Sh*t sticks, I missed my boat to Isla del Sol as I spent most of the night before pebble-dashing the communal toilets due to a return of my 'food poisoning'! In the morning I was asked to leave the hostel as I had no reservation. I ended up at a hostel just along the same road. I checked in and lay on my bed feeling worse by the minute. I eventually decided to go to the local hospital but, before I could leave, the kind hostel owner called up the doctor and a...

Marco Etcheverry, born September 26th 1970 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He, if you are wondering, is regarded as Bolivia's all time best footballer with 13 goals in 71 appearances for his nation. I told you that I would work on it! Furthermore, Marco Sandy is the most experienced player with 93 caps and Victor Ugate is the all time top scorer with 16 goals. Its a total disgrace that I didn't already know this information! However, I am now well placed to talk abo...

La Paz is the world`s highest capital city at a staggering 3660m above sea level. The city, which has a population of 1.5 million, is set inside a breathtaking canyon. It has a very unusual setting. In order to get into the city by road you have to drive through El Alto which used to be a suburb of La Paz but is now the fastest growing city (slum) in South America. The view from El Alto down to La Paz is spectacular. From La Paz, the urban sprawl climbs up t...

After a 6 hour bus ride from Vallegrande to Santa Cruz I had a brief stop before a 12 hour overnight ride to Cochabamba. During the night we were stopped and searched by a very official looking army policeman. He got on the bus, woke everyone up and checked our bags. On arrival in Cochabamba I thought, oh dear, I am glad this is only a stopover. Cochabamba is a dump! Home to just over 500,000 people and set below some big mountains. Other than the...

Last night I arrived in Vallegrande after a bumpy 6 hour coach journey from Santa Cruz. Alone, I checked into a hotel, ate dinner and got an early night. Today was 'Che Day' Finally I have completed my mission to visit all the places that were significant in the life of a personal hero. It is easy to see why the guerillas decided to base themselves here as it is a massive jungle surrounded by huge mountains. I woke up at 9.30am and had breakfast befo...