Through the Mines of Potosi

Potosi, Bolivia, 28 - 30 July 2007

We arrived in Potosi (highest city in the world-yes another superlative!!) on a Saturday & couldn´t do the mine tour on the Sunday so we were obliged to stay an extra day. Not too bad though. We took in the "mint" tour (in Spanish unfortunately) and swam in some local thermal hot springs (Tarapaya lagoon). It was lovely, like getting into a warm bath. The lagoon was set atop a hill (12,000 feet) with a remarkable backdrop.

The mine tour was amazing, a real eye opener. Having gone down into the mines and seen the conditions under which these guys work under (some as young as 11 or 12) I have only one word "Respect!!". I even got to detonate some dynamite....class. Claire chose to turn back before we really started to descend into the depths and all jokes aside I think it was a good idea. We had to descend on our backs through spaces not much wider than the human body.

The Consitutional Capital

Bus from Santa Cruz to Sucre, 18 July 2007

Sucre, Bolivia, 19 - 27 July 2007

Arriving in Sucre (the constitutional capital of Bolivia) we had what can only be described as the greatest moment of the trip so far. It was 7.30 in the morning, we were shattered (neither of us are able to sleep in transit) and we had a hostel only 100 yards from the bus station. We were able to check in immediately and were shown to a beautiful oval shaped room at the top of the house. The room was fabulous and had 360 degree windows (7 in all) and a super comfy ornate kingsize bed....and best of all, piping hot water. We showered, then slept for about 4 hours and awoke anew, ready to face the world. Superb!!

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Albeit the Hostel room was pretty, it was too far out of town. We found ourselves a stunning hotel, the 3 star Grand Hotel, right in the hub and subsequently checked in there for one week. It costs 150 Bolivianos a night (equivalent of 10 Quid or 14 Euro), you´d pay at least 10 times that in UK or Eire. We have large bed, fresh towels, en-suite with hot water, Cable TV & breakfast! We also found a room with a plaque denoting that Che (Ernesto Che Guevara) had stayed here in room number eight. Unfortunately Claire experienced a dose of food poisoning, it was nasty & I was bed bound for one day as my body was weak & legs were like jelly. I´m sure it probably won´t be the last of the trip.

Sucre is a very attractive city, with plenty of colonial buildings and the quintessential central plaza. There were also a few classy chocolate shops & a street lined with abogado (Lawyer) offices. Being a larger city there is a lot more begging here also. A funny incident happened on the main plaza on our first day. Because we thought at 9000 feet the weather would be cold we wore full battle gear (long trousers, warm tops, hiking boots etc). My God, we nearly melted. Also, shoe shine boys kept approaching Claire wanting to polish her boots (mine are more of a canvas nature and so I was spared). These guys don´t give up easy either. One guy actually continued to follow us off the plaza and down the road. I had to physically turn him around and send him packing. Once about 10 yards away, the little boy who previously spoke no English, turned around and hollered "Fuck you!!". Charming. The weather has been perfect here all week so it has been sandals ever since. Claire got a great laugh when the shoe shine boys actually started approaching me wanting to shine my sandals....you just can´t win.

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We also took the opportunity to learn the lingo, a necessity for the next 6 months in South America. We enroled at the Academia Latinoamericana de Español. We each had our own teacher for 4 hours per day over 5 days. The highlight of which was probably kicking back on deckchairs, drinking cafe frios (ice coffee), enjoying the vista from the Cafe Mirador (up the hill by the Regoleta) - needless to say we were regulars. There are also plenty more gringos here too. Needless to say I met a guy from Cork, he works in Pfizer and knows a guy that I used to work with. Funny thing is we haven´t even spoke to that many gringos. I guess it´s the Corkonian magnetism.

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It was with a heavy heart that we left Sucre. The city is really lovely. It helped that the weather was excellent the entire 9 days that we were there. Even though we spent 9 full days in Sucre we didn´t really spread our tentacles much further than the city boundary. The dinosaur Footprints was the furthest we ventured. There was an superb Dutch pub (Joyride) that also did tasty food. As Claire had had the bout of delhi-belly, and all that goes with it, we ate in there quite a bit as it felt and tasted like safe western food.

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There were also quite a few demonstrations while we were there. On the 25th July thousands of people congregated on the main square to demand that Sucre be declared the full capital of Bolivia. At the moment it is the constitutional capital and La Paz is the De Facto capital. It is a real bone of contention with the locals. Another day, huge groups of indigenous people were marching around in an attempt to apply some pressure on the government for one reason or another.

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Political Facts:

Juan Evo Morales Ayma is the President of Bolivia, and has been declared the country's first fully indigenous head of state since the Spanish Conquest over 470 years ago. This claim has created controversy, however, due to the number of mestizo (mixed) presidents who came before him. He has moved to nationalize Bolivia’s oil and gas industry and is seeking a new constitution that would grant more power to Bolivia’s indigenous majority

Setting foot in Bolivia

Crossing the Bolivian border and arriving in Santa Cruz without incident we were duely ripped off for the taxi ride into town. If you´re going to get ripped off, in South America, then Bolivia is the place to do it. It´s so cheap. So instead of costing us round 1 euro, it cost us 3!! Again, not too much to say about Santa Cruz, although it is considerably more attractive than Corumba. It has a lovely central plaza that is a real draw to locals and tourists alike. On Sunday there was a huge street market where one could buy all sorts of everything, living or dead!! We also found an Irish bar (Cafe Irlandes) overlooking the plaza that sold fantastic frappochinos. The place was full of well to do locals. In fact there were very few gringos, i.e. tourists like us, around at all.

We really can´t get over the cheapness of the country though. A fantastic steak dinner costs about 4 euro, and that´s expensive! It´s difficult to spend money here. The most challenging aspects of Santa Cruz was our attempts to purchase bus tickets & ice cream. For ice cream it was dog eat dog at the counter - he who shouts loudest. I (Claire) was frustrated when a wealthy elderly Boliviano jumped in front of me (having been waiting for 10 mins) and managed to squeal at him in my best Spanglish & duly he relented!

Santa Cruz was also the place where we were introduced to both the humble Empanada (a pastry turnover filled with meat (or vegetables) plus egg & baked in the oven) and the colouful indigenous peoples.

It took us 3 trips to the bus station to finally book tickets on a bus bound for Sucre. It turns out you can only buy your ticket on your day of travel...and only in the morning. Even then it´s a fight with the locals who are already standing on top of each other using their fingers to secure places as per the bus seating plan. Aghhh. The trials and tribulations of independent travellers.

It was quite funny too because when we went to board our bus for the 16 hour journey, there was a disgusting, smelly, decrepit, 20 seater micro bus awaiting us (see piccie, but it doesnt really do it justice). Claire nearly burst into tears. Once we had a look inside (and got the stench of poo & urine) we decided this wasn´t for us. We went back inside to get our bags to spend another night in Santa Cruz. However, the guy managed to explain that that wasn´t our bus and before long we were laughing at our luxury on what was really no more than an ordinary bus...but it felt great to us.

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Indigenous People Of Bolivia

The Quechua are a group of indigenous South American tribes, comprising the Quechumaran linguistic stock and living mostly in Bolivia, Peru, and Ecuador. As direct descendants of the ancient and highly civilized Incan Empire, they are reserved and dignified. Their well-developed society survived the destruction brought by the conquering Spaniards. They were oppressed by the Spanish for centuries after the demise of their empire. Culturally and linguistically, the Quechua are related to the Aymara, a people group from the same regions of South America)

Trying to get out of Brazil

Corumba, Brazil, 12 - 13 July 2007

Leaving the Pantanal we headed to Corumba on the Bolivian border. Due to a transportation strike in Bolivia (they´re fond of striking) we were obliged to stay 2 nights in Corumba and get a flight (tiny military plane) to Santa Cruz (Bolivia) rather than the intended train. There really isn´t anything to talk about in Corumba (the town is a dump). We got talking to a dodgy Greek fella who brought us to a fish restaurant. On the way Claire fell, nothing too serious. On the way back I fell and cracked me noggin. Blood spurted forth unrelentingly, said he not meaning to be too melodramatic. Fortunately some locals saw what happened and had me in the local emergency ward in about 5 minutes. It really wasn´t anything too serious but it was nice to get the medical attention...and the tetanus jab in the ass. They didn´t charge us anything either which was nice. Maybe Corumba isn´t such a bad place after all. One wek on and I am back to my devilishly handsome self.

The Pantanal

The Pantanal, Brazil, 9 - 11 July 2007

We stayed at a family run working farm (Santa Clara Fazenda) for 4 days. The ranch itself was very well equipped for tourists in terms of accommodation & guides. We were unfortunate because the weather turned very cold & overcast almost as soon as we arrived. The animals must have felt it too because we reckon most of them stayed indoors while we were out looking for them! Having said that (during the walking/boat/jeep safaris) we saw Caimans, Toucans, Jaiburu Storks, Hyacinth Macaws, Herrons, Kingfishers, Otters, Capybaras, Kestrels but no jaguars, ant eaters or ocelots :-(
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We went piranha fishing using raw beef as bait & using a primitive fishing rod. Dave caught lots of piranhas, Claire caught two plus a catfish! That night the chef fried them for us & we tucked in (to what little meat there was).
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The (traditional Brazilian) food served up to us always consisted of the staples: rice & murky brown tasteless beans. This may be ok for a day or so but 4 days for both lunch & dinner put a strain on the tastebuds. Also, one of the auld dears was in favour of sharing her dinner......

Our guide Carlos (Carlinhos) was a great chappie - born & bread in the Pantanal. A true gent with an innate knowledge of the areas flora & fauna. He managed to bag himself an Ozzy Sheila too - Trudy. Claire and I still can´t get our heads around it. Trudy (his wife) is from somewhere between Adelaide and Melbourne and was travelling around Brazil 4 years ago (taking a holiday from working in London). She met Carlos in the first week and a bond was obviously formed....even though she couldn´t speak Portuguese and he couldn´t speak English (or certainly very little). She went back to England but found herself back in Brazil before too long. They have now been together for 4 years and married for 2. They earn 8 euro per guest on the ranch regardless of the length of their stay. We estimated that they earned about 40 euro the week we were there. They have no home of their own, but move from ranch to ranch, and can´t afford to travel anywhere. A return trip to Oz for the 2 of them would equate to more than a years wages. They live in the middle of nowhere with very few links to the outside world...other than the string of tourists who leave in bewilderment having heard their story. It just seems like Trudy has given up a first world life for one of abject poverty. It simply must be love with a capital L.

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Some Facts about the Pantanal:

The Pantanal is perfect for spotting wild animals and a paradise for birdwatchers. The culture of the Brazilian farmers is adapted now to tourism. Visitors can sleep, eat, and live the experiences of an old farm transformed into a safari lodge. The Pantanal is a place where the local people have benefited from tourism in a way that encourages the protection of the area, and where tourists are well informed about the locale.

The Pantanal is, apparantly, brimming with the greatest concentration of wildlife in South America, including 3,500 species of plants, 102 species of mammals, 652 species of birds, 177 reptiles, 40 amphibians, and 264 fish. An estimated 30 million caimans share this wetland paradise with anteaters, anacondas, capybaras, tapirs, jaguars, maned wolves and hyacinth macaws.

Bonito, A Nature Lovers Paradise

Bus from Foz de Iguazzu to Bonito, 5 July 2007
Bonito, Brazil, 6 - 8 July 2007

We planned to head to the Pantanal region next. We met a few South Americans who recommended a town called Bonito & we decided to make that our next pit stop (it was en route to the Pantanal). Another 22 hour bus journey (for which we were ripped off by the toursales office for a cross border taxi journey)! We boarded a conventional bus with none of the comfortable trappings of the previous bus journey, instead we had a twilight zone experience:
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Bus Route: was through the back end of nowhere via sticksville central
Passengers: ok lets just imagine if “One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest” had been set on a bus.. then through in a few cowboys, a Neanderthal Man, a few respiratory challenged individuals (coughs, splurts, wheezes, sneezes) and an eclectic mix of oddballs & I think you may (somewhat) have the picture.

We had to change bus four times and we lost count of the number of ticket checks conducted while on board! That said, we arrived safe and sound (yet exhausted) and relaxed in our comfortable hotel Muito Bonito. Bonito is receiving an ecotourism boom due to the surrounding areas caves, waterfalls, Forrest lined rivers and clear waters where you can swim eyeball to eye ball with hundreds of fish. On top of that we had amazing weather. Excellent.

In Bonito we spent a relaxing day at the local Natural waterpark & then we went snorkeling on the Sucuri (Anaconda) River. The water along the 2km strip was crystal clear & provided ample opportunity for fish watching.

Waterfalls, Waterfalls & Waterfalls

Bus from Rio de Janeiro to Puerto Iguazzu, 2 July 2007
Puerto Iguazzu, Argentina, 3 - 4 July 2007

We left Rio destined for Puerto Iguazu, Argentina. Considering the journey was going be a whopping 22 hours we went in search of the most comfortable bus option.... We found a class of bus called "semi-leito" which is equivalent to business class: our seats were wide, they had leg rests & reclined. We were supplied with pillows & blankets and had the option of watching 4 Hollywood Blockbusters in English!

Puerto Iguazu was a lovely, quaint town with a touch of innocence as it has not yet been subjected to mass tourism. We passed Foz De Iguassu (the equivalent town on Brazil side of border) & it was a big, commercial tourist trap. Consequently we were happy with our choice.

The following day we enjoyed breakfast with Stephan & Britta (charming German couple) then it was off to the awe inspiring falls..

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Some Facts:

Iguazú Falls, called Foz do Iguaçu in Brazilian, and Cataratas del Iguazú in Spanish, lie on the Argentina - Brazil border and are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades spread in a horseshoe shape over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazú Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left yet another large crack in the earth. Four times the width of Niagara Falls, Iguazu Falls are divided by various islands into separate waterfalls.

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Under the guidance of the Lonely Planet, the Flashpackers decided to splurge & do lunch in style at the 5* Sheraton Hotel. However Lonely Planet price guide was out by 300%! None the less it was a tasty treat.

The waterfalls truly were spectacular & the Argentinian side is the one to view them from. You can see them from the front, the side, above & below. Trust us when we say they truly are a sight to behold. In addition to the falls we were blessed with innumerable butterflies & countless rainbows.

On return from the falls we bumped into our German amigos & joined them for what became a very social evening as they entertained us with their Latin American Travel Tales (they had been travelling for 6 months & Britta had suffered a bout of amoebic dysentery).

The following day (Thursday 5th July 2007) we packed our bags and said adios to to Puerto Iguazu....

Farewell to Rio de Janeiro

Edinburgh - Rio de Janeiro, 26 June 2007
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 27 June - 1 July 2007

Hard to believe it is already time to leave Rio De Janeiro. It feels like we only just arrived. Rio is a beautiful city with the white sandy beaches so close to the city centre, the mountains that are all around and, generally, the good weather that prevails. We had mixed weather. A few days of glorious sunshine (30'C & some overcast days). Can't complain though.. it is winter over here!

Our hostel in Rio was the Alpha Hostel (Botafogo). It was a superb location, the staff were very friendly/helpful & the en-suite room was clean/comfortable!

I think we've pretty much done everything there is to see and do..... Sugarloaf, Christ the Redeemer, Copacobana, Ipanema, Santa Theresa (bohemian area), visited a favela (shanty town), Maracana Football Stadium, sipped Caipirinha's, dined in a Churrascaria (steak house).

Our mode of transport has been the local buses, we're always the only Gringos on them?! The drivers style is kamikaze, off the road driving has not got a look in. I (Claire) was sitting near the back of the bus & thought I could sniff the tyre melting as we took a corner at 120 km/h - a Carioca (idigenious Rio dweller) then starting barking at the driver - Dave & I turned around to see copious amounts of smoke behind us - the engine went on fire!

Which way now Dave????