Day 23: Sucre
Early this morning, we arrived into Sucre, a beautiful whitewashed colonial town some 2,500m above sea level - a far cry from La Paz!
We dropped our bags into the luggage store of our pretty hotel with internal courtyards, and went for breakfast in a nice place in the main square. I had an omelette, banana milkshake and, because I've no self-control, nachos and guacamole! It had been a long night on the bus... that's my excuse!
A beautiful day, and all tired from travelling, when Vale suggested a trip to a pool in the outskirts of town, we jumped at it! A quick whip around the shop for snacks to bring and we met in the hotel lobby around midday. Vale gave me directions, put us in taxis and off we went.
We were going to Yotala, the next town over, which was a 30 min drive, 40Bob (€5!) in a taxi. We drove around the dry, red dusty hillsides eventually reaching dirt roads that caused the car to rattle (the car boot threatening to rattle right off its hinges), stirring up plumes of dust as we went, until we reached the town square.
This town was so quiet and so rural; sleepy and slow. A smattering of people occupied the square, and there as always, were women selling and cooking food from tiny stands or else a blanket.
We started down the hill as directed by Vale. Flip flops on dusty roads was ill advised. We wandered down out of the town, now starting to question the directions I was given, so I asked a local for the rope bridge which would be our landmark. Thankfully we weren't too far off. Problem was, we came at it the wrong way so instead of going over it, we had to go under it, which meant crossing the shallow river beneath. All part of the adventure! From there we followed a narrow dusty lane way until we came to a small doorway with a little sign saying "Terracotta" - we nearly missed it altogether! But as we entered, following between the back wall of a long, mud house and huge aloe vera plants, music filled the air. Hidden in this dusty town on the hill, we stumbled into a little oasis! A cute timber bar on the right, behind which was "the pool" (a 2m x 5m concrete bucket of cold water) and terraces of villas to the left, and in front of us seductive white loungers around coffee tables, shaded by enormously tall palm trees. A little slice of paradise! We were there 5 mins and already stripped to our bathers and taking in the sun, regardless of the other guests who were well covered up - it's winter here, apparently. A heavenly afternoon was spent chilling with mojitos and wine and the occasional cool down in the puddle of freezing water behind us.
Getting back to Sucre was interesting. On the advise of the waitress, we decided to get the bus. We walked back up to the town square where we were to wait for a sort of mini bus, fare: 4Bob/€0.52(!). While we waited, I was sucked in by the scent of barbecue. My first brave attempt of street food - a massive chunk of amazing roast pork with corn and pickled onions for 30Bob (€3.90) - all tucked in and LOVED IT!
As soon as I'd been served the bus was there and I raced to hop on. It was filled with locals, and as we journeyed, got more and more packed. A local man, taken in either by our "merriment" or foreign looks/accents, tried to chat to us. He was fairly well on and wasn't making much sense but was funny all the same (another "you had to be there" moment).
Not sure where or how we got off the bus but Julien directed us back to the hotel (with a brief stop for the most amazing hot chocolate - they do it well here) before conking out for a brief pre-dinner nap. Opting for a little bit more chill time, I skipped dinner (still full of street food anyway!) and joined the rest for a complimentary salsa lesson in a bar called Joyride.
The Salsa lesson sadly wasn't a salsa lesson, but reggaeton, which is basically just thrusting and throwing your head about. Not sure I really saw it as much as a "dance class" so much as a Zumba work out! It was fun, but I'm pretty sure yer wan was just up on the stage (a group of tables pushed together) throwing her Saturday night shapes in the hopes we'd copy. Easy money!
It was good craic all the same. And we got to see our very own Vale pull some sweet moves of her own! That's the Latin blood for you - they got rhythm in their bones!
Accommodation: Hotel Independencia
Weather: Hotter at this lower altitude; light jacket only required in the evening. Perfect weather. Although, most of the group at this stage are struggling with colds...