La Paz 2 and travel to Titicaca . After the exertions of the ‘ Road of Death’ we needed something quieter so took a walking tour with an excellent quide who had lived in England for 10 years . First stop the cemetery. Not at all like an English one ! They believe your spirit stays with you and the family for 5 years , so most people visit the cemetery quite often and maybe have lunch there . After 5 years the spirit leaves so often the site maybe re used . You then buy a skull doesn’t matter which one and have it in your house as a sort of shrine for perpetuity! Next a trip by cable car . La Paz has solved its traffic problem by installing three and six more planned , built in Austria and subsidised by government it is a very elegant solution to their traffic issues . It costs 40p to ride . We went to the top to its coterminous city El Alto , firstly for a great view then a trip to a witches market and a fortune teller. If you build a house you need to put a dead animal at its base . The size of the house denotes the size of the animal . Very large buildings apparently have a tramp or drunk who is befriended by the owner of the new building or their agent . I had my fortune taken and he said Leeds United would get promoted !! I asked him 3 questions through an interpreter as he only spoke Amyara . The other language is Quechua which is kept very much alive as it is taught in schools now along with Spanish. Our hosts in La Paz have a lovely house with 3 generations of family living there (airbnb ). The grandfather Eduardo took us on a lovely walk across La Paz next day . He was a diplomat in Europe and we learnt a lot from him with his Begian wife . Today was the 14th so we went to a lovely French restaurant he recommended. We went about 8.30 and were first there ! They eat late ! Too soon it was time to leave . La Paz was truly a great city to visit. An unusual bus journey involving a ferry where the bus goes separately on a raft across the straights of Taquina took us to Copacobana.. no not the Brazilian one but Bolivian one ! Situated at the bottom of Lake Titicaca it is in a lovely setting sheltered by a hill at the back . Titicaca is full of superlatives . Highest navigable Lake in the world is enough for me , over 60 miles long and straddled the border between Bolivia and Peru . I came here in 1979 with Chris and I have dim memories of no electricity and a cold shower , it has certainly grown in the intervening 38 years but kept its charm , no more so in the accommodation we found ( thanks to the Guardian) . Las Olas should be renamed Las Gaudi , each small house was stunning in its architecture and design . We booked originally for 2 nights but stayed for 4 . Ceri made the most delightful Quinoa soup which we used for several meals . I found some delicious local sheeps cheese which had a very strong aroma . Ceri thoughtfully declined it while I tucked in with gusto . The sheep had its revenge with the famed ‘Inca two step ‘ That put paid to one day . Every cloud has a silver lining as we had to delay our trip to the Isla del Sol due to my dietary indiscretions!! The next day beckoned warm and sunny for our boat trip. A lovely walk across an island steeped in Inca history and stunning scenery . The altitude takes it toll and any up hill takes time . It’s as if you are running with a huge respiratory effort but your only walking . Our Himalayan knowledge comes in very helpful to us both . Sandwiches made for a walk always taste wonderful and so it proved today . All too soon it is time to set our minds to Peru . Tessa kindly sent me a picture of the border which I took in 1979 . I showed it to the border officials on the Bolivian side . I managed to stop all immigration for a spell as they wanted copies . We are now in Puno just about to catch a ferry out onto the lake for a night on Amantani island with local Amyarans who put you up . We are to be picked up at 07.40 so I had better get up and make hay as they say . Here are some pics which cover this last 6 days
La Paz: What a unique city with cable cars reminiscent of skiing criss crossing the bowl that is La Paz . The Spanish originally founded a city 30 miles away but found it so windy that they then found this valley out of the wind and made it their capital together with the usual torture of the local Amyara people who lived here in the name of Christianity . All they were interested in was gold and silver and of course converting everyone to Catholicism. We spent our first day walking around arranging our trip down the Road of death . It was so called because so many people died building it, mostly Paraguain prisoners from the Chaco war . Bolivia lost huge chunks of land that turned out to be useless anyway but now in Paraguay. It was later used by Top Gear as an adventure for the three desperadoes. The crosses are all of cars or buses that fell off the cliff . However 15 cyclists have died on the 64 km journey down hill from 4,800 metres to 1,200 metres . We chose a top of the range company then with great disc brakes on a KONA frame ….well worth it . At the end of our amazing journey from the clouds to the jungle Ceri had not had enough adrenaline so did a Zip wire to complete an amazing day . The one with the plinth deserves mention. Four political rivals were pushed over the edge by the latest ‘ General Presidente ‘of which Bolivia has had many . Bolivia is now run by its enigmatic Evo Morales who was himself a product of poor campesnos . He has certainly turned Bolivia around from being a basket case economy into a successful country mostly by refusing bribes and handouts from the USA . He has encouraged local use of Coca and stopped its wholesale destruction which the USA wanted . He is part of pink South America and was good friends with Castro and Mandela . He is still a controversial figure however . Why then is there a picture of Ceri with a broken couch . Watching England Wales she jumped up and sat down rather quickly . She fessed up and the owners were most sympathetic and asked for no money
Neil has a go : Welcome to my world of misplaced commas and non sequiturs. Ceri has spent many hours giving a great rendition of our travels .Days 52-55 . We left Punta Arenas easily enough courtesy of Sky airlines the South American equivalent of EasyJet . First to Santiago then to Iquique. So lovely to feel warm and no wind . Our high rise AirBnB was on the 12th floor with great views . We spent the next day cycling around and swimming in the sea … a bit rough … lovely big long pool by the high rises too . We are trying to improve our Spanish by watching subtitled movies but it’s still too fast . This is the World of Ceviche. Raw fish with lemon juice absolutely stunning taste or was that the Pisco sour the Andean Gin and Tonic . Big plans to introduce it to Culmstock on our return ! Next day travel to Arica which is the last town before Peru . On the beach we found some seven aside Rugby in the sand . Very competitive watch out England ! Fiascos come in many guises and so it was with our ticket I had bought on the internet for our onward journey to La Paz the next day . The girl needed a printed copy of it otherwise we could not travel etc . So back and forth from one booth to another. It all took about 2 hours to sort . Lesson learnt … just turn up at the bus station . Several companies going to the same place all the time . We stayed in a sort of cell that Ceri had selected but ideal as it was next to the bus station and cheap as chips . Excitement next day our trip to La Paz only 8 hours it says . Armed with Acetazolamide as we were going over pass at 4,750 metres . The bus took 14 hours . However one of the most exciting bus journeys I have ever been on . Delays caused by 2 hour waits for roadworks . High high high to the border and much thunderous stamping of passports. The arrival to La Paz at night is spectacular. First thorough dull El Alto on the rim a city in itself and then to look down on a Milky Way of lights of La Paz in the bowl below . We eventually got to our AirBnB at 23.00 . They had kindly waited up for us . Tired but appreciative of an amazing bus journey.
Punta Arenas .. replica of Magellan boat the Beagle and a replica of the James Caird … which of course Chile had a hand in by sending Tug boat to rescue those on Elephant Island . Goodbye to campervan and lovely Air b n b and fly to Iquique
Crossing into Tierra Del Fuego . Sad gravestones of English cemetery…whale rib. Interesting map !! Ushiaia, seals penguins and wild camping and fire at Estancia Harberton…. lovely story … vide infra as always
Travelling on to Puerto Natales …nearly running out of fuel and wild camping near the Magellan straights . As always Ceri’s comments have the real story.
Torres Del Paine national park . Free camping everywhere and an exhausting ascent ,first of all crossing the border .
South America 