Standing on the tarmac waiting for our plane to arrive
Our last day in Rurrenabaque was perfect with more yummy pastries from the French bakery, good espresso and lots of relaxing hammock time. We were a bit piggy and even went back for seconds thinking we needed to stock up some food for our long bus ride ahead of us once we got to La Paz. After our mental 16 hour bus ride to Rurre we had booked tickets back to La Paz on the military airline TAM. Our flight left at 4.30pm and was supposed to arrive in La Paz a short while later so we thought we would have plenty of time to nip down to the bike company grab our photos then head to the bus station. I was being way too optimistic about this. With everything running on Bolivian time we didn't actually leave Rurre until 5.30-6ish and it cascaded from there.
After a hot shower and a decent night’s sleep back in Rurrenabaque we were up early-ish again to get our fix of chocolate croissants and other pastry’s from the French Bakery in town before our Pampas trip began. The Pampas is a wetland savannah area and is full of wildlife. After missing out on seeing any animals in the jungle we were pretty excited for this tour. Running on Bolivian time as per usual we didn’t get going until about 9.30 with the same company we had used for our jungle tour. Eight of us plus the driver piled into the jeep and off we went. With all the rain the town had been receiving, it made for an interesting ride on the mud-logged road. A couple of the girls on our trip somehow managed to get to sleep but with all the jerking around and potholes Jake and I stuck to chatting to some of the others on our trip.
Armed with names of several different companies recommended to us from some friends we had met on our way and a few which I had read good things about on trip advisor we were on a mission the first day in Rurrenabaque. We needed to book our tours, get to the bank before it closed at midday to get some cash out and book our flights back to La Paz, then that afternoon we could finally crash out after out long and intense bus ride.
The first few places were the ones that had amazing reviews on trip advisor but after hearing the first price per person per day which was about the same amount as our budget for the whole jungle trip we decided to go with one of the places some others had told us about. Fluvial tours did us a pretty cheap deal for both the 2 day jungle and 3 day pampas tour which meant we could actually go out and eat that night. In La Paz the tour operators try and sell three different priced tours. One for budget travel, one for those with loads of money who want hot showers etc and then there is the mid priced tour which they try sell as being eco-friendly. In reality all these tours especially any tours to the pampas go to the exact same places. We had also heard stories that on the more expensive so called eco-friendly tours, guides are still picking up the animals and then letting the tourists handle them for photo opportunities. We figured we would go with the cheaper option and spend the money on a flight back to La Paz instead. If there were any activities we are against we just wouldn't participate.
After death road we thought we would stay in one of the towns down there. Coroico is a popular place for middle class visitors from La Paz to enjoy a long weekend due to its warm climate and it's relative closeness. We were there mid week so it was pretty much dead which we were fine with as we needed somewhere quiet to recharge our batteries. Sol y Luna in Coroico was the perfect place for this. It is a good 20 min walk up hill from the main plaza but is surrounded by lush green bush and lots of beautiful bright flowers. They offer yoga, meditation and massages to help you unwind. It also has a couple of pools which I was pretty keen to chill out by with my book the next few days. Unfortunately we woke up to the sound of tiny drops of rain on our windows so reading inside it was.
Waking up early I felt slightly aprehensive for the day. Today we would be biking down the infamous 'worlds most dangerous road' starting at 4700 meters and finishing up in a small village called Yolosa at 1100 meters. Ever since we watched the top gear episode I have been curious about the road and Jake has a death wish and has always wanted to bike down it. I am all for adventure and a bit of fun but I would also like to continue on our travels for a little bit longer then just a few weeks. The road used to be the main road linking the northern villages to La Paz but due to the deadly reputation a new two lane road has since been built. Now death road is used mainly by tour operators taking crazy tourists for the ride of their life. Or at least that was what I thought until we got up the top and found out that many locals still used the road and we would no doubt pass a bit of traffic coming up the hill. This would be the time to back out and say no thanks I will just stay on the bus but the guides told us the bus actually follows us slowly down the road and then on return you take the bus back up! I am glad we had decided to stay down the bottom after the bike ride in a small village called Coroico to hopefully enjoy some sunshine.
I had a moment on the 15th of June where we were signing into our new hostel (last hostel was super smelly and I wanted a little bit of a treat for my birthday such as a big bed and own bathroom) and the registration form asked for my age. It was the last time I would be writing 24 down. The first quarter of my life had slipped past me so fast. When I was younger I always thought 25 was the age you grew up and settled down. Now that I am here I still feel very young with plenty of time later to settle hence quitting the job to see the world. We didn't have much planned for my birthday but the hostel was advertising cholita wrestling where women dressed up in traditional wear and chuck each other around the ring in an obviously fake way. I have no idea why I thought it would be a fun thing to check out as I really don't enjoy anything about WWF wrestling. (Well except for my other bf- the Rock).
Driving through the outskirts of what we thought was La Paz Jake and I both had similar thoughts of not another big, stinky city. Our bus had slowed right down due to the traffic, the road was dusty and there was an awful smell that made you want to hold your breath. We both looked at each other thinking one night in La Paz huh? One night turned into four and although not our favourite place we have visited La Paz certainly grew on us. As we rounded a corner on the bus we were pleasantly surprised by the great view looking down to the sprawling city tucked away in the valley. On all the high mountain sides houses were built on top of each other looking like little Lego bricks.
On our third day in Copacabana we had really wanted to get over to Isla del Sol-the island of the sun but again we woke up to rain and snow on the surrounding hills. As the day before had started like this then cleared up to a brisk but beautiful day we though we would risk it. All rugged up and really appreciating our jackets, which pretty much until now had been packed away at the bottom of our bags, we hopped on the 8.30am boat over to the island. The boat was a bit rickety but Jake said he had seen some life jackets just in case. Nonetheless there was no way I wanted to fall into the icy lake- it was cold enough out of the water. Almost two hours later through some pretty choppy waters where the driver was steering the motor with his foot so he could stand up and see above the boat to avoid hitting any rocks we arrived into Cha'llapampa on the north side of Isla Del Sol. The island was not really living up to its name with dark rain clouds above and no rays in sight. We were planning on walking to the southern end, a 2-3 hour walk, but considering the looming clouds we thought better of it and figured we would walk the northern end check out the ruins and head back to Copacabana.
Travels days are never much fun but this was our worst. We took a night bus from Arequipa to Puno which only takes 6 hours so we always knew we weren't going to get much sleep. We didn't however count on the bus company allowing a stupidly drunk man on. Seated at the top right next to the stairs didn't help us as the guy could barely get himself up them to his seat. It took awhile for the bus assistant to even get the guy on the bus so we were surprised they still let him ride. I knew the guy was either going to be a nuisance, start drama or puke, he was that drunk. We tried to sleep but the guy decided to sit at the top of the stairs and start mumbling away in Spanish how he had no amigos, no casa, no work etc etc. Anyways in the end the guy did throw up all in the aisle even though another guy had tried to stop the bus driver earlier and get him to kick the drunk dude off. He was so wasted that he kept falling onto us and a couple of girls in front of us. He even slipped all the way down the stairs and we thought we had got rid of him as he couldn't seem to climb back up. In the end we were so frustrated and tired we found some seats near the back but before we knew it we were being woken up to get off at Puno.
Finding a new found passion for writing but have reservations about my non-existent abilities to use technology. Often wonder why I can't just write on paper and then watch it magically appear on the web.