Travel report #8
Bolivia - Uyuni, Potosi, La Paz and Copacabana
Thursday December 28, 2000
Another try, and off we went. A group of 14; coming from everywhere, the US, Japan, Germany, Italy, France, Austria and of course Norway!
Again some delays, we waited 3-4 hours at the Chile-Bolivia border (in the desert)...
Eventually, our jeeps arrived and we were 7 in each.
The first stop was Laguna Verde. Getting out of the car, B managed to get a deep cut just below the knee!!
The wound would need stitches and the tour company said the that could be fixed at the place were we were to stay the night, Laguna Colorado.
So with a compress and bandage, the tour continued, though B a bit reduced mostly sitting still in the car...
We got to see many nice lakes, different colours, a geyser field throuhing mud in the air, at hot spring were we had lunch and eventually the red coloured Laguna Colorado (LC).
Unfortunatly it was Christmas, and no medical service at LC...
We got the wound cleaned and temporarly stiched (special tape), with good help from an English girl (Kate) from another group.
So, after long discussions (and good help from our French friends that spoke perfect spanish) the two of us went to Villa Mar, another small desert village that was supposed to have a medical service...
The drive to Villa Mar was very bumpy and took 3 hours. We (by luck) found the doctor (or the handy man) and he cleaned the wound again and made three proper stiches. Later he helped fixed our car and provided a bed for the night for the two of us and the two drivers (Daniel and Romer)...
Friday December 29, 2000
Up at 5am, more fixing of the car (with good help from the "doctor") and then a 2-3 hour drive back to LC. From there the tour continued as planned :-)
We got to see the red Laguna Colorado, with hundreds of flamengos. Facinating!
Later we passed by Arbol de Piedra (funny stone formations, one formed as a tree), many more lagunas with different colours, and in the distant a smoking vulcano.
Many interesting mountains and nice scenary. Ended that day in San Juan, another desert town.
Saturday December 30, 2000
The tour company is a separate story. We were a group of 14 in two, old Toyota jeeps. The crew were 5 in total, but only room for 3 of them inside the jeeps, so each jeep had a man on the roof!! The jeeps had to be repaired every now and then, one of them we had to run start unless there was a hill it could make the stop in... A common sight was to see the "roof riders" either head down into the engine or lying under it... But the crew was very friendly and we can't say anything bad about them. Good food all the way and always smiling!
This last day of the tour we came to Salar de Uyuni. An enourmous salt lake. It looked like standing on really hard snow. Amazing. As we drove onto the lake, we saw nothing but flat white, and mountains far off in the horizon. Fantastic!
We stopped at a island were we had lunch and climed to the top. Many nice cacti and a facinating view!
The second last stop was at Hotel de Sal, a hotel in the middle of the lake constructed almost entirely by salt! Facinating!
The last stop was at a small village were they "produced" salt, digging it into piles, transporing it and packing it for sale.
We ended the tour in Uyuni, a small city by the lake.
Sunday December 31, 2000
Uyuni is not much of a place to celebrate new year (or anything else), but since we had to relax and see a doctor, we really had no choice.
The doctor said the cut was clean and nice, and did nothing but clean it and put on an anti infection compress.
Got to see some of Uyuni, a nice marked and nice people, but not many sights...
We had a nice new years dinner, but then returned to our hotel room. It was raining and we were tired. We saw/heard the fireworks from the hotel room...
Monday January 1, 2001
Took the bus to Potosi, an interesting bus ride. Nice scenary along the road, unpaved and bumpy all the way, pouring rain at times, our back packs on the roof, the bus packed with people (about 10 standing most of the way), took about 8 hours to get to Potosi...
When we arrived, it poured down and the back packs was already wet, and everything got more wet in our search for a hotel...
Tuesday-Friday January 2-5, 2001
We spent almost a week here. Potosi is the worlds highest city at 4070 meters. It has a facinating history, was South Americas most important city for centuries. This because of the mining, a huge mountain next to the city is/was full of silver and other minerals.
We wanted to do a mine tour, but could not do that with B's leg... We got to hear about it, climbing and beeing wired down a narrow tunnel, about 10 meters deep!
We spent much time in the parks reading and walking around looking at all the facinating markets. And looking at the people, the special way to carry on their backs and the funny black round hat.
(10-year-old Johnny giving B's shoes a shine up)
Visited a doctor the last day and he removed the stiches and confirmed that everything was OK :-)
Saturday January 6, 2001
Our last day in Potosi, leaving for La Paz on a night bus at 8pm.
Sunday January 7, 2001
A cold night, not much sleep. Arrived in La Paz early in the morning. Facinating city, first a city on the rim, then the center of La Paz down in a canyon!
Time for more bad health, IA got a terrible stomacke sickness. She spent most of the day in bed...
Monday January 8, 2001
IA still sick, but we both managed to go to the Coca museum in the afternoon. A facinating museum showing a different side of the coca story...
(The main square with the President Palace)
Also walked around in the center, a nice city.
(Football games are very popular in Bolivia :-)
Tuesday January 9, 2001
Time to leave La Paz. The bus ride out was really nice, got to see the whole city valley! Continued towards Copacabana, by the lake Titicaca.
To get there, we had to cross the lake, a facinating ferry crossing. The passangers was transported in small passenger boats, the bus on a small, special boat, operated by two boys, with a outboard motor!
Wednesday January 10, 2001
IA still not well, stayed mostly in bed. B got to see a bit of Copacabana, nice view of Lake Titicaca.
Thursday January 11, 2001
Time to leave Bolivia. Funny memories, injuries and sickness...
We took a bus to Puno in Peru.