Bolivian Salt Flats and Atacama Desert

We left La Paz on an overnight bus and I can honestly say I will never forget that ride. The first couple of hours were relatively smooth until the pavement ended just after 1 am and we spent the last 5 hours shaking like crazy with the windows rattling so loud it was impossible to sleep. The one good thing is we managed to meet three English girls who we booked a salt flatts tour with. The 6 of us arranged a 4x4 jeep for 3 days and 2 nights to take is through the antiplano and drop us off at the Chilean border.

We spent the entire first day driving though the salt flats which stretch in all directions as far as the eye can see. Millions of years ago when the pacific plates collided with the South American continent and the Andes were formed a large body of salt water was trapped forming a lake. Over time that lake evaporated resulting in a 25 meter layer of salt which is absolutely amazing to see. We got some awesome pictures and spent the first night in a salt hostel. We sat down for dinner at a table made of salt and slept in salt bed frames.

The second day we left the salt flats and headed south. We passed smoking volcanos, toxic lakes crowded with colorful flamingos and a petrified tree in the middle of the desert. It's crazy how the land changes so drastically and all the extremes we were able to see throughout the day. That night we stayed in a very simple hotel where we were able to meet some other groups on similar tours and have some drinks. What a night!!! It never ceases to amaze me what a couple of beers can do to you at +4,000 meters. We laughed our asses off and I ended the night with my first official game of yanef with some new Israeli friends. The next morning was very interesting getting moving at 4:30 without any power. Luckily nothing was left behind and within an hour we were watching the sun rise over geysers and enjoying some natural hot springs. Our driver dropped us off at the border just before noon where we cleared customers and headed into Chile.

I can't imagine more of a contrast between two bordering countries. One minute you are in the poorest country in South America struggling to breath where you haven't been on a paved road in three days and then next your quickly descending down some of the smoothest highways in the world to South America's most expensive country. The bus dropped us off in San Pedro de Atacama which is a small oasis town on the north part of the Atacama desert that existed purely for tourist. We spent $12 each on a menu of the day and despite the sticker shock were rewarded with an awesome lunch. We had a lightly fried seafood starter followed by a tender steak all washed down with a glass of awesome Chilean house wine. Unfortunately there really isn't much to do here and since everything is so expensive we are heading to Santiago tomorrow with the girls.

Its so nice to be at a normal altitude after three weeks!!!

Bolivia, Home of the World's Highest Everything

Yes, I am alive. It's been a while since I've posted anything so I have a lot of catching up to do. My first stop in Bolivia was along the shores of Lake Titikaka in a town called Copacabana. The plan was to check out some local islands where the Inka's believe their forefathers came from before heading to La Paz. After arriving in the late morning after an overnight bus journey, Niall and I checked into a hostel right next to the lake. We tried to hit up an ATM but all the banks were closed for lunch so despite not having money we figured we'd grab some lunch and take turns running back to the bank. Big mistake!!! Turns out the only cash machine in town was broken and the closest ATM was 3 hours away in Peru. Welcome to Bolivia! The only good news is we were not alone and a group of 10 of us were able to work out a tab system with the restaurant that Niall and I had lunch at. It might have not been so bad if there was something interesting to do in the town however we found out quickly that wasn't the case. The bank was positive that a new machine would be up and running the following afternoon however as one quickly learns in South America the locals are right about half the time. I went to bed that night wondering if I was ever going to make it out of this Bolivian time warp or if my debt to the local restaurant would seal my fate forever. By chance I decided to check my money belt in the morning and realized that 100 Peruvian soles (~$33 USD) had some how slipped between some papers. It was just enough money to pay off my hostel, my debts to the local mobs boss and get a bus ticket the hell out of there!!!

From Copacabana I boarded a bus to La Paz, the world's highest capital city at 3660 meters (~12,000 ft). La Paz is one of the coolest looking cities I have ever visited because it is set within a valley and the town starts at the bottom and spreads up along the valley walls in all directions. I spent the first day wandering around the many different markets of the city. The most famous is the Witches market where you can buy lama fetuss which the locals bury under new houses for good luck and all kinds of magical potions to cure anything you can imagine. One constant in all of the countries I've visited so far is that all of the local people have some "magical" tea or soup that they swear by. A celery tea saved my stomach along the Inka trail but now that I was feeling normal I wasn't about to try any of the crazy teas and soups they were selling at the witches market. The next day I signed up to bike down the "World's Most Dangerous Road." The slippery dirt road snakes its way down 3000 meters hugging the mountain with 7 feet of clearance on each side. Countless Bolivians have lost their lives along with road as it used to be a major road with constant traffic going in both directions. Luckily the government paved a new road three years ago and now its just gringo's looking for an adrenaline rush. It was awesome!!! You drop 12,000 feet throughout the day starting above the tree line and finishing in the humid jungle. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in La Paz with a day to kill. The next day I went with a new friend to rent a 4x4 ATV and roll around the Valley of the Moon. Another awesome experience. We spent three hours getting covered in dirt exploring different valleys and lakes and took in some awesome views of the city.

After the Inka trail a large portion of our group was headed to La Paz so we had a mini reunion at our hostel one night. It turned out that one of the Aussies, Rob, needs to be in Buenos Aires that exact same time as myself so we decided to join forces. Now there are three of us traveling together and with all of our different backgrounds its been very entertaining. Unfortunately after the above mentioned activities there isn't much to do in La Paz so the last few days have turned into some late nights. After seeing the sun rise the past two mornings we all made the collective decision to get the hell out of town. Tonight we catch a night bus to the south to do a 4x4 tour of the antiplano and salt flatts.

Cuzco

After returning from the trek I made the executive decision to stick around Cuzco for a while. I wanted to give my system a chance to properly acclimate to the altitude and recover from the trek. It has been a nice change from how I usually travel because it has given me to opportunity to get to know the city a little better, sleep in and just enjoy myself.

So how have I been spending my time? First off, I signed up for 10 hours of Spanish classes which has been a great refresher. I signed up with a comapany called Proyecto Peru and on top of offering very affordable one on one Spanish classes they offer a couple of free events each week. One day after class I stuck around for some traditional Peruvian drinks followed by Salsa lessions. I definately recommend them in that order!!! When I´m not in class I have been wondering around some of the different markets admiring all the different sights and smells (not all pleasant). They have an amazing assortment of potatos and corn that we don´t see in the USA. They have a black corn that they use to make a purplish, sweet drink called Chicha Morada. It is usually served with lunch and is very refreshing. That brings me to my next topic... what have I been eating. I´ve made it a mission to get away from the tourist areas and more times than not I´m the only gringo in a particular restaurant. The main meal of the day is lunch and most restaurants offer a menu del dia which consists of an appetizer, soup, main dish and desert/cold drink. I have been going back to this one place where I leave completely stuffed for $2. The food is usually pretty basic consisting of lots of vegetables and rice with a little chicken or beef.

Today is my last day in Cuzco and I couldn´t leave without sampling the local specialty, guinea pig. I have to say its pretty intimidating when they bring it out because its very apparent what you are about it eat. I went with a friend and his guinea pig still had a tooth in the mouth!!! The skin is very hard so you have to peel it apart to get to the meat. The meat itself was very salty and it took a fair amount of work to get to all of it. Not something I would eat on a regular basis but you´re only in Peru once!!!

Tonight I am heading to the Bolivian side of Lake Titikaka with a friend from the Inka trail. We are planning to check out a couple of the islands before heading to La Paz. My body is finally acclimated to the altitude of Cuzco however La Paz is even higher so keep your fingers crossed!

The Inka Trail to Machu Pichu

Well I can now say I survived the Inka trail! It turned out to be much harder than I expected but in the end it made for a very memorable experience. We trekked 40 KM over 4 days, climbed two mountains passes over 4,000 meters (+13,000 ft) and were constantly surrounded by breath taking views of the Andes. We had 14 people (7 Aussies, 4 Yanks, a Chinese, a German and a hilarious Irish) in our group and I made some good friends that I plan to meet up with in Bolivia. So where to start...

Day 1 was a 14 Km hike with some climbing but nothing too hard. It quickly became apparent that these guys were going to do everything in their power to make sure no one lost any weight on this trip. For lunch and dinner the platters just kept coming and coming until there was no room left on the table and we were forced to fill our plates to make room for the other platters. It was ridiculous! We had monster sized portions of lightly fried meat, rice and steamed veggies for lunch followed by pounds of pasta for dinner. It is also important to note that over-eating at high altitudes is a death wish...

Day 2 turned out to be the hardest hike I´ve ever done. We hiked 16 Km climbing two +4,000 meter passes and I did most of it on an empty stomach suffering from altitude sickness. After a light breakfast we started our ascent up the first mountain which took 2.5 hours to climb 900 m. For the last hour I had to stop ever 15 feet to catch my breath and rest up for the next 15 feet. I have never hiked at 13,000 ft before but it´s unbelievable how the altitude takes its toll. Upon reaching the top we were treated to unbelievable views as we were now above cloud level. It´s also amazing how quickly the weather can change at that height. One moment I was sweating from the ascent without a cloud in the sky and 10 minutes later we are surrounded by clouds rushing to put on extra layers. From there we descended 600 m down uneven rocks that make your knees feel like jello. After an hour we reached our lunch spot or if you´re part of every other trekking company, your camping spot for the night. I can´t say I was pumped to be the only group climbing both passes in one day (especially with my stomach acting up) but in the end it really worked out for the best. It allowed our group to have the trail to ourselves for most of the trip and avoid the horrible crowds you always hear about on the Inka trail. So after the others filled up on hearty portions we headed off to trek our second +4,000 m pass of the day. I try to black out this part of the day because it was basically mind over matter, one foot after the other. The second part of the day took about 5 hours and I collapsed once we got into camp. The good news is after passing out for an hour my appetite returned and I ate my weight in popcorn! The campsite that night was on a bluff overlooking a cloud forest with Inka ruins scattered on the hill sides. Spectacular!!! I slept like a baby and luckily the worst was over.

Day 3 and 4 were both much easier where we spent the mornings walking and the afternoons exploring Inka ruins and relaxing. We woke up at 3:30 on the 4th day to make sure we were the first ones in line at the entry gate. We were and at 5:30 the gate opened and it was a race to the sun gate where Machu Pichu can first be seen. As we were speed walking the sun was rising over a distant peak lighting up the valley below. It was a great opportunity to take some pictures and catch my breath! After climbing the final 50 steps to the top of the Sun Gate covered in sweat we turned the corner to see the valley below completely covered in fog! Pretty anti-climatic and we all felt a little foolish for pushing it so hard. For the Sun Gate it is a 45 minute walk down to the entrance gate to Machu Pichu and by the time we made it to the bottom the fog had completely cleared and there was famous Machu Pichu before us. We dodged a couple of llamas and headed to the famous viewing area to take pictures. The weather cooperated extremely well I got some amazing pictures but they still cannot do justice to the real thing. The ruins of Machu Pichu are so vast and the panaramic cannot be described. It is truly mind blowing that the Inkas could build something so big this high up.

There are two things that I will always remember from this trek. The first is the crazy porters with their monstrous backpacks overflowing with all our gear charging up mountain passes. These guys are machines!!! Our group kept a pretty good pace but no matter what they would always be waiting in camp with our tents pitched and a warm meal waiting. Some of these guys did it in sandals too. These guys should look into starting a moving company in SF and they could save money on not using moving trucks! The second thing I will always remember is the amazing views. The Inka trail takes you high in the mountains and you are constantly looking down on rivers snaking their way though valleys with the Andes stretching on a far as the eye can see. It was probably my favorite part and something I will always remember!

¡Adios Colombia, Hola Peru!

After Santa Marta I headed back to Cartagena where I spent the last couple of days making sure I saw everything there was to see. I got lost in old town Cartagena taking way too many pictures, attended a baptism and slept in the ghettos of Monteria and took a boat to a beautiful beach with some new friends. Colombia was a very interesting place to start the trip because its still so new to tourist. More often than not I was the only gringo in a particular place and I can count the number of people who spoke English on one hand. With that being said it does make the whole experience that much more gratifying and if I can get by on my limited Spanish in Colombia I should be fine down the road.

So after two wonderful weeks in Colombia I boarded a plan to Peru yesterday morning and spent the day in Mira Flores, just outside of Lima. After spending the previous night sleeping at the airport in Bogota I decided to spend a little extra on a boutique hostel for my one night in Lima. I also decided it was time to confront one of my fears that I have been putting off since I first landed in South America. I have been in desperate need of a haircut but have been putting it off for fear that some barber would take one look at my overflowing mane and decide to make it his rat tail masterpiece. It turned out just fine and for $5 I got a hair wash, masace and nice haircut. Not a bad deal!!!

Before ending this entry I wanted to write about my favorite meal so far on my trip. This part of Peru is located on the Pacific ocean and is known for their ceviche and fish. I decided I wanted to splurge a little so I got a good recommendation from my hostel and ate like a king. I started off with some amazing ceviche followed by a tasty marisco soup all washed down with some Spanish White wine. I was in heaven and after two glasses of wine slept like a baby. Today I fly to Cuzco high up in the Andes to try and get acclimated to the altitude before my trek to Machu Pichu on Saturday.