When we told people at the marina we were going to spend a month in Bolivia, one man said he couldn't imagine what we would find to do in Bolivia for an entire month. Well, I can state with confidence that we could spend a year here and not get bored for one second. Let's see, where to begin?
We began by going to visit some pre-Incan ruins between La Paz and Lake Titicaca, known as Tihuanaco. They are mostly made of mud, but there is some stonework that is simply amazing. I can't see how they managed to fit these stones together so tightly. I have pictures, but need to get on the other computer to post them, so that will have to wait. No one knows how old these ruins are, or even for sure what culture built them.
Next, we took a bike ride down what is described as the World's Most Dangerous Road, so named for the HUGE amounts of accidents that have occurred on it. Since a new road has been built, it is not quite as dangerous as there are few motor vehicles on it. It is mostly for bikes now, but it is still not for the faint of heart. You start at about 15,400 feet and went down 64 kilometers, dropping 11,000 feet. Luckily we stopped a lot to keep the group together, or I would likely have killed myself. It was the best bike I have ever ridden, however. It was not technically difficult, but you had to be real careful of our speed. Not only that, but the edge is a sheer drop off. I just tried not to look at that part. I did not fall down once, so I was pretty proud of myself. It was freezing cold at the top, so I was bundled up as though I was in Wisconsin in the depths of winter. It got a bit warmer as we went down the mountain, so it was comfortable by the time we ended the ride. We all had a beer, and we got to tour an animal sanctuary. The monkeys were pretty cute, but you had to watch that they did not climb on you and try to get into your pockets. Then a van took us back up into La Paz. It was so much fun - and not all that difficult except for the speed management issues.
After that, we went on what is pretty much the most exciting thing I have ever done. We took a six day trip from the high Andes mountains into the Bolivian Amazon basin. We began with three days of biking. It was the same company we went on the other bike trip with, and we got the same guide. The biking was much more difficult than the other trip, and not just because there was plenty of uphill riding. We were on a road, but it was a rough dirt road strewn with rocks and lots of hairpin turns as it was a switchback. The first day I did pretty well, although always bringing up the rear. There were ten of us - two Canadian guys (Newfies, to be exact, the best kind of Canadians), two New Zealanders, four Belgians, and me and Mike. Our guide is Australian, and the other guides were Bolivian. Between all of us, there were five languages spoken. It was a great group. Mike and I were old enough to be the parents of all the other riders, but it did not matter. We all got along great, and most of us are now Facebook friends. Our guide is going to meet us in Ecuador in December and will sail with us to Panama. We met two others later on in Potosi and had a great lunch. Anyway, the first night we stayed in a nice hotel after a hard day of bike riding.
The next day it was back on the bikes for more thrills and excitement. I was doing really well until a motorcycle came tearing around a curve and hit me. (Clipped, to be exact.) It knocked me off my bike and right into a rock cliff - which was good because if he had knocked me to the other side of the road I would be dead now at the far bottom of something I couldn't even see down. I was not hurt, just sort of banged up, so I quickly jumped back on the bike before anyone noticed there was anything wrong. Unfortunately I forgot to see if the bike was still working - and immediately did a header right over the handlebars because the back brake was no longer working. I landed flat on my face. All I could think was that I had broken my teeth and would be spending the next eight months in and out of the dentist's office. By that time, Mike and one of the guides had come to my aid. Miraculously, my teeth were all intact. I did bruise my chin and ended up with a scrape on my upper lip that looked like a Hitler mustache. I rode in the van for a bit until we broke for lunch, and then my bike was fixed and I was on my way once again. That night we stayed at a VERY primitive hotel with straw mattresses and the dirtiest bathroom I have dealt with in a long time. But we did get to clean off the road dirt in a waterfall. I slept like the dead on my surprisingly comfortable straw mattress.
So after eating breakfast we were off again for another day of biking. I was doing fine until for some reason I am still not clear on, I did another header over the handlebars. I landed on my head this time, and all I have to say is thank God for inventing bike helmets. I wanted to keep riding, but I knew I was too beat up after the previous day and would likely keep falling and thereby upsetting all my fellow riders. So I rode in the van with one guy who was feeling sick and another guy with a bad shoulder. That night we stayed in a slightly better hotel in a tiny little town at the river where we planned to catch our boat for the rest of the trip. The town was like a wild west town, and there were no other tourists. We got to sing karaoke with the locals, and I made some new friends - these lovely local girls who showed up later and tried to convince us to stay for the weekend, when there would be a big party in town. It sounded like fun, but we did have to be on our way.
The next day we began our boat trip. The boat was a big dug out long boat. One of the new river guides stood in the very front giving instructions to the man in the back who was handling the outboard. It was sort of like white water rafting, with the boatmen steering around sticking up rocks and shallow spots. We got some good video of the action. The area we went through was a gold mining area, which was interesting to look at although it made the river muddy because it was all sluice mining. There were big operations with bulldozers and all, as well as little operations with one guy up to his waist in water with a homemade sluice. We camped out - I had forgotten how much I like sleeping outside. We did this for three days. On the second day we hiked up to a waterfall and swimming area again and although the water was cold it was wonderfully refreshing and fun. We had a cook along and she made wonderful meals for us, some of which were eaten as we motored along on the boat. I really enjoy being on a boat when all I have to do is ride and not have any responsibility for anything. We had a campfire each night and roasted marshmallows and to know each other better. On the last day we ended up in a town called Rurrenabaque, and spend the night at a nice comfortable hostel. We all enjoyed beer, pizza, and pool and then said good bye - that was hard as we all got to know each other well and got along great. Mike and I stayed an extra day, and then flew back to La Paz. Everyone else left the day before, but we wanted to explore the little town a bit. This had to be one of the best things I have ever done. (The Hitler mustache lasted for about a week and a half. It is gone now, as is the chin bruise. My record for exciting falls without getting seriously hurt remains intact.)
Anyway, I have done enough typing for one night. I have more adventures to tell about, and some great pictures. Right now we are in the city of Sucre, and there are some great restaurants, one of which we will try out tonight. So - more to come!!!
"Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you the next time they are in trouble." (From the wall at Oliver's Pub in La Paz, Bolivia)
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