I’m travelling solo and currently with a G Adventures group. We’ve been to Cusco, Machu Picchu and hiked Rainbow mountain. That post can be found here: A week in Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley, Aguas Callientes and Machu Picchu Now we’re on our way to Bolivia!

Due to protests the border crossing from Puno was closed so we ended up flying from Cusco, rather than bus. That meant night flights. UGH. We flew to Lima, arriving just after 11 pm then left the airport to re-enter for our international flight to La Paz. When asked how long they were staying in Peru, 2 in our group had said a week so the official wrote that on thier passport stamp. SO. When leaving Peru it looked like they had overstayed their time by an hour as it was past midnight by the time they went through customs. They were taken aside and charged a fine. Twas only 5 soles but the stress..!! Lesson learned. Mine said 60 days. Probably cos I told him I THINK about 10 days. lol So, when entering Bolivia I said 14 days even though we’ll be here about a week.

By the time we got to our hotel, Las Brisas, it was 7:30 am and we were exhausted. Thankfully G had arranged for early check in so a nap was the thing to do

We wandered about for a bit, had brunch then the bus picked us up to take us into town and to ride the cable cars. What fun~~ and a great way to se the city There’s a network of them and they’re used for transportation, kind of like a subway in the sky. Fascinating!

Another must do is visit the Witches market. They sell all kinds of amulets and such, including llama fetuses used in various ceremonies

Next we boarded the bus for the Valle de la Luna. Theres a 15 min or 45 min hike so of course we opted for the longer one. We took our time as La Paz IS the city with the highest airport in the world and … altitude. UGH the effects are annoying!! The valley is amazing! It looks like something from a Star Trek episode Don’t miss it if you go to La Paz

Monday. March 25, 2023

JC, Chloe and I met early to find a local breakfast of fish soup. I never would have found it without JC. The lady sat on the side of the street and we went inside a litle alcove with tables where she served us a heaping bowl of soup, complete with whole karache and trout. It was delicious and 25 BOB (about $5)per bowl and she’d refill the broth.

We met the others and boarded the bus again, this time for Copocobana with various stops along the way. To get there you have to cross a straight where the bus is taken on a ferry. We wondered why we had to get off and take a different boat. Then we saw the ferry. Wow, that’s different.

After lunch we took another boat that took us to Isla del Sol. There we hiked up, up and up some more. Generally I love good hills while hiking. This altitude though!! Over 4,000 metres and I’m still not used it to it. If there IS a next time, I’m going to try meds. The hike was really good but tough when you can’t breathe.

We took the same way back and ended our day around 10 pm.

Sucre

Tuesday.

I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel before wandering about the city some more. Then we packed up and boarded the bus. We were all on time, so he wasn’t sitting long but the police still took this opportunity to fine him for aparently parking on the street too long and put a lock on the wheels. JC had put a call into G to get another bus when the driver finally resolved the issue with police and we were on our way to the airport.

A flight to Santa Cruz with a rough landing then on to our destination, Sucre.

Wednesday, March 29

After weighing our options we all decided to hire a bus to take us to the Dinosaur footprints. I didn’t expect much but it sounded intriguing. It’s fantastic! There are tours at 12 and 1 so we got there for 12. The prints had been buried for millions of years until shifting tectonic plates pushed the land that had once been a lake into a vertical position. A cement factory mining limestone stopped when they discovered too much magnesium in the material. Someone noticed weird markings and they called palaeontologists. The rest is history. Now it’s well taken care of. A section of rock fell down with heavy rains a few years ago exposing more prints. This is a MUST SEE in Sucre.

Next we drove to Potosi. It’s just a stop over before going to the Salt Flats but I found it pretty interesting.

March 30

We were scheduled to leave by bus late morning but teachers protesting curriculum changes plus wanting pensions have blocked the roads for the next 2 days No cars in or out. The nice thing about the blockades was the lack of cars meant it was so much quieter in town. No traffic to deal with meant no emission fumes to deal with, we could walk anywhere and pictures were easier.

It was 6 pm before the bus could get through and we loaded it up and set off for Uyuni. It was quickly dark and we motored through the pitch blackness of the wilderness watching the stars come out. At one point we stoped to get a better look. JC pointed out some of the constellations and we gazed at the beauty of the milky way with NO light pollution.

By the time we reached Uyuni it was almost 10 pm. The town looked desserted. Our accommodation was a hostel operated by a family. Despite there being no heating it was warm inside (about 5 degrees outside). The ceiling is corugated plasti that lets the sun in during the day, heating the place up. Hot water is solarso the first to shower got hot water. The rest not so lucky. We quickly plugged in anything that required charging as the town electricity is shut off betwen 11 pm and 9 am.

April 1

The family served us a nice breakfast, the we loaded up the the 3 4×4’s and set off to see the salt flats. That deserves it’s own post. The pictures are amazing but still don’t do it it justice. You ‘ll have to see it for yourself!!