grazed knee.  Apparently she hit some ricks too fast, headed for the cliff, over steered, lose balance and fell off.  She was a little shook up and after medical attention was applied (one band aid) she became the co-diver for the rest of the afternoon.  Malar was the other casualty, but she hadn’t ridden a bike for a long time and had a few teething issues and a few ‘off balance’ moments, but to her credit she finished the whole thing, and this was some-one who yesterday wasn’t going to do it at all.

The last 12km we passed through some small local villages and encounted dogs on the road along the way, but they were just sitting on the road and we just had to move around them as we flew down.  This is where we noticed the temperature change as we dropped and we were able to shed some of our layers.  It was also the section that we actually had to PEDAL for the first time for about 2km in total over the next 25 minutes.  So even though we had biked 65km, we literally only pedaled for around 2km.  It was still exhausting though, as you had to keep your concentration and your balance, so even though it wasn’t that physical it was still tiring.

We made it to the final point at a few restaurants at 2.15pm after riding through a stream at the end.  We had literally reached a section of the Amazon at 1200m.  It was quite humid but as Lizzie and Paul rolled in we had all SURVIVED Death Road. 

Once everyone had a cold beer in their hand, we listened to some of the horror stories that have happened on death row.  Over a 15 year period there have been 25 bike riders that have died.  The main guy then told us that 2 of them were from his company but both over 10 years ago and when there were a lot more traffic on the roads.  On 24 July 1983, a bus veered off the Yungas Road and into a canyon, killing more than 100 passengers in what is said to be Bolivia's worst road accident Glad he kept these stories till the end.

It was time for a late lunch and at 3pm we drove for 20 minutes to a hotel that had a buffet lunch ready to go for us.  They also had showers with towels provided and also a pool.  It was a pretty good rest stop to have and after an hour here it was time to get back into the vans for the 3 hour drive back to La Paz. 

What an amazing day.  Another long day but amazing all the same.  We got back into La Paz just after 7.30pm.  We were all knacked and dog tired. We were dropped back at the bike shop and after collecting out shirts, Kate and I headed back to the hotel UPHILL again.  We didn’t stop for dinner, with the late lunch and our care factor O, we decided to skip dinner and have an early night.  I was back in bed again by 9pm.  I think I am becoming a grandma! 

The photos of the day were going to be burned to disk and ready for collection tomorrow, so it will be good to see how they all look.

WE SURVIVED DEATH ROAD – THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS ROAD IN THE WORLD……

HI HO HI HO OFF TO THE WORLDS HIGHEST CAPITAL CITY WE GO

WEATHER: Cold and rainy 17C

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting into a new country-BOLIVIA

BUMMER OF THE DAY: The weather is a bit chilly

BUYS OF THE DAY: Mt new sim card for 3AUD

WORD OF THE DAY: “It’s the altitude”

Today is a travel day and we leave Peru after 3 weeks and into a new country, Bolivia.  We had to shuttle back to Rosita, as she was still too big to fit in the city streets of Puno.  I am still carrying a few bags, Kate has started to call me the bag lady, not the first time and I am sure it won’t be the last!

We started early third morning with a 5.45am wake up, breakfast at 6.30am and we were boarding the shuttle at 7am.  Mark wanted to get us into La Paz at a reasonable hour, hence the early start.  We also had a border to cross, and they can be so random on how long they take, so we wanted to have some time up our sleeve for that as well.

We hit the border at 9.20am and it connects to 2 towns on either side.  It wasn’t one of those borders that are in the middle of nowhere.  So people had time to go to the toilets, we also changed our left over Peruvian soles to Bolivian bolivianos.  So new currency means a new rate and we were getting 6.88 to the dollar.  So it is time to use my seven times tables.  Those and my eight times tables are the worst to deal with.  The money exchanger would only take notes, which is the norm, but there were ladies set up outside that would take your coins from you and exchange them happily if you wanted to get rid of all your currency.  That’s the first time I’ve seen that you could do your coins as well. 

Clearing the Peruvian border control was easy and didn’t take long with us joining a line, showing out passport and the departure card that was stamped when we entered the country.  If you don’t have the card there is a fine that you have to pay of 5USD.  WOAH, now that is a fine that will hit the back pocket!  Once we had all been processed it was time for us to walk across the bridge, which was about 50m long and totally busy with people, bikes, cars and tuk tuks going back and forth.  It was a hive of activity.  The border controls didn’t seem to care about photos here, so I was able to get a ‘welcome to Bolivia Bernstar jump’ and thanks for visiting Peru Bernstar jump.  They turned out pretty cool with the locals also in the picture. 

The Bolivian was a little more involved but didn’t take that long either.  We had to line up to show our passport, to be able to be given an entry form, and once that was filled in we had to line up in a different line to get the stamp and processed into Bolivia.  There were a lot of people in both queues, but we really didn’t have to wait long and before we knew it we were all on the truck ready to go at 10.40am.  We had to wait a little longer for the truck to be cleared but we were back on the road just before 11am. 

WELCOME TO BOLIVIA.

We had to move our watches forward an hour and we travelled for another 2 hours before stopping for lunch only 20 minutes out of La Paz.  But we were at a look out that had a magnificent view over the valley where the city is located and it was just an amazing view.  Just housing as far as the eye could see, with no gaps at all to be had, except a football pitch we could see.  It was wall to wall buildings.  I guess being the highest capital city in the world, you would expect some form of greatness and this certainly had a wow factor as we ate our lunch over the city. 

Nuestra Señora de La Paz aka Our Lady of Peace is the administrative capital of Bolivia and the second largest city in the country (in population) after Santa Cruz de la Sierra. It is located at an elevation of roughly 3,650 m, with the city built on steep hills, above sea level, making it the world's highest "de facto" capital city, or administrative capital.  The city sits in a "bowl" surrounded by the high mountains of the altiplano.

As it grows, the city of La Paz climbs the hills, resulting in varying elevations from 3,000 meters to 4,100 meters.  Overlooking the city is towering triple-peaked Illimani, which is always snow-covered and can be seen from several spots of the city, including from the neighbor city of El Alto. As of the 2001 census, the city had a population of 877,363. La Paz Metropolitan area, formed by the cities of La Paz, El Alto and Viacha, make the most populous urban area of Bolivia, with a population of 2.3 million inhabitants and surpassing the metropolitan area of Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

The geography of La Paz (in particular the altitude) reflects society: the lower areas of the city are the more affluent areas. While many middle-class residents live in high-rise condos near the center, the houses of the truly affluent are located in the lower neighborhoods southwest of the Prado. And looking up from the center, the surrounding hills are plastered with makeshift brick houses of those less economically fortunate.  La Paz is located in the valleys of the Andes, and is closer to the Eastern split of the Altiplano region. Therefore, it is closer to the famous mountains such as the Illimani (guardian of La Paz), Huayna Potosi, Mururata, and Illampu. On the Western side of the Altiplano divide, about an hour to the West of the La Paz, is the site of the tallest mountain in Bolivia and 9th tallest mountain in the Andes, the Sajama Volcano. In July 1994, an earthquake rated at 8.2 struck just 200 miles north of La Paz, the largest earthquake since the Sumbawa earthquake of 1977.

Once again Rosita is too big for La Paz streets, so after packing up lunch and driving for 20 minutes we met our shuttle to take us the rest of the way into the city and to our hotel.  First impression of La Paz.  It is BUSY.  There is traffic, cars, people, ladies carrying their wares on their backs.  It was busy.  The hotel was in a great location and we arrived there just after 1.30pm.  We were room 503, and yes that’s right we were on the 5^th floor, and yes you guessed again there were no lifts in the hotel.  Omar was my knight in shining armor and he carried my day bag up the stairs for me, but Kate had to lug her 50kg bag all the way and in the process did something to her hip.  She is still precious after her macho Pichhu epic climb, so another massage was on the cards for her.  It also doesn’t help being at 3650m above sea level to be climbing 5 flights of steps.  We struggled each and every time we had to go up those suckers and really, we had to suck in big air for about 5-10 minutes after getting to our room, and that included stops at level 2 and 4.  It has nothing to do with fitness; this can legitimately be blamed on the altitude!  But to put some perspective on it there is always people worse off and it happened to be Mick and Seamus who had a room on the 6^th floor. 

After a few minutes to freshen up in the rooms we met Mark and the gang back downstairs for out orientation tour around town.  It was here that I found out that I left my adapter at the hotel in Puno.  I am spewing.  I have had that thing for nearly 10 months and I finally left it somewhere.  Damn it.  Kate and I have the same notebooks, so I can use her charger and I can charge my phone and IPod via that, the only thing that I can’t do is my batteries for my camera.  I will ask Mick or Omar if I can share theirs and if I can buy one of theirs when they leave the tour.  It is a bugger that is for sure.  So out and about in La Paz and there are a lot of travel agencies around, so hopefully I will hear back from Beth today or tomorrow if she can issue my ticket, otherwise I will make a stop into one and see how I go trying to explain what I am after.  The streets are busy with people and cars and busses honking horns.  There are locals on the streets selling their wares from fruit, to stationary, to hygiene products to dyes, watches you name it there was a seller selling it.  It made for a lot of zig zagging along the footpaths that aren’t the widest to start with, so you sometimes find yourself having to dodge people stepping onto the road and back up again. 

Our first stop was the agency that we were booking out Death Road bike trip with for tomorrow.  MADNESS was the company and they are one of the few that have bikes that have suspension.  We got a brief and shown a slide show of pictures of what to expect, signed our life away on a disclaimer, gave our height for the bikes, our shirt sizes for the free t-shirt we get, paid our 550BOL (80USD) and we were on our way again.  The damn city is built on a hill, so at the moment we are walking down hill, but you know what that means!  Eventually we are going to have to go back up again.

The tour finished at the San Francisco Church and from here we had free time.  There are 5 of us who don’t have Paraguay visa’s, so we decided to make a run to the consulate and try and get them done here.  So we caught 2 taxis in the crazy traffic to get us to the consulate 10 minutes after 4pm, and you guessed it, it closed at 4pm!!!  Mark got to speak to the visa’ lady and she explained that she only had 3 visa stickers left anyway, so we could all come back tomorrow, but she would only be able to issue 3 visa’s.  As we were doing Death Road tomorrow, we couldn’t come back till the day after, we figured we will just wait and try and get them in Santiago.  If all fails there, we have one more crack at the cherry in Buenos Aires. 

From here Mark, Kate and I made a run for the mobile phone company Tigo, so that I could get a new sim card for Bolivia.  South America is similar to Africa, where each countries cards cannot be used across the board, which is super annoying and I think I am up to sim card number 20 or so.  I lost my Australian sim card about 6 months ago, but I do have a UK sim card that has been my constant number should all else fail in most countries.  It hasn’t worked in Ecuador and also Peru, but otherwise it has been a handy sim to have.  I am lucky I have had friends topping it up for me while I am away when needed and I put 150GBP on it when I was last at Heathrow in November.  The process was quite easy and I had the sim in my hand after only a few minutes BUT the phone that I bought in Peru, is locked to Movistar and cannot be used with another company.  WHAT!  We even asked the guy when we bought it if it would be locked and he said no.  Yeah I guess he would to get the sale.  BUT apparently my Blackberry will work here no problems (couldn’t use it in Ecuador or Peru) so it wasn’t all to waste, as I could put the sim into that instead. 

By this time it is just after 5pm, the other had gone to Oliver’s Travel for drinks, but it had been a long day, so Kate and I decided to head back to the hotel UP HILL and just stop for an early dinner somewhere along the way.  We found this Italian restaurant not far from the hotel, so we stopped in there and after 2 attempts we found something on the menu that they had in stock and ate an okay Carbonara for dinner.  They did do a good garlic bread and the cat they had walking around was semi cute, so all up it was a good meal.

The hotel has free Wi-Fi, but we couldn’t get it in our room.  So I wrote up some emails in word and then headed down to reception to get connection and send them.  On my way back up, Kate was on the third floor with reception, so for future reference we didn’t have to go all the way to the ground floor to get internet.  Good to know after I had trudged all the way down.  Well it could have been worse and we have not had found out till later.  I also tried my new sim in my Blackberry to which an error came up with an error, but after re-inserting it, it all looked in order and sent out a few messages.  Welcome back Blackberry, how I have missed thee.  I still share the love with my Samsung ‘analogue’ phone. 

I was all wrapped up and in bed by 9pm.  Totally grandma but we are so tired at the moment and we have a MASSIVE day tomorrow with Death Road on the cards all day.  We are blaming the altitude.

 

LAKE TITICACA AND HER ISLANDS

WEATHER: Hot and 22C

HIGHTLIGHT OF THE DAY: Getting some sun in the afternoon

BUYS OF THE DAY: Peruvian Chinese dinner and drink for $4AUD

WORD OF THE DAY: Spirit of the day

An early start to the day with a 6.15am wakeup, breakfast was set for 7.15am and then we were to meet the rest of the group again for our departure from Amantani Island. 

Our Mama walked us back to the ferry at 8am.  I think we got the best of best of both worlds because our Mama didn’t speak English.  The walk down hill wasn’t as bad as the uphill business, but it really was quite steep in places and by the time I got to the bottom I had shaky legs.  My excuse is it’s the altitude!!

We were stopping at one more island before heading back to the mainland and arrived at Taquile just after 9.30am.  Taquile is a more touristy island than Amantani, but they still live very traditionally here.  It has a population of about 2,200 inhabitants and the main village is at 3950m and the highest point of the island reaches 4050m. This island was one of the last places in Peru that capitulated against the Spanish in the sixteenth century. The Spanish banned traditional dress Inca, so the islanders had to take the peasant dress to wear today. The island is narrow and long, was used as a prison during the Spanish Colony and in the world 20. In 1970 it became the property of the people of Taquile, who have inhabited the island since then.

The island has a maximum length of 5.5 km and a width of 1.5 km limit, the second largest island in the lake (5.72 km ²).  The western slope is almost vertical, while the eastern slope less steep offers. With the thermoregulatory effect of the lake on the island there is a microclimate favorable to agriculture.

It should be noted that the spinning and weaving is done mostly by men, starting at the age of eight years. Women make only spinning and weaving.  Life in Taquile is still largely unchanged by the modernity of the continent. There are no cars and hotels on the island there are only small shops selling commodities. Most households use candles or flashlights with batteries or crank. Small solar panels were recently installed in some homes.

The Taquileños are also known to have created an innovative model of community-controlled tourism, offering that stays in homes with families, transportation, and restaurants for tourists. Since tourism began to reach Taquile.  In the seventies they gradually lost control over mass tourism operated by non Taquileños. The models have been redeveloped so Taquileaños alternative tourism, including accommodation for groups, cultural activities and local guides, who have recently completed training program for 2 years. In addition, a local travel agency they are set to regain control over tourism.

Taquile wildlife including sheep, sheep, cows, guinea pigs, chickens. Dogs and cats are rare and if you want to have to ask permission from the authorities of the community and tourism revenue generates money from approximately 40 000 tourists visit each year.

Once we had arrived onto the island and Roger had paid the local leader our entry fee, we had an hour to walk the few kilometers up hill to get to the main square.  We were told not to buy things from children as it encouraged them to not go to school and same rules applied as the other islands to not give children candy/lollies due to not having access to a dentist.  There are 6 communities on the island compromising of around 2000 people. 

So the walk took around 50 minutes, but Nic, Omar and I took our time and stopped at some small stalls, well goods on material, and buying a few bits of handiwork along the way.  I am glad we were able to take out time, as there were more HILLS on this island as well; I tell ya they are killing me!  It was worth the walk though, the main square had an amazing view of lake Titicaca and they had a co-op in one of the buildings that sold local handicrafts including alpaca sweaters, jumpers, vests, bags and belts to name a few.  I found the prices a little expensive and you weren’t able to bargain with them, so for once I didn’t buy anything.  I know, can you believe it!

Lunch was at one of the restaurants that have been set up for the tourists that visit the islands.  It was basic served with a local soup for entrée and then there were only 2 items on the menu for the main.  Grilled Trout or a vegetarian omelet.  After I found out the fish wouldn’t have its head and it would be served with a lemon, that was what made up my mind and I have to say it was delicious.  All for the grand total of 6.50AUD!!!!

It was 12.30pm and time to leave the island.  We were leaving from the other side of the island, so we got to walk past some of the local shops and then we had to walk down 545 rocky steps to get us down the other side and back to the boat.  Once again there was no hurry and you really had to watch where you were stepping as the rock steps were all different height, width and uneven, so you had to make sure you stopped every now and then to enjoy the view before continuing down.  We were lucky again for the second day in a row to not have any rain and a glorious day, blue skies and the sun shining on us.

We then had a 3 hour journey back to the mainland and Puno.  I was inside to start with as there wasn’t enough room on the back deck, but as the sun was quite strong, people came inside, which made room for me and I went out to get some colour.  Mark had warned us that being so high in altitude and also the reflection of the water, you burn a lot faster, so I did what I have only done a handful of times and I put on sunscreen (expect my nose gets a coat a lot).  I know, me putting on sunscreen.  I didn’t want to be a lobster when we are still in cold weather and have my clothes rubbing against my sensitive skin.  So 40+ I applied and it was a good decision as I still got a wad of colour so it was a smart move.  So with the Peruvian sun on my skin, my favorite tunes in my ears, a book at hand and a future plan to think about-it was a great way to unwind and I really enjoyed the boat ride back.  A few people were complaining that it was a long way to go for the night, which maybe a little true, but it is good to get a taste and to get out on the water when we had such good weather.

We were back to Puno just after 4pm, where our faithful shuttle was waiting for us to transfer us back to the hotel.  Kate and I just chilled until 7pm where we met the rest of the crew and headed to a local Chinese restaurant for dinner.  It was quite comical as none of us spoke Cantonese or Spanish, so we had 8 pages of Spanish Chinese with a few pictures interceded.  So I stuck with what I knew and saw and got a wonton and chicken soup and it was tasty.  Add a soft drink to the meal and it cost me 4AUD.  Talk about a cheap meal – that is insane. 

We were all pretty tired by this point and with it raining outside it was time to just head back to the hotel.  I wanted to get messages sent to my ‘peeps’ in the States and get that ball rolling, emailing Beth for the flights and answering some general emails before bed.

Today was our last day in Peru after 3 weeks and we head into Bolivia and another new country to add to my growing list.  Peru was amazing, from deserts to beaches to big cities and ancient civilizations, the main highlight for me was macho Picchu.  That visit was a dream come true for me. 

So adios to Peru and hola to Bolivia.           

OUR PERUVIAN MAMAS AND PAPAS

WEATHER: A glorious clear blue sky day 22C

HIGHTLIGHT OF THE DAY: The floating islands of the Uros

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Hills, hill HILLS

BUYS OF THE DAY: Handmade tapestry from Aruntawi people

WORD OF THE DAY: Hills, Hill, HILLS

Today we head on a boat to some of the islands of Lake Titicaca.  Lake Titicaca is a body of water located in the Collao plateau in the Central Andes at an average altitude of 3812 meters between the territories of Bolivia and Peru . It has an area of 8562 km ² of which 56% (4772 km ²) correspond to Peru and 44% (3790 km ²) in Bolivia and 1125 km of coastline; its maximum depth is estimated at 281m and calculated the average depth at 107 m. The levels are irregular and increase during the austral summer.  Lake Titicaca lies between Andean ranges in a basin of about 58 000 km ² and it is the highest navigable lake in the world and is ranked 19th in the world on the surface.

We got a ‘local limo’ which was one of the man powered tuk tuk’s down to the jetty to where our local boat was waiting for us.  Kate and I got into one of the pedal Tuk Tuks, with our night bags behind us, we just fit in and we felt sorry for our little pedal guy as we left he was already heavy breathing before getting to the first corner of the square, but we were soon to find out it was downhill the whole way, which made us feel better, it was just tough if we got caught at a red light, he would lose his momentum and have to put some work in to get us rolling again.  As always when you have a group, we all try and race, as we were the first to leave, we were the first to arrive, just, and with a few speed bumps, drain crossings that were bumpy we made it safe and sound to the jetty.  It was fun and we got a great laugh which is a nice way to start the day. 

After boarding our boat, which looked quite decent, it had an inside area with seats, an outside section with seats and also bench seats on the roof.  We were going to be spending 3.5 hours on her today and 4 hours on her tomorrow, so lucky it was nice.  They had a toilet on board that was for use of number 1’s only and a few life jackets scattered around.  It is a slow boat and I can see why it takes so long to get to where we are going when it doesn’t look that far on the map!

Our first stop was only 30 minutes away to the floating islands of Uros.  They are a group of artificial islands made ​​of reeds built in Lake Titicaca.  Its inhabitants are the aurochs , an ancient town which is currently distributed in the plateau of Collaoand that in Peru only inhabit the floating islands located in the Bay of Puno.  The floating islands are based on a culture linked to the lake and the reeds that rises from the lake bottom.

In Peru there are more than 20 islands of ethnic Chulluni uro, the number of families occupying an island is quite variable, generally between three and ten. These islands are made and re-made from the totora reeds which provide home, sustenance and transportation for their residents.   These floating islands are the home of the Uros tribe, one which pre-dates the Incan civilization. According to their legends, they existed before the sun, when the earth was still dark and cold. They were impervious to drowning or being struck by lightning. They lost their status as super beings when they disobeyed universal order and mixed with humans, making them susceptible to contempt. They scattered, losing their identity, language, and customs. They became the Uro-Aymaras, and now speak Aymara. Because of their simple and precarious lifestyle, the Incas thought them worth little and accordingly taxed them very little. Yet the Uros, with their basic reed homes outlasted the mighty Incas with their huge stone temples and mountain-top enclaves.

The totora is a cattail type rush growing native in the lake. Its dense roots support the top layer, which rots and must be replaced regularly by stacking more reeds on top of the layer beneath. The islands change in size, and more are created as the need arises. The largest island is currently Tribuna. The surface of the islands is uneven, thin, and some liken walking on it to walking on a waterbed. The unwary might not notice a thin spot and sink a leg or more into the frigid waters of the lake.

The islands are part of the Titicaca National Reserve, created in 1978 to preserve 37 thousand hectares of marsh reeds in the south and north sectors of Lake Titicaca. The reserve protects over 60 species of native birds, four families of fish and 18 native amphibians species. There are three islands in the lake, Huaca Huacani, Toranipata and Santa María.

The floating islands are protected within the Bay of Puno and are home to 2000 or so Uros, who claim to have "black blood”, are consequently immune to the cold. They call themselves be kot-suña, or people of the lake, and consider themselves the owners of the lake and its waters. They continue living by fishing, weaving and now, tourism. They catch fish for themselves and to sell on the mainland. They also catch shore birds and ducks for eggs and food. Occasionally, if the level of the lake decreases, they may plant potatoes in soil created by the decaying reeds, but as a norm, they are not agricultural. The reed boats quite often have an animal face or shape on the prow and are a favorite photographic subject.

The Uros residents of the islands create their homes from the reeds. The roofs are waterproof but not humidity resistant. Cooking fires are built on a layer of stones to protect the reeds. Residents wear layers of clothing, mostly woolen, to protect themselves from the cold, the wind, and the sun which at this altitude can burn fiercely. Many women still wear the distinctive derby type hat and full skirts.

There are over 60 islands in Lake Titicaca.  During the low season (now) they rotate the visitors each day, so they all get an even share of tourists to the island.  The island that we visited was called Aruntawi and we were welcomes by colorful men and women into their home.  The island hosts 6 families, which of 3 still live on the floating island, the other 3 families live come back and forth from the mainland.  It was a weird sensation walking on the island, as your feet sunk in a little to the dry reeds that are placed on top of the floating reeds.  It felt like you were walking on a massive waterbed.  We were told to not stray too close to the edge of the island as it maybe a little unstable and you could fall through!  I’m not sure during my time there, my shoes had some water marks on them, hmmmmmm not sure what the reeds are weight tested to?  But it made me a little nervous!!!!  The island itself must have been 50m x 30m and they had like a donut square in the middle that was open to the lake and where they keep live fish of the lake till they are ready to eat them.

It was a little touristy, but why not cash in, if they get the visitors good luck to them.  They also offer their handicrafts for sale to visitors, and I couldn’t help but buy something as I know the money was going straight back to them, so I know I was helping the families of the island.  It was a beautiful tapestry that I will be able to get framed and hung on the wall, well when I get a home!  After a demonstration of how the islands are made and how they barter with each other we were given the option to have a ride in a local boat called a Balsa boat.  It too is also made of reeds and for 10SOL (3.50AUD) we could get a ride to another island 15 minutes away.  It was surprising, but in was one of the first up, Miss ‘I don’t like little boats’ person.  As the day was just amazing, with clear blue skies and amazing cloud patterns it made for great photos on and off the boat.  We arrived at another floating island to have a quick look around to then board back onto our motor boat for the 3 hour journey and our home for the night with our new family, our Mama and our Papa.  We had been given a brochure that had the some local Quechua phrases that was suggested we learn for our new family.

I used the 3 hours to start working out my plans for next year.  It is nearly 2012 and I need to start working out exactly what I am doing after my South American component finishes in May.  So I have got a list of people to visit in the US, so I have now worked out dates and will need to email them all and check if they will be around.  I have worked out when I will be home next year for 5 weeks, before my new journey starts, and I am nearly ready to reveal, but not just yet.  Stay tuned for that one.  But I have figured I will purchase another round world ticket, originating in Lima.  They really are great value.  I will need to check if Beth can ticket in Oz, otherwise I will have to try and find an agent in Chile or Argentina, which could prove difficult if they don’t speak English.  I’ll see what Beth comes back with.  But I feel like a BILLION dollars knowing what I will be doing next year now and I can’t wait to share it with you all when I know for sure.  It is so EXCITING!!!!

We arrived on Amantani Island just before 2pm.  We had our Mama and Papa’s waiting for us when we arrived.  Roger called out our names, introduced us to our family, tested on our hello and ‘our name is’ before getting taken in 2’s and 3’s for the night with our local family.  Our Mama’s name was Effannia and we had to walk for around 15 minutes all UPHILL to get to our house for the night.  We are talking serious hill-age and at 4000m above sea level we were really feeling the pinch in our breathing and had to have several stops on the way making the 15 minutes more like 30 minutes.  Plus we were carrying our ‘gifts’ of 3kg each to add to my own bloody weight, it was tough!!!! 

The island of Amantani is located in Lake Titicaca.  It is almost circular with a diameter of 3.4 km. Covers an area of 9.28 km ², the largest island of the Peruvian side of the lake. Its maximum height at the top of the mountain is Llacastiti 4150m.  The population is approximately 800 families, distributed over 8 communities.  Their main livelihood is farming, producing potatoes, oca, barley and beans, in the sobresalesn livestock and beef cattle. Due to the existence of granitic rock in the hill Llacastiti activity has developed a cutting and carving utensils for everyday use and construction decorative elements.

The occupation of the island dates back to the pre-Inca. By the 1580s the island was sold by the Spanish King Charles V to Pedro Gonzalez.   Since that time the island was held by the landowners of Spanish descent. In early 1900, as a result of severe drought, farmers began to sell the land to the natives. Approximately in 1950 Amantani farmers had acquired almost the entire island. They have adopted an organization based on kinship and reciprocity in the work of the family-owned plots of land.

We met our Papa Teodocio, who showed us to our room, which was plenty big for the 3 and I was pleasantly surprised on the home.  There were toilets, they didn’t flush, but you used the water to flush, which was just as good.  There was also a shower, but it only had a cold water tap and it was a little bit nippily to be having a shower.  We were then served lunch in a small room next to our sleeping room.  We were served a local soup for entrée and then grilled halumi cheese and potatoe for the main meal finished off with some fresh mint tea.  Literally mint leaves and stem mixed with hot water.  It was delicious and with my small cold I had coming on it was quite pleasant.  We had an hour to kill before heading to a meeting point of the village where we were to meet up again with everyone and then if you wanted to, climb to the top of the island to see a church and get a view of the island.  So at 4pm, our Mama took us to the community sports centre, where some of our guys were playing some of the local guys in a friendly game of football.  We watched and waited for around 45 minutes before the group set off on their walk.  Kate and I decided not to go, me I knew I would really struggle and Kate was still recovering from Machu Picchu (much better excuse than mine) so we made our own way back home and had some free time till our party that night at the local hall.

Marla came back at 6.45pm and said the walk/climb was tough but the view and sunset was pretty good.  I’m still glad I didn’t go.  By this time it was FREEZING and we were tucked in bed, reading.  Dinner was served at 7.15pm and we ate in the kitchen with Mama and Papa and this is where we presented them with the food that we had bought.  Marla had also thrown in packet of plastic farm animals and their 9 year old son thought they were the beez neez.  Mama went through the bags as soon as we had given them to her, so hopefully she was happy with what we had bought.  Dinner was a carb smorgasbord.  The local soup as entrée and then the main meal was rice with fried potatoes and mint tea again as the finisher.  It was delicious and it was good to taste good an old fashioned home cooked meal. 

The party was to start at 8.15pm.  Mama knocked on our door a few minutes before and she came bearing some local clothes for us to get dressed in.  I was concerned about sizing, but the local Peruvian ladies seem to be of a substantial size, so the top, skirt and belt had no worries fitting me.  It was the skinnies that had problems as the clothes were too big!!!  We all looked great and once we were dressed Papa took his ‘gals’ to the party.  We were one of the first to arrive, but it didn’t take long for the hall to fill, and we all looked amazing in their native clothes.  The boys had beanies and woven poncho’s and they had a local band playing some tunes to which we danced with our Mama’s and Papa’s.  It was a pretty cool evening and after a few hours it was time to head home and to get some sleep.  It has been a massive day.

So as we fell asleep in our big warm beds, it is amazing just how simple people can live and still be happy.  Our Mama and Papa looked happy living the simple life and who could blame then with no pressure of the outside world hassling them each day.