From the hole that is Uyuni, we (Will, Tosh, Shaker and I) crammed into the back row of a dogey Bolivian bus for 6hrs to Potosi. We were stopping there on the way to the capital Sucre to check out the silver mines. Potosi is at a staggering altitude of 4090m, and was once the largest city in latin america at the height of the silver mining. Silver was discovered in huge quantities in the mountain that towers over the city in the 1530`s by the Spanish, and it has been mined ever since. The mine tour was an uncomforatable and cramped experience...but a real eye opener into the conditions the miners have been going through for over 400 years. This mine was so rich it almost singlehandedly bankrolled the entire Spanish Empire for centuries.
After a great llama steak dinner and a few local beers, we caught a taxi to Sucre. Definatley the cheapest and longest cab ride I have even taken. Sucre was a very pretty city, and a lot milder being at about 2500m. Would have liked to stay longer...We left Shaker there with a plan to meet up again in Cusco, and headed to La Paz, cama suite style.
La Paz sits in a valley high up in the Andes, and from the many miradors the view of the bustling city is incredible. Taxi vans jostle for position on the roads with assistants hanging out the doors rattling off the minibus´s destinations...the buses are all vintage American Dodges, painted a miriad of retro colours and all sporting shiny chrome emblems on the bonnet.
On the Friday we had the adrenaline rush of the trip when we mountainbiked down what is officially the worlds most dangerous road just out of La Paz. Apparently more than 100 people die in accidents on the death road each year...but they have just opened a new road to Corico, so the death road is mainly used by the mountainbikers, making it slightly safer. We started out at over 4700m, and descended over 3600m down into the hot tropical Yunga region, all over about 63km. The road was absolutely spectacular and is cut into vertical cliffs with waterfalls washing away the road at many points. It is only about 3m wide and with sheer drops everywhere its no wonder so many accidents occur, its hard to imagine how two buses could make their way past each other! Our guide Phil pointed out a few manged bus wrecks at the valley floor along the way to make sure we didnt get over confident. I however, managed to have a massive stack, flying over the handlebars and a big pile of sharp looking rocks, landing in some vegetation luckily no where near the 200m sheer drop offs that we road past for kilometers at a time. Having survived the road, we hit the town for what turned out to be a massive night with some Canadians at a bar called dos, that took a long time to get started...
Despite the big night, we didnt find the nightlife in La Paz all that is was cracked up to be, and soon headed to Copacopana on the shores of Lake Titicaca. We spent a night on Isla del Sol, the mythical birthplace of the Inca gods. Seeing the sunrise and sunset from the peaks of the island was beautiful, and we had it all pretty much to ourselves.
Bolivia was amazing! I wish I could have stayed longer and explored the low lands, but Machu Picchu was calling. I now find myself in Cusco, Peru, having just done the Inca trail. Four days of walking through the Andes to Machu Picchu. The walking wasn´t too strenuous, and we had what turned out to be a great group of people in the tour - 15 gringos, 2 cooks, 20 porters, and 2 guides. Hats off to Wibo who was numero uno gringo up the hardest climb of the trek, which we dubbed the ballpulveriser.
The final day we all rose at 4am to hike through steep (and very damp) cloud forest. When we finally reached the sun gate (above the ruins) at about 7am, there was NO visibility, but by the time we had made it down to the site the clouds began to lift and by mid morning we were bathed in sunshine. It was good to get there before the crouds, even if it was a bit cloudy, that just added to the mystique. Machu picchu was all that I expected, surrounded by enourmous vertical mountains shrouded in cloud forest, its no wonder it was hidden for so long. The ruins are in very good condition and it was really interesting to spend the day exploring them. We caught the train and a bus back to Cusco, and continued with the Machu Picchu 24 hr challenge, that is to hit the bars in Cusco until 4am...so today has been a bit of a write off.
Cusco is my first stop in Peru after spending 2 1/2 weeks in Bolivia. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Im yet to have a good look around but the centre is a picturesue mix of plazas and cobblestone streets barely wide enough for todays vehicles. It definately has a special charm about it.
I have met some great people along the way so far, and im looking forward to staying in Cusco for a few days to recharge, and to see some of the lesser know Inca ruins in the area. Having not known much about the history of south america, it has been really interesting learning about the fall of the incas, and the spanish conquerors. Next week i´m off to Arequipa to trek the two deepest canyons in the world and hopefully spot a few soaring condors.
Hey sam this all sounds soooo amazing! im glad you didnt die on the bike. We miss you xoxo love hearng these stories
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