So we all jumped on the bus and headed to Potosi where we then needed to change bus to Sucre. Simple.

As we got on the outskirts the bus suddenly shot off the main road and started going down a dirt road. A dirt road too bumpy and rough for a big coach to handle, but he kept on going as we banged all over the place.

Clearly we are being taken to a place to get mugged I thought. There was no other explanation. Then when we got to the end of the road he turned around and went back up.

Part of me was relieved not to have been mugged, but the other part was more confused than ever.

We headed back up the main road then he pulled over and stopped and everyone jumped out.

Road blockades.

As we looked up the street you could lots of lorries and trucks across the road blocking the way. There was a national protest over increases in fuel duty, so all the truck drivers had gone on strike and blocked all the major cities.

Aha, now that explains it. He had tried to take a back road in to town when he went on the crazy detour but that had been blocked as well.

Luckily I was still with all the others so did not have to worry about anything, but this now meant that we would have big problems getting to Sucre.

Gabriele did some talking and established if we somehow managed to get in to the centre of town we may be able to get a cab who knew a way out to get us to Sucre.

Failing that we would have to stay.

Town was uphill but we had no idea how far, so grabbed our bags and started to walk up and through the blockades.

The altitude hit us straight away and we were all puffing and panting. Turned out we were miles away. A few people had managed to grab a taxi and then Will started speaking to a local in a pick up truck and waved us all over.

Jump in, he will give us a lift.

So we started throwing all our rucksacks in and then piled in the back and hung on for dear life as he shot up the steep streets.

He could have been taking us off to be murdered for all we knew.

We would zoom up a street, see a big truck blocking the road then he would shoot off up a side street just before. It was like something out of a movie. Its a miracle we did not lose anyone over the side.

Anyhow he got us near the bus station and we found lots of taxis happy to get us out of town for a premium price.

Gabriele grabbed some locals and negotiated us a pretty good price for a minibus who said he would take us all the way to the hotel for about fifty quid. It was less than a tenner each and it was a two hour drive so we were all happy and piled in.

We zig zagged up lots of side streets and then shot out on to the main road quite a way out of town......we were off.

We stopped off and bought some beers and enjoyed the ride and had a laugh with the driver.

Then it all turned sour.

As we got near he stopped off and then came back and said the road was blocked and if we wanted to get to the centre it would be another fourty quid.

Oh what a surprise.

We thought he was bluffing for money so told him to carry on the main road until the blockade.

Well he was not bluffing, it was well and truly blocked, so we knew we had to do the same and get out and walk through it.

Naturally with not having taken us in to town as promised he would not want the same amount of money???

Oh yes he did.

So then things got really heated. People and drivers who had just been stood around heard the argument and started to come closer to listen. The driver was having none of it and still wanted the full amount.

Gabriele did a good job and told him where to go. He slammed all the doors and kicked off as we walked off.

By now it was dark, and this road block was far more fierce than the last, so we were keen to get through it as soon as possible, but it just went on and on.

Finally we got through it, but no one wanted to know us. Buses would not let us on and it was a really steep hill and a hell of a long way to the top.

Finally we found a couple of taxis.

We had split up, so after dropping some girls off it was just Gabriele and I in the taxi.

The driver asked us the address but it was with someone who was in the other taxi. But we knew the street and the hostel name.

Then he asked us again.

A few seconds later the same thing.

The more we looked at the driver the more we realised he was drunk or on drugs.

Then he pulled over and just started staring at some girls.

Gabrliele and i looked at each other in disbelief. It was funny but also a little worrying as he just pulled out in to oncoming traffic.

What is the address?

He just kept going on and on. It was like groundhog day.

Well somehow we managed to make it and got to the hostel.

The owner had a very friendly sausage dog that liked to hang around reception.

It was a bit crammed as we all squashed in with our rucksacks so to be fair you could not see much around you.

Anyhow we had heard that the owner was not very friendly, so we gave it the full charm offensive as we signed in.

It was going well til Gabriele tried to sit down and then we just heard this dog scream.......

Luckily he did not kill it, but it was not a good start.

Breakfast was run by a friendly but odd looking woman with one eye. It was a lottery if there was milk for your coffee and you got a bread roll with some margarine and jam.

Hardly what you should be advertising as a free breakfast. Plus the bread was so hard you could have stoned someone to death with it.

Good job there was lots of choice outside. There was a really great market where you could get fresh smoothies and amazing fruit salads.

I had not originally planned to go to Sucre, but was happy I had gone along with the others. It was a nice town with colonial style buildings, a nice square at the top of the hill with a fantastic cafe and garden and surrounded by mountains on all sides.

We found a fantastic grill that did a mouth watering steak for under a fiver.

The food was really good and cheap and there was a good bar scene.

There was still a bunch of us, so we went out a few times and had some good nights out.

The plan was just a couple of days, but the road blockade continued, so we were happy staying for more steaks and mojitos, but we realised after a week we were mojitoed out.

Again you could apparently find a taxi to take you a secret way out, but after our last experience we were naturally cautious.

Anyway we all decided to take the risk, so headed off to the bus station to see if we could get out of town........

Next stop Potosi, the worlds highest city.............