This morning at 07.30 we came to the end of a two day visit to La Paz, the highest capital city in the world at about 3600 metres.

The following is how we travelled to Bolivia.

After an extra day in Buenos Aires visiting police stations and being driven across the city in a police car, we left for Salta. Twenty-four hours later we arrive having slept well in the reclining seats. Due to the delay in BA we can only stay one day in Salta and will have to be up at 05.30 on 28th November (the next day) to catch a bus to the Argentinian/Bolivian border.

The Argentinian side is a walk-through, past a window in the border post building.

No baggage checks and we walk to the Bolivian side struggling with our bags.

Bolivian immigration is even more casual. For a start, there is only one room about the size of a large lounge for both sets of people - those entering the country and those leaving. Not only that, there is only one door. A little bit of shoulder barging and we´re by the office. Richard learnt his queue barging technique trying to get rail tickets in Vietnam! We collect our entry form to fill in and a boy parked at the only table insists on ´helping´us fill it in. He´s probably part of the scene in here!

Now, in England you might then rejoin the queue at the back to file through to the officer again, not here, not likely! A bit more shoulder work and we´re stamped up and ready for the next journey - but this time it isn´t a bus.

The overall impression of the border post for Bolivia is of a very faded meeting room in a Victorian Non-comformist church! (What do you mean, you´ve never been in one!) No baggage checks here either, just a few bruised legs as we´ve crashed through with our three large bags and two smaller backpacks. Remember... there´s only one door!

A taxi takes us to the train station not very far away. There are not many railways in Bolivia and we´ve timed our journey to arrive here to catch a very rare express train to Tupiza. The very scenic trip will take nearly three hours through Andian countryside. This time we´re collected from the station and taken to our hostel.

The next day we´ll begin a four day off-road tour of the south-west corner of Bolivia. Very very high and very very very remote. Driven by Guvenal - who never stops chewing coca leaves, and fed by Eloisa the cook. Except for the breakfast fare, the meals Eloisa puts together are wonderful. Remember, it all has to be packed into the vehicle and lunch is prepared enroute and served from the back of the four-by-four.

We´ll suffer a bit of altitude sickness but it will have been worth every minute of pounding headaches to have experienced such a wilderness. On many occasions it wasn´t difficult to imagine we were on another planet.

Driving across the world´s largest salt lake in the reflection of a cloudy sky was perhaps the most awe inspiring vision of our whole journey. Thomas, a Frenchman in our group of five, said it was like being in heaven!

Ana was very sick on the last day of the tour. So before the next bus we paid for a double room in a hostel in Uyuni! A Hostel International.

The over-night bus from Uyuni, (yes another one - but this is the last over-nighter we'll need in South America, phew) brought us to La Paz.

Ana had predicted that we might be a little jaded after the tour so had booked us into a hotel for two nights in La Paz. It sounds rather extravigant, but for less than it costs to stay in a B B in England we were able to have a suite on the Executive floor! Three rooms in total. A large bedroom, bathroom and lounge/dining and kitchen area. We´d move in if we were staying! And the name of this establishment.....the Ritz!

Now we´ve had a good wash and brush-up we both feel much better - well, who wouldn´t!

We left La Paz this morning by bus, of course, but it only took three hours to get to our next stop.