Bolivia Bits and Bobs
I´ve been incredibly lapse in keeping up with this blog so I´m afraid I am forced to share only the briefest of highlights.
I spent a glorious two weeks in Bolivia and felt that the $135 I paid for my visa was well worthwhile! I only wish I´d had more time as I would´ve ventured further east into the heart of the Amazon region. Oh well, next time...
SUCRE, Dec 23-26
I had the "privilege" of testing out one of TAM Airlines ancient aircraft on December 23 when I flew from the Aeroporto Militar in La Paz to the constitutional capital of Sucre for the measly price of $62. This decrepit plane was so old that it didn´t even possess an overhead compartment for the passengers´ carry-on luggage. Furthermore, the seats sagged and were stained with some unknown substance upon which it´s not wise to dwell. Still, I arrived in Sucre with my life and luggage intact so kudos to Bolivian aircraft engineers, pilots and air traffic controllers!
My time in Sucre was fairly quiet as it was Christmas time so I pretty much chilled out and spent a fair bit of time wandering the streets just soaking in the holiday vibe. I did go on an excursion to Dino Land. Seriously, it´s like a jurassic theme park without any thrilling rides that caters towards toddlers or kids not much older than that. It is an attraction about 5km outside of town and it revolves around a rock face found there with hundreds of dinosaur footprints which one is not allowed to approach due to the danger of it collapsing. I really thought it was a waste of both my time and money but figure children would really dig the life-size models of dinosaurs.
I did have the chance to go to the cinema on Xmas Eve for the first time since I started this trip. The ticket cost 20 Bolivianos which is roughly $3. I am sure you are dying to know which film I saw so without further adieu I will admit that I really enjoyed seeing the new Mission Impossible film with a very-fit-looking Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Definitely some nifty stuntwork done there, Mr. Cruise, although I have to wonder just how much of it was accomplished courtesy of CGI, hmmm??
Potosi, Dec 26-27
My journey to Potosi, the highest city in the world at 4090m, started with a major BOO BOO! You see as I was walking down the aisle of the bus in search of my assigned seat, I failed to notice (and was NOT warned by the bus driver!) that there was a friggin´HOLE in the floor!! The driver had apparently been doing some sort of repairs to the engine and forgot to close the hole and naturally I FELL DOWN THE HOLE! It hurt like a son of a bitch and I even cried for a little while due to the excruciating pain I felt in my right knee which had been cut open and bruised. But did the driver apologize for having caused this unfortunate accident? Why NO, he decidedly did NOT. All he offered in terms of his regret was some salve to rub over the cut. Gee whiz, thanks. Only not.
The only reason I went to Potosi was in order to visit the infamous silver/tin mine located there. It is still a working mine but not very profitable for the poor souls who work it. When the tin market collapsed in the 1980s, the Bolivian government basically pulled out of the mine and left the remains to the miners. These days the miners manage to shell out a meager living working loooong hours under dangerous conditions. Many miners die as a result of a fall down one of the numerous shafts or while mismanaging the dynamite used to loosen the rocks. They earn roughly 100 Bolivianos per day though which is substantially more than a starting police officer or teacher make. I was incredibly ashamed to discover that a beginning teacher makes only 800 Bolivianos per month. And here I am living on 345 Bolivianos per day ($50) and whining about it! Shame on me! So the miners do manage to earn a better living wage than many but at quite a cost due to the unhealthy conditions they slave under. To make a bit more cash, tourists are allowed to visit the miners down below and it´s quite a memorable experience. Sludging through the mud, breathing in the fumes, carefully climbing down decripit ladders into the depths below, encountering devil-worshipping statues and Playboy centerfolds left lying on the rocks...I am certainly glad I chose to take this tour and encourage other visitors to do the same. For those who will never have the chance to visit the mines in person though, there was an excellent documentary made in 2005 called ¨The Devil´s Miner¨about a 14-year-old boy who works in the mine and worships the devil of the underworld for protection. I haven´t seen it yet myself but most certainly will once I have the chance.
Uyuni, December 27-30
My last stop in Bolivia was the small town of Uyuni, which is the gateway for tourists who wish to tour the world´s largest salt flat nearby.
I traveled by bus from Potosi to Uyuni arriving there around 4 PM. I then spent the next hour rushing around town and visiting various agencies which offer 3-day tours of the area. So many of these companies are disreputable from what I´d read/heard so I was bewildered as to which to choose but luckily, 2 Argentinian girls staying in my dorm room (Yoh Gabriella and Fernanda!!) told me théy´d picked Red Planet Expeditions as it had a bit of a better reputation than most. I booked a place for the following day on the Spanish tour as the cost was lower and Fernanda promised to be my personal translator. In addition to these 2 gregarious Argentinians from Mendoza, there was a lovely Brazilian couple, Leo and Michiko. Leo, the linguist who spoke seven languages, was born in South Korea actually but had spent the majority of his life in Brazil, and his wife was Japanese but she also grew up in Brazil. The final member of our group was Rul, yet another Dutchman, from Amsterdam. I´m beginning to think that no tour group I join can be complete without at least 1 person from the Netherlands. It´s either that or the citizens of Holland are stalking me as I traverse the globe...
The 3-day-tour included visits to a train cemetary, the magnificant other-worldly Salt Flats (which indeed are to die for!!!!), various mineral-laden lakes, weird rock formations reminiscent of the American Southwest, a hot springs in which I chose NOT to immerse myself, and geysers. The road is oftentimes bumpy and being packed into a 4x4 vehicle for hours on end is not necessarily comfy BUT I am ever so glad I chose to do the tour. It ended up being the best thing I experienced while in Bolivia.
Onwards and downwards to Chile...
I spent a glorious two weeks in Bolivia and felt that the $135 I paid for my visa was well worthwhile! I only wish I´d had more time as I would´ve ventured further east into the heart of the Amazon region. Oh well, next time...
SUCRE, Dec 23-26
I had the "privilege" of testing out one of TAM Airlines ancient aircraft on December 23 when I flew from the Aeroporto Militar in La Paz to the constitutional capital of Sucre for the measly price of $62. This decrepit plane was so old that it didn´t even possess an overhead compartment for the passengers´ carry-on luggage. Furthermore, the seats sagged and were stained with some unknown substance upon which it´s not wise to dwell. Still, I arrived in Sucre with my life and luggage intact so kudos to Bolivian aircraft engineers, pilots and air traffic controllers!
My time in Sucre was fairly quiet as it was Christmas time so I pretty much chilled out and spent a fair bit of time wandering the streets just soaking in the holiday vibe. I did go on an excursion to Dino Land. Seriously, it´s like a jurassic theme park without any thrilling rides that caters towards toddlers or kids not much older than that. It is an attraction about 5km outside of town and it revolves around a rock face found there with hundreds of dinosaur footprints which one is not allowed to approach due to the danger of it collapsing. I really thought it was a waste of both my time and money but figure children would really dig the life-size models of dinosaurs.
I did have the chance to go to the cinema on Xmas Eve for the first time since I started this trip. The ticket cost 20 Bolivianos which is roughly $3. I am sure you are dying to know which film I saw so without further adieu I will admit that I really enjoyed seeing the new Mission Impossible film with a very-fit-looking Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Definitely some nifty stuntwork done there, Mr. Cruise, although I have to wonder just how much of it was accomplished courtesy of CGI, hmmm??
Potosi, Dec 26-27
My journey to Potosi, the highest city in the world at 4090m, started with a major BOO BOO! You see as I was walking down the aisle of the bus in search of my assigned seat, I failed to notice (and was NOT warned by the bus driver!) that there was a friggin´HOLE in the floor!! The driver had apparently been doing some sort of repairs to the engine and forgot to close the hole and naturally I FELL DOWN THE HOLE! It hurt like a son of a bitch and I even cried for a little while due to the excruciating pain I felt in my right knee which had been cut open and bruised. But did the driver apologize for having caused this unfortunate accident? Why NO, he decidedly did NOT. All he offered in terms of his regret was some salve to rub over the cut. Gee whiz, thanks. Only not.
The only reason I went to Potosi was in order to visit the infamous silver/tin mine located there. It is still a working mine but not very profitable for the poor souls who work it. When the tin market collapsed in the 1980s, the Bolivian government basically pulled out of the mine and left the remains to the miners. These days the miners manage to shell out a meager living working loooong hours under dangerous conditions. Many miners die as a result of a fall down one of the numerous shafts or while mismanaging the dynamite used to loosen the rocks. They earn roughly 100 Bolivianos per day though which is substantially more than a starting police officer or teacher make. I was incredibly ashamed to discover that a beginning teacher makes only 800 Bolivianos per month. And here I am living on 345 Bolivianos per day ($50) and whining about it! Shame on me! So the miners do manage to earn a better living wage than many but at quite a cost due to the unhealthy conditions they slave under. To make a bit more cash, tourists are allowed to visit the miners down below and it´s quite a memorable experience. Sludging through the mud, breathing in the fumes, carefully climbing down decripit ladders into the depths below, encountering devil-worshipping statues and Playboy centerfolds left lying on the rocks...I am certainly glad I chose to take this tour and encourage other visitors to do the same. For those who will never have the chance to visit the mines in person though, there was an excellent documentary made in 2005 called ¨The Devil´s Miner¨about a 14-year-old boy who works in the mine and worships the devil of the underworld for protection. I haven´t seen it yet myself but most certainly will once I have the chance.
Uyuni, December 27-30
My last stop in Bolivia was the small town of Uyuni, which is the gateway for tourists who wish to tour the world´s largest salt flat nearby.
I traveled by bus from Potosi to Uyuni arriving there around 4 PM. I then spent the next hour rushing around town and visiting various agencies which offer 3-day tours of the area. So many of these companies are disreputable from what I´d read/heard so I was bewildered as to which to choose but luckily, 2 Argentinian girls staying in my dorm room (Yoh Gabriella and Fernanda!!) told me théy´d picked Red Planet Expeditions as it had a bit of a better reputation than most. I booked a place for the following day on the Spanish tour as the cost was lower and Fernanda promised to be my personal translator. In addition to these 2 gregarious Argentinians from Mendoza, there was a lovely Brazilian couple, Leo and Michiko. Leo, the linguist who spoke seven languages, was born in South Korea actually but had spent the majority of his life in Brazil, and his wife was Japanese but she also grew up in Brazil. The final member of our group was Rul, yet another Dutchman, from Amsterdam. I´m beginning to think that no tour group I join can be complete without at least 1 person from the Netherlands. It´s either that or the citizens of Holland are stalking me as I traverse the globe...
The 3-day-tour included visits to a train cemetary, the magnificant other-worldly Salt Flats (which indeed are to die for!!!!), various mineral-laden lakes, weird rock formations reminiscent of the American Southwest, a hot springs in which I chose NOT to immerse myself, and geysers. The road is oftentimes bumpy and being packed into a 4x4 vehicle for hours on end is not necessarily comfy BUT I am ever so glad I chose to do the tour. It ended up being the best thing I experienced while in Bolivia.
Onwards and downwards to Chile...
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