Te amo Bolivia

 I know I’ve already gushed about Bolivia, but it really does deserve it. Today I went on a day tour with a guide who showed me around. 

La Paz has a gondola system, in the same way other cities might have a metro. The lines go all around the city, and given how steep the city is it’s no wonder that it’s the fastest way to get between multiple places. The only weird part is that sometimes the gondolas pass rather close to people’s homes, and clearly some of them never open their curtains because all day everyday people can look in!

Thoughts on Bolivia and up next

Bolivia is a beautiful country, with wonderful people. You don’t even need Spanish to get around, just a smattering will get you the basics and I’ve yet to come across a hotel or restaurant where they didn’t have at least basic English. I would highly recommend Bolivia as a place to visit, it’s underrated and has a lot to offer. 

Videos

I’ve uploaded the videos from the desert days.

What struck me most was how varied the terrain was. One minute it was iced over lakes, the next it looked like Mars.

• Bolivia Highlights Day 3 https://youtu.be/Sxnq9Tw_DPU 
• Bolivia Highlights Day 4 https://youtu.be/udehDHBUXE4
• Bolivia Highlights Day 5 https://youtu.be/-7P4q0DoN4o
• Bolivia Highlights — The Roads we Travelled https://youtu.be/VpJj0wELC_Q

3 days in the desert

Where to begin? It was an incredible experience travelling through the Bolivian salt lakes and deserts in the mountains. 

We travelled in two 4x4s, no other vehicle would make it through the terrain. The group was split into the two vehicles and the guide changed vehicle each day. 

During this stage of the trip I used my iPhone and camera to predominantly record video. Then while travelling between stops in the 4x4s I edited the videos and created compilations.

These were well received by the group, but due to no or very poor internet they’ve only been able to see them on my iPad. I’m uploading them over the next few days and will share here as well.

https://youtu.be/N6-i8bNHo4w

As for the desert itself, the landscape here is barren with little life growing and the roads, or more accurately dirt paths, are incredibly rough.

At various places it really felt like we were on Mars, or maybe Venus.

The group really bonded over these 3 days, probably almost as close as the Nepal group.

Welcome to La Paz

Well the altitude was a rude shock last night. It wasn’t bad, just mild headache, difficulty sleeping, I just didn’t think it would hit given I’ve been at various altitudes recently. But then again it’s been a few weeks. Fortunately it’s all cleared up and I’m all good now.

Tomorrow we head out to Uyuni and the salt flats. We’ve been warned no wifi, so it might be 4 or 5 days until my next update.

To Bolivia and more plans

Today I head to La Paz in Bolivia, whereabouts I join another tour group and explore only a few of the many  highlights Bolivia has to offer. I have also made some new plans…

Barbados in the offseason

I arrived here on Wednesday and while there was a little rain initially the weather was beautiful. Thursday rolled around and it was a touch cloudy but once again the heat made swimming in the pools perfect, the only concern being to remember to wear sunblock.