hello again!! thought id bring you uptodate on what ive been up to, the last few days. i really enjoyed santa cruz, went to loads of museums there, then i headed to sucre, allegedly the capital of the country - theres some dispute about this. that was yet another long bus journey, not much fun, as i had to take my enormous rucksack onto the bus, and stick it at my feet. but i survived! sucre was really cool. i liked it a lot. when i arrived, in the town plaza, there was some kind of celebration to mark the end of the chaco war against paraguay. soldiers were in full uniform, both past and present, and some were showing the kinds of weapons used during the war. there was also the army band playing. i should point out that bolivia lost this war, but they obviously still like to party! i went to loads of museums there, i think 8 over two days!! i saw an exhibition on traditional weaving, which was really interesting, and antropological exhibition, lots and lots of religious art, all sorts, and all pretty good. i was a bit disappointed not to stay in sucre a bit longer, but as id exhausted all the museums, i thought it was time to move on!! so i went to potosi, the worlds highest city at 4070m, and at one time (i think during the 16/17th centuries) was the worlds most populated city. i had a touch of altitude sickness there, headaches, breathlessness, difficulty sleeping but no loss of appetite!! i took a tour of the casa de la moneda, which was formally where coins for many countries were produced, but now, bolivias currency is made in france, britain and canada!! it was an interesting building. then i went on a tour of a working mine. it was about 4600m above sealevel, and there they mine silver, zinc and tin....i think. we saw the walls which were covered in freshly slaughtered llamas blood, a good luck ritual! we were under ground for a few hours, it was really hot, the passages were very narrow, and where the actual mining takes place, incredibly noisy and dusty. after the tour, one of the guides, who himself had started work in the mines at age 11, took a few of us out to the high spots of potosi. we went to a working mans club, and later to the local "discoteca" where we were the only people there. the music was dreadful, but that didnt stop us staying till about 5am. i heard that in fact the guide didnt make it to work the next day!! glad i wasnt the only one not feeling 100%!! then i went to uyuni, a not very nice town, but the gateway to the worlds largest salt plains. i took a 4day tour. the first day, we drove through the salt field, and saw the hotel made entirely of salt. inside, the tables and chairs, and even the beds are actually salt. not sure how warm you would be, but its fun to see! the salt field is amazing. as far as you can see is white, and i had to keep reminding myself it was salt, not snow. it crunches like snow when you walk on it. the next day, we saw a few volcanos and several lagunas. the scenery was really stunning. that night, i was the coldest i think ive ever been. the hostel was incredibly basic, all electricity off by 8.30, no running water...not that it would have mattered if there was, as the temperature fell overnight to around -20c!!!! i shivered most of the night, fully dressed, inside my sleeping bag! but we had to get up about 5am, pack in the darkness, so we could get to some geysers for sunrise. they were cool. and we finally heated up when we visited some hot springs, where we all paddled. saw lots more lakes, all very pretty, took LOADS of photos, so if you want to see them, just let me know!!! then last night, i took yet another overnight journey, from uyuni, to la paz. i kid you not, it was the worst bus journey ive ever taken. the road was dreadful, and every ten seconds, the tremors would cause the window to open. the icy blast was unbearable, and the window had to be shut immediately. fortunately (?) i wasnt the only one with this problem, and after an hour or so, someone complained. so one of the drivers appeared with a roll of sellotape, and used lots of it, to stick the window closed. i have to say, i was very sceptical, but it did the trick, and the window stayed closed. but that didnt mean it was any warmer. there was ice on the inside of the window, and even fully clothed inside my sleeping bag, i couldnt get warm. as if that wasnt bad enough, my boots, which id taken off, because they were so filthy, left the bus at oruro, while i stayed on till la paz. no idea what happened to them, but im NOT happy. because, from la paz, ive headed straight to cusco. two reasons for this- theres a major festival taking place on tuesday, which i thought sunded fun, and also, i thought id walk the inca trail now, before heading back to bolivia, to see some jungle. so now my plans are a little up in the air. ill have to buy new boots, as i only have a pair of beach shoes with me, but theyll take time to break in, so im not sure if ill hang around here till such times, or if ill leave and come back, or just what im going to do. but thats half the fun, this never knowing where ill be from one day to the next!! ill keep you posted.....