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We have made it to Argentina after a week of some 'interesting' experiences in Bolivia!
It all began with an overnight bus journey to Sucre which started off in a very comfortable bus but this all changed when it broke down about an hour and a half from Sucre. We had to wait on the bus until our tour leader, Mel, could financially persuade the driver on a passing bus to let us sit in the aisle of his bus so that we could get to where we were going. Added to that, one of our bags went missing in all the confusion about changing buses but luckily it eventually turned up after Mel kicked up a fuss and got the local police involved!
We got to Sucre, which is a really nice town, in time for a late breakfast and Damian and Steve (one of the Aussie bloke who is a West Ham supporter) persuaded the restaurant we were in to put the FA Cup Final on the TV. That wasn't the end of our football experience in Salta as a local guided took a few of us to see a football match at the local stadium between Sucre and La Paz. We sat with the locals in the budget stands - 10 Bolivianos (about £1) a ticket and despite a brief thunder storm we really enjoyed the game as the local team won 3-1. Damian even bought the team's shirt for 30 Bolivianos (£3) - it's so cheap in Bolivia!
Next we went to Potosi, a rather bleak mining town which was cold and windy. We went on a tour of the local silver mine which now only mines tin as there is no silver left. It is still a working mine with everything done manually but as it was Sunday no one was working that day which was just as well as it would have been really dusty. It was a bizarre tour as we had to get dressed up in overalls, wellies, a hard hat and a headtorch because we had to literally walk, crawl and climb through the tunnels that the workers used sometimes with holes in the floor that we had to carefully walk around - health and safety regulations in Bolivia are not like we have in Britain! Things got even better when the guide who had persuaded some of the group to buy some dynamite, set it off in a pile of rocks just outside the mine but despite being quite loud, the explosion wasn't actually that big. Later on we went out for a meal to try some local food. We had llama steak which was a bit like pork and not as nice as the alpaca we had had earlier on in Peru, which was like a cross between beef and lamb, but also not as strange as the cuy (guineapig) which was sort of like a more gamier tasting chicken.
Our next bus ride to Uyuni was also somewhat eventful. The whole road, about 6 hours worth, was being upgraded. The first half hour was great as it was tarmaced but from then on it was gravel, some of which had only just been laid, and at one point we had to get out and push the bus because it had got stuck in a freshly laid stretch of sand!
From Uyuni we went on a day trip to the Salt Flats which was once an ocean. They cover a huge area and are blinding White. At lunchtime we stopped at what was once an island made from fossilised coral which is now covered in giant cacti. We also had fun taking photos on the salt - see pictures (when we've put them on the site!).
Our third journey was to Tupiza which we had to take in four wheeled drive jeeps because of the condition of the road. We somehow managed to end up in the oldest jeep and our picturesque 6 hour trip was spoilt by worsening noises coming from the engine which eventually broke down! Luckily one of the other jeeps was behind us and the driver was a mechanic and helped our driver change some parts of the engine so that we could get to our destination. We know that this trip is meant to be an adventure and not a holiday but we weren't expecting such eventful travelling experiences - the use of 'eco-toilets' (or wild-wees) along the way is eventful enough especially when llamas are nearby!
In Tupiza we went on a horse trek in the local area which is very similar to the film scenes you see in Westerns complete with rock formations and various cacti. The guide even thought it was funny to carry a toy gun which he pulled out on us - not sure about the Bolivian sense of humour! Tupiza is the place where Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ended up and an updated version of the film is being made around Uyni and Tupiza at the moment and Sam Shepherd was spotted in the restaurant we were in.
After a very long journey starting at 3:30am and involving various buses, taxis, and a border crossing, we are now in Salta, Argentina. It is very much like a European city and it is nice to be finally back down at a reasonable altitude (1280m). We have already sampled the local steak and wine which are both delicious and we are looking forward to more of the same later on and despite a 19 hour bus journey, we are now looking forward to going to Mendoza and then to Santiago where we leave this tour.
K & D X
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