2011 commences

Starting the New Year in style I boarded a 17 hour overnight bus to take me to the Elqi Valley where I would be visiting a spa. Rather inconveniently I had a slightly upset stomach but the bus was very comfortable with fully reclining seats so I slept for most of the journey. I dreamt of bad driving but in reality I was to learn that all the buses in Chile are fitted with a digital speedometer for passengers to read and when the bus reaches 100km/h it beeps and the driver slows down. At 10pm the bus stopped to refuel and passengers were allowed to disembark for 20 minutes. Although I had spoken to the driver about the procedure I still doubted my comprehension of spanish and so spent the 20 minutes filled with apprehension that the bus could leave with my bags but without me! This however was the first of many long bus journeys and I would later be the one to advise other confused passengers of the procedure!

The long and winding but good surfaced road took us through the desert and when I awoke in the morning we were following a pretty coastline with what looked like rough seas. I suddenly noticed how the incessant use of car hooters I had become accustomed to in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia had ceased!
On arrival at the bus station in the large town of La Serena I approached various people with my noted down questions, the answers to which I found either unhelpful or did not understand / both. Feeling burdened by my luggage I noticed a bus going to my next detination Monte Grande. Rather than navigating a city for supplies with my heavy luggage I jumped on the bus hoping I would be able to get supplies etc later on. Monte Grande however was a very small town with limited supplies with only a few restaraunts and a small museum, no internet and not much in the way of shops / a telephone. And here is where I begun to learn that sometimes you just have to trust people even though the situation is less than ideal, something that those of you who have already travelled will know all about. Without a telephone, how was I going to call the Eric, a guy who would come to collect me to take me to my final destination? Whilst in the small shop/ restaraunt his nephew (apparently) who spoke a little english tried to call him from his mobile. With no response he said I could leave my luggage at his restaraunt across the road while I went to find a library with internet which was closed! Back at the original shop the girl used her mobile and managed to get an answer eventually and soon enough I had dumped my luggage in the back of his pick up and was travelling along a dusty track to the spa. The language barrier I was experiencing felt larger than the huge dry sparse mountains surrounding the otherwise fertile oasis of the valley. The valley itself was dotted with large scale polytunnels, fruit farms and wineries capitalising on the sun and fertile soils.

The Elqui Valley is said to be the magnetic centre of the world (in the now Age of Aquarius)so there are a few alternative spa type resorts to be found there. The Valley also happens to sit under one of the clearest atmospheres in the world. Out of the way of city lights and maintaining a gentle, steady climate with little precipitation it makes star gazing magical. For me it was like looking up into a soft rolling quilt of space and stars. The depth of field and the amount of stars was incredible. On a moonless night, the starry skies can be seen up to the eighth magnitude with the naked eye and although there are observatories in the area I did not get to visit these this time.

At the small infomal and uncommercial spa resort the buildings of mostly natural materials were dotted about the site in between gardens of drought tolerant plants, hammocks and wind chimes. It had a very relaxing feel to it and I spent three days relaxing, reading, walking (accompanied by the dog from the spa which to be honest was more of a burden at times), indulged in a Reiki and reflexology session and a herbal bath. Interestingly I enjoyed the latter the most, although climbing into a bath of black water consisting of charcoal, oil and petals seemed a bit of an odd thing to do initially. There were no other English speaking guests and with no internet / TV / mobile phone I was completely cut off from the outside world for the first time in ages.
Amongst all of this tranquility and stillness I was however alarmed when the door to my room began to shake then the windows and doors in the whole bulding rattled and shook violently. I found myself crouching on the floor with many thoughts racing through my mind. Aside from the obvious questioning of what the cause might be, I remember thinking how I must not die in another country, so far away from friends and family! Now I can laugh about it but for that moment of uncertainty it was an interesting concept. By the time I had pondered what it could be and what I should do to protect myself (I did not have a clue), the shaking and the noise slowly subsided and my heart rate slowed to a normal rate once again. It was later confirmed that indeed I had experienced a mild earthquake, interesting I can tell you!

Aunty Sherry and San Pedro de Atacama

From the ´no mans land´ between the border of Bolivia and Chile we boarded a bus and after a 3 minute bumpy ride we were suddenly gliding along on a surfaced road with road markings, signs and barriers on sharp bends! The contrast was amazing and I felt like we had just glided back into civilization having survived the mental challenge, bone shaking desert tracks, high altitude, varying tempertures and strong winds of the Bolivian desert!
Unsurprisingly the Chile border was very strict (unlike any before and after) and like in an airport our bags were scanned. It was all very efficient though and in no time we were back on the bus heading for San Pedro de Atacama, a small hot and dusty desert town with a great civilized and hippy vibe. There were no longer any people dressed in traditional dress and no real signs of a life before 21st cnetury but the town had great restaraunts and great coffee which I had for too long missed.
I was picked up in town by the hostel guy named Roberto driving his old Volxwagon Van and I remember taking that as a good sign of things to come! As soon as I got to the hostel I was keen to contact family having had a hunch that my sister had gone into labour which turned out to be correct. Later that night whilst having dinner with friends I stopped the conversation to say that I thought my sister had just given birth (another hunch) and shortly afterwards I received a text saying that my nephew Charlie had just been born and I was now an aunty!

As the two friends who shared the trip across the salt flats with me left San Pedro the 2 Dragoman trucks arrived! Even though I had only left them 5 days beforehand it was lovely to see them all and have dinner before they left again in the morning.

New Years
The new years celebrations started with a BBQ which the hostel organised for clients consisting of 4 English, 4 French, 5 German, 1 Dutch and 1 Swiss and the family of Chileans. Earlier on that day I had wondered why many houses had guys outside along the roadside. Resembling a scene from Guy Fawkes night at home I discovered that at midnight they are burnt along with fireworks as part of a ritual to burn any negative energies from the previous year.
After the burning many of us jumped in the back of a pick up truck and sped through the softly lit streets making a lot of noise, to join many other people in town and find music.
Whilst I have paid much more in the past to enter London clubs on New Years Eve, all of the fellow travellers were not prepared to pay the extra fee to get into the night club so we found ourselves in a small free bar. Personally it was not lively enough for me and unsurprisingly I felt like dancing. Roberto and his friend felt the same so the 3 of us slipped out of the bar to do it as it should be done! The next thing I know I am on a podium in a club with only Chileans, not one other gringo in the whole place! It was a good atmosphere though and with Latino dance anthems pumping out, I woop wooped and drank far too much until it was time to walk home as the sun was rising.

Across the Bolivian Salt Lakes and Desert to Chile

I took an overnight bus from La Paz to Uyuni. Once out of La Paz there are no roads as such through the desert so it was a bumpy ride but I managed to sleep almost all the way. Apparently the bus stopped several times. I was grateful I took the tourist bus and not the cheaper local bus which had an accident on route and was unable to continue its journey!

Uyuni is a tourist town in the middle of nowhere and does not have much going for it but it is a place where you can start a three day trip in a jeep across the salt lakes and desert to the Chilean border. Myself and a couple from South Africa who I had met on the Dragoman trip had booked the trip in La Paz but when we got to Uyuni we were told we had to pay more due to increases in fuel prices. Fuel in Bolivia had been kept at a low price but the Bolivian government had just realised that people were selling fuel at the Peruvian border for double the price so they had doubled the price overnight. As you can imagine there was uproar regarding this and as we left Uyuni the rest of the country was about to come to a standstill with road blockages and protests. It was pretty bad and went on for ages until the government reversed its decision! Lucky we got to Uyuni when we did, had we have been a day later we would have been in trouble. We were also asked to pay a fee for our passports to be stamped which I was told was not normal but hell were any of us going to argue with the border control guys. It was not much and clearly it was going straight into their pockets but hey, that´s Bolivia and is to be expected.

Initially it was a hot ride under a relentless sun and a dusty landscape, stopping at various points to take photo´s such as the redundant train lines, an island of Cacti, the amazing salt lakes and a disused salt hotel!. The tour included very basic accomodation and food which our driver cooked on route.
The 2nd part of the journey took us high up over volcanoes and mountains passing some amazing scenery including lakes with grazing flamingos, the famous landscape painted by Salvador Dahli, Thermal springs and geysers. The 2nd night was just a bed to lay your head, no running water atall....thank god for baby wipes and hand sanitizer! Outide of the building the wind was incredible and it was so cold, we were now back in hats, scarves and gloves. The stars however were phenomenal this far away from any other civilization! During the journey we visited and stayed at a few villages. Dont ask me how the few people that live out there in that harsh environment, maybe that is why they seemed less friendly.
In my opinion Bolivia is unique, the people are ´tough´ but I guess they have to be. Tourism is carried out but not all that well sometimes but when you think about it, in the first world you can do a degree in tourism but many Bolivians do not have much of an education atall, let alone the option to specialise in looking after the gringo´s! And why should they care, they are just trying to make ends meet and feed their families! Many gringo´s fall in love with Bolivia none the less and probably for these reasons.

La Paz (highest capital city in the world at 3600m)

We arrived in La Paz on 22nd December, a big city with it´s 2 million inhabitants bustling with street markets, loads of people christmas shopping and heavy traffic with cars bumper to bumper burning out clutches on steep hills! Apparently cars suffer a 40% loss of energy due to the altitude and electrical items are known to break easily. (Bryn, I do not think it would suit you here). To be honest it all was a little scarey at first as personal security was of pririty and the place was heaving and confusing! The most under-developed South American country, the water is not safe for us Gringo´s to drink and even though I did not consume it I did pick something up in Bolivia (but more about that later!)
Not long after we arrived we were all bussed out for a city tour and a visit to the Luna Valley. Our guide was very interesting and seemed to want to air his views on the state of the Bolivian government, the corruption etc. Bolivia has the worst economy in South America and Evo Morales is the first indigeonous man to become president and has been in post since January 2006. At the centre of South America most countries have to import and export through it´s borders.
The average Bolivian salary is equivalent to 100US Dollars per month....to feed a family? (I think not). Hence there exists a massive black market which keeps things moving it would appear. Legally an Iphone costs 1000US Dollars (about 750 GBP) but our guide thinks there are loads of people with them!
Currently the main export is cocaine and the government allows farmers to grow as much coca as they want. As the president is also the leader of the coca farms, he cannot vote against them! Lithium could be a very important emerging industry if the country can secure it. 500 children are sold every year for between 200-300 US Dollars each!
None the less the city has it´s charms and those did grow on me! It´s intensity and mixture of traditonal and modern I found intriguing. The way it´s cogs continue to turn despite corruption etc. Despite the pollution, the streets are cleaned every morning and trading can be seen anytime of the night and day. The Bolivians are tougher than Peruvians and do not barter so easily which I admired. The centre sits in a bowl and the city spreads outwards and upwards through the surrounding mountains. There is little room for green space and roundabouts seem to be places to hang out, although you risk your life as you fight your way through cars, buses, pedestrians and street vendors. It really is hilarious.

Moon Valley
10km for La Paz, the moon valley is a natural work of art. The mountain of sandstone and clay has eroded to create a desert of stalagmites where the brief but heavy rains cause the clay to collapse but the surface bakes so quickly in the following heat of the sun which I can confirm is very hot, although night temperatures plumet!

An Orphonage
With some money left over from the kitty we all decided to donate it to an orphonage. One of the Dragoman had volunteerd for an orphonage in La Paz 6 years previously so she paid them a visit and it was agreed we would by the children much needed underwear and other items.
So we took ourselves off through the heaving street markets, pressed up against everyone for what seemed like hours to trade for these items! Wow, what an experience, one that I wouldn´t want to repeat in a hurry. In my flusstered state I learnt a valuable lesson - do not use an ATM when you dont feel composed! I lost my card (to the machine I think)!
We all then marched through the city streets in a long line wearing santa hats and carrying presents to the 40 -45 children. Both the staff and children were very greatful. Either Spanish or Aymara were the first languages for the children but some had been learning english and took the opportunity to practice this. Unfortunately there are no photo´s of the children for their protection.

Christmas
On the eve of Christmas the Dragoman crew all shared a buffet dinner at the hotel with a little informal dancing and lot´s of drink. We had christmas dinner at the local irish pub of course! Most of the other overlanding groups (following similar routes to get to Rio Carnival in March)were in the same pub so there was a jolly lot of Brits, Ozzies, Australians and banter. The rum shots were absolutley huge! I pinched myself several times as it was hard to believe I was not in England at Christmas! I was up late with friends drinking and discussing my long and drawn out decision to stay on with Dragoman or go Solo!!!

Final Decision at the Final Hour!
It was a difficult and bold decision to make but at 6.30am I finally said goodbye, knowing in my heart our paths would cross again somewhere in South America! I was a little upset because I had spent the last 5 and a half weeks with the same people but I felt it was important to experience some travelling on my own and although I was a little concerned I felt ready to put myself to the test.

Lake Titicaca

Leaving Cusco and heading towards Lake Titicaca we were ahead of the other Dragoman truck for a change, that is until we broke down! I cant remember what the reason was now but it was fixed easily and we were on our way again.
On route we stopped off at Sillustani Ruins but it was windy and raining so I didn´t feel that inspired. A girl asked for money because we took a picture of her Llama which was a first, up until now you only paid for people photo´s!
The landscape had become much flatter but we were infact at a higher altitude than Cusco. We stopped overnight at Puno (3800m). The next day we visited the communities living on floating islands made of reeds on the Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world and a wopping 270m at it´s deepest part. This was very tourist, smelly and again the people were a bit pushy / hard selling. Maybe I was getting tired of this but it did seem a level above anything we had witnessed before!
A few hours drive on from Puno we reached the Bolivian border and I saw the first wheelbarrow! I know it sounds strange that I should notice such trivial things but up until this point I had seen lots of carrying vessels and wondered why wheelbarrows were not used.
The border crossing was not too complicated and on the Bolivian side of the lake I noticed that it looked less littered and there were noticebly more trees (which I was glad to see).
We stopped overnight at a nice little town on the lakeside called Copacabana. The next day we took a boat across to Isla del Sol where there is evidence inhabitants pre dating the Inka´s. After a 2 hour guided walk and explanations about the ruins etc some of us walked the 3 hours from the north to the south of the island with amazing views across the lake to Peru on one side and Bolivia on the other. The island sits largely on sand stone with beautiful colours and markings throughout, although there is a fair amount of granite and volcanic stone also. The terrain was hilly and uneven and the air thin.
Life for those that live on the island must be quite difficult. Donkeys are the means of transport on the island but there are other animals kept too. As we neared the end of the walk we noticed a storm coming in across the lake. By the time I neared the boat the ones that were already there were shouting for us to hurry. As we got closer we could see the water had become really rough and the boat was finding it difficult to dock for us to board, having already crashed into another boat and smashed one small window! As you can imagine boarding was less than fun and literally entailed a leap of faith. The white knuckle part of the ride back only lasted half an hour until we reached calmer water again...phew! Great to be in Bolivia and this was a good introduction to Bolivian safety standards! Great fun though!

Cusco

I realy liked Cusco. The centre is clean and modern without ruining the historical feal of Cusco. A colonial town but with so much pre spanish history to see and explore aswell. The centre is well equipped for tourists and Paddy´s Bar, claiming to be the highest Irish pub in the world was frequented often by us. After all the trekking, camping and many miles we had travelled it was nice to taste English food and hang out with Gringo´s. The food was excellent aswell!
On the night after Machu Picchu a few of us went clubbing to Mythology. I woop wooped on the bar amongst drinks being served. I was surprised to find this was encouraged and Tom (also on the Dragoman truck) was a great dancing partner!

I researched places to volunteer in Cusco over Christmas but could not find anything suitable although there are some nice opportunities, in particular helping out in orphanages. Near to Cusco there is an organisation which works with the rural villages and in particular helping the elderly who are sometimes abandoned by families due to poverty.
I therefore decided to stay with the Dragoman tour for Christmas in Bolivia!
Next on Sherrys Woop Woops in South America.......