I know it is surprising, two posts in such a short time period, but I am trying to get better, so this is a good start.
We are still at anchor in the Perlas Islands, and now there are a total of five boats in our anchorage, and all of them are Canadian. We are calling it Little Canada and there has already been a Prime Minister elected. Alas, since we are not Canadian, the best I think we can hope for here on Magda Jean is refugee status. Anyway, one of the other boats is having a birthday today (Feb 11) so we are having a party on the beach and then drinks and stuff on their boat. It will also be a good time to get acquainted with the boats we have not met yet, as two of them just came in yesterday and I have only talked to them on the radio. I am now doing one day a week as a Net Controller for the Panama Pacific Net, but one day a week is all I will do - I did it alone for several months, and had only one or two other Controllers for many months when we were here before. I love doing it, but not all the time.
The other exciting news is that we (yes, WE, I am actually learning something myself) are learning celestial navigation. We each have our own sextants. I have only just begun to actually use mine, and have to practice it a lot more, just learning how to get the shots lined up before we ever start trying to make real plots. Oops, it is time to try it again, I will be right back!
I am back now, and it only took me two minutes to go up on deck and get the sun in focus and lined up with the horizon. So now I have to get accurate. The math involved is not hard, just basic arithmetic, but the concepts are hard for me to get my head around. It is all geometry, lines and arcs and angles and points and I was never really good at that, but I do finally understand the concept of everything being measured in degrees and minutes, and these degrees can correlate with time and distance and all sorts of things. Luckily, most of the really complicated computations are contained in these almanacs, so you look up your numbers and find what you need to determine where you really are. It seems like (at this early stage) that the almanacs assume certain things, and you have to do the math that makes your numbers translate to the numbers in the almanacs. Something like that. I guess if I can't explain it, I have a lot more work to do.
It is HOT out here, and the humidity is pretty high. At least we have the whole ocean to swim in and cool down. The fishing has been terrible - in fact, I was reduced to buying fish from a local who brought his panga aside with a nice selection. I could not help but notice that most of the fish were reef fish, rather than the migrating ones that we usually catch. The more I fish, and the more I learn about fish, in some ways I don't want to catch them anymore. But I know that would be hypocritical, since I have no plans to stop eating them.
Otherwise, there is really no news to report. We plan to stay out here through the month if we can, but our stores are running low. The locals have plenty of beer and stuff like that, but the tiny village never has produce (other than potatoes and onions if we get there on a good day)or eggs for sale. We did get some papaya and some wonderful limes, but that is all. When mangoes are ready, we will be able to get plenty of those and there are a lot of mango trees on these islands. Mango season is not quite here yet, too bad for us. Oh I forgot - we did get some plantains, and Mike fried up some patacones, which are little plantain rounds. They taste a lot like potatoes when they are green like the ones we have. As they get riper, they get a bit sweeter, but never as sweet as a banana, and you always want to cook them. Anyway, with the stores running low and the fishing pretty bad, we have been reduced to going through what we have and trying to conjure up decent meals out of our meager produce and meat rations and canned stuff. So far it has gone pretty well. Mike made a dish with that colored pasta shaped like corkscrews with canned diced tomatoes, fresh onions and garlic, and spam (of all things). I was highly skeptical to say the least, but it was really quite good. We also found that a can of chopped up spam will flavor split pea or bean soup quite well when there is nothing else available. Who knew?
So anyway, that is it for now, and I am going to go up and take another sun shot, see how it matches with the other ones. I feel like Captain Cook!
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Monday, February 9, 2015
Recap
Ok, Ok, I am really sorry that I let this go so long. I really have no excuse other than my normal ones of laziness and some technical issues. But we are well and happy and doing fine. Since I do not have internet access where I am, this is being posted via SSB radio, and that means I can't check to see where I was the last time I wrote. I am pretty sure I reported that we had completed our land trip to Bolivia and Peru, and returned to Ecuador. This all happened in early November.
Anyway, both Bolivia and Peru were amazing beyond belief. Peru gets a lot more visitors (because of Machu Picchu) than Bolivia, so their tourist structure is better. But the Bolivians are wonderful, gracious hosts. When we were in La Paz, we ate lunch at this little place that catered to locals, but the food was cheap and plentiful, so we started going there. Every time we came, the staff all came to welcome us, and other customers would come to our table, introduce themselves, and shake our hands while asking where we were from. And even though our government is not a big fan of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, (and vice verse) the people are happy to meet Americans and ask questions about us. It was a wonderful experience. Peru was the same way, although to a lesser extent since they are used to tourists. Being in Lima was like being in a cold, cloudy, LA. La Paz is very different, definitely a developing nations type place. (By the way, I have learned that nobody uses the phrase "third world" any more. The proper phrase is "developing nation". And if they are coming out of a big civil war, like poor El Salvador, the proper phrase is "post conflict developing nation.") The smaller towns in Peru were more like Bolivia, with out the sophistication of Lima or the Machu Picchu staging areas.
So anyway, we got back to Ecuador and everything was fine, except we were missing a really nice (and fairly expensive) ratcheting winch handle. We use it to help winch the sails in, and while we do have other handles, this one was the one I preferred. We had left it in the cockpit, so I suppose we should have known better. But that was all, and the work we had contracted to have done was done very well. There were no real problems with the boat that we did not know about before we left, which was good. One of the problems with a boat is that when they sit around for awhile, they tend to have things just stop working for a myriad of reasons. We knew that the alternator was not working properly, and we did not have the fridge working, because we had to replace the evaporator. So Mike got all that done, and did a fine job. We had an engine pro come in and look at the alternator situation (because it kept not working right after a fix) and he figured out what the problem was and fixed it, so we are now in real good shape. And Mike got the evaporator changed and the fridge fixed; so we are happy about that.
We had also made plans for some friends we met while traveling in Bolivia to come and meet us in Ecuador and sail with us back to Panama. But because of that, we were going to have visa trouble - so without going into all the boring details of how visas work in Bolivia, the easiest way to solve the problem was to leave the country for a couple of weeks. We ended up hopping on the bus and going to Colombia for two weeks. This time we headed north out of Ecuador and went through Quito, which is a really interesting mix of old and new. It was one of the first cities in Latin America to be declared a World Heritage Site. Then we ended up spending two weeks in southern Colombia, in a really rural area full of coffee fincas, forests, jungles, rivers, and lots of waterfalls. We fell in love with it and I really thought Mike might buy a coffee finca. It was tempting. We learned how to make maracunya (passion fruit) juice. I have now eaten cuy (guinea pig), goat, llama, alpaca, at least as far as I know. All were really good, with the alpaca being my least favorite although I think what I ate was just not prepared very well (it was really tough and a bit gamey). So now we can hardly wait to get back to Colombia and see more of it. I want to go to Cartagena.
When we got back to Ecuador, our friends showed up, and we all took off for Panama. Our friends (an Australian and a Newfoundlander)
were real troopers and handled the trip well. One of them had sailing experience, for the Newfie, well, it was his first time in a sailboat. This is not a really fun trip or a nice sail. The water tends to be rough and somewhat disorganized, so the boat rolls around a lot. The current is against you coming this direction, as was the wind. Because these guys had to be in Panama by dates certain to get back to their jobs and whatnot, we ended up having to motor a lot rather than try and tack down sailing into the winds. The engine is loud, so it is hard to sleep. But they claimed to enjoy themselves, and asked to return again some time. I reassured the Newfie that this was NOT an example of a fine sail. If the conditions were always like that, no one would ever do it. Another wonderful thing was that our Newfie friend bought us a present - a bottle of Scotch (Macallan or Macallen) that cost SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. It was not nearly as horrible as other Scotches I have tasted, but Mike appreciated it more than I did. Still, it was impressive. I felt sort of sorry for the bottle - I bet it planned to live out its days in a fine oak cabinet with leaded crystal panes. Now it lives above our stove, living next to a bottle of cheap local rum and a can of Crisco.
After we returned to Panama, we re-provisioned, took care of some chores, and set off for the Perlas Islands, where we spent a number of months in 2013, and a bit of 2014. That is where we are now, and have been out here for over a month. We don't have internet out here. We also have a crew member, a woman from Oklahoma we met in Panama City. She will be with us until we get back to Panama City (in a couple of weeks) and then we have boat stuff to do.
Now the kind of crappy stuff. While we were in Colombia, our boat was broken into and burglarized. They took four computers (two of which were old and did not work well, one that was totally broken, and one really cheap one that did work. Luckily, they left one (A good one) and we had our newest one with us. They also stole a bottle of hot sauce (which made Mike furious). The hatch over the vee berth is broken now. The area was supposed to be patrolled, but there have been a number of break-ins there, and it really seems like the people running the place do not give a shit. It is all really sad. And then - but a bit of background is necessary. This anchorage is in an estuary, and you need a local pilot on board to guide you through the entry, as it is very shallow other than a narrow channel. You also have to go over a surf break. AND it is very important that you go through on the high tide, not before and not after. So our pilot was late, and while he was directing us we ran aground about four times. The pilot looked totally clueless, and really had no idea which way we needed to go to unground ourselves. Mike finally got us going again, and while we sailed on to Panama, we did not notice any problems with navigation or how the boat performed. But when we got to the islands, Mike and I dove under the boat and noticed (to our horror) that about a third of the skeg (a part of the boat that hangs down in front of the rudder to protect it) was torn away. We seem to be sailing okay without it, but it is very important to have. And the fact that it broke right off might indicate some serious problems with overall hull security. It could be like the beginnings of a cracked foundation on a house. So we are hauling the boat out and will have to get a surveyor out to assess the damage. We are going to call our insurer once we get back and find out how they want us to handle it, as the damages might be high. I am hoping they have a local agent (and in Panama that is a real possibility) that can help shepherd us through this. SO keep good thoughts for us that all works out well. We had to have the boat hauled anyway for its yearly bottom painting, so we will have to see. We should know in about a month - that is how long it will take us to decide to leave the islands and head for Panama City (about 45 miles from where we are anchored) and get our haul out scheduled. It is a total bummer, but we will just have to wait and see what happens with it.
That brings us up to date here. I apologise to anyone who was worried about us, but remember that no news is usually good news here.
We have a lot of safety stuff including emergency GPS beacons that can be set off if we are in trouble, and any ship that is close will come and rescue us. We always have people know where we are going and when we can expect to get there, and other cruisers watch out for each other and keep in touch while traveling via the SSB radio. So again, all is well, sailing is great, and the beaches and
warm water cannot be beat! (P.S. As an added safety feature, we are studying celestial navigation.)
----------
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Anyway, both Bolivia and Peru were amazing beyond belief. Peru gets a lot more visitors (because of Machu Picchu) than Bolivia, so their tourist structure is better. But the Bolivians are wonderful, gracious hosts. When we were in La Paz, we ate lunch at this little place that catered to locals, but the food was cheap and plentiful, so we started going there. Every time we came, the staff all came to welcome us, and other customers would come to our table, introduce themselves, and shake our hands while asking where we were from. And even though our government is not a big fan of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, (and vice verse) the people are happy to meet Americans and ask questions about us. It was a wonderful experience. Peru was the same way, although to a lesser extent since they are used to tourists. Being in Lima was like being in a cold, cloudy, LA. La Paz is very different, definitely a developing nations type place. (By the way, I have learned that nobody uses the phrase "third world" any more. The proper phrase is "developing nation". And if they are coming out of a big civil war, like poor El Salvador, the proper phrase is "post conflict developing nation.") The smaller towns in Peru were more like Bolivia, with out the sophistication of Lima or the Machu Picchu staging areas.
So anyway, we got back to Ecuador and everything was fine, except we were missing a really nice (and fairly expensive) ratcheting winch handle. We use it to help winch the sails in, and while we do have other handles, this one was the one I preferred. We had left it in the cockpit, so I suppose we should have known better. But that was all, and the work we had contracted to have done was done very well. There were no real problems with the boat that we did not know about before we left, which was good. One of the problems with a boat is that when they sit around for awhile, they tend to have things just stop working for a myriad of reasons. We knew that the alternator was not working properly, and we did not have the fridge working, because we had to replace the evaporator. So Mike got all that done, and did a fine job. We had an engine pro come in and look at the alternator situation (because it kept not working right after a fix) and he figured out what the problem was and fixed it, so we are now in real good shape. And Mike got the evaporator changed and the fridge fixed; so we are happy about that.
We had also made plans for some friends we met while traveling in Bolivia to come and meet us in Ecuador and sail with us back to Panama. But because of that, we were going to have visa trouble - so without going into all the boring details of how visas work in Bolivia, the easiest way to solve the problem was to leave the country for a couple of weeks. We ended up hopping on the bus and going to Colombia for two weeks. This time we headed north out of Ecuador and went through Quito, which is a really interesting mix of old and new. It was one of the first cities in Latin America to be declared a World Heritage Site. Then we ended up spending two weeks in southern Colombia, in a really rural area full of coffee fincas, forests, jungles, rivers, and lots of waterfalls. We fell in love with it and I really thought Mike might buy a coffee finca. It was tempting. We learned how to make maracunya (passion fruit) juice. I have now eaten cuy (guinea pig), goat, llama, alpaca, at least as far as I know. All were really good, with the alpaca being my least favorite although I think what I ate was just not prepared very well (it was really tough and a bit gamey). So now we can hardly wait to get back to Colombia and see more of it. I want to go to Cartagena.
When we got back to Ecuador, our friends showed up, and we all took off for Panama. Our friends (an Australian and a Newfoundlander)
were real troopers and handled the trip well. One of them had sailing experience, for the Newfie, well, it was his first time in a sailboat. This is not a really fun trip or a nice sail. The water tends to be rough and somewhat disorganized, so the boat rolls around a lot. The current is against you coming this direction, as was the wind. Because these guys had to be in Panama by dates certain to get back to their jobs and whatnot, we ended up having to motor a lot rather than try and tack down sailing into the winds. The engine is loud, so it is hard to sleep. But they claimed to enjoy themselves, and asked to return again some time. I reassured the Newfie that this was NOT an example of a fine sail. If the conditions were always like that, no one would ever do it. Another wonderful thing was that our Newfie friend bought us a present - a bottle of Scotch (Macallan or Macallen) that cost SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. It was not nearly as horrible as other Scotches I have tasted, but Mike appreciated it more than I did. Still, it was impressive. I felt sort of sorry for the bottle - I bet it planned to live out its days in a fine oak cabinet with leaded crystal panes. Now it lives above our stove, living next to a bottle of cheap local rum and a can of Crisco.
After we returned to Panama, we re-provisioned, took care of some chores, and set off for the Perlas Islands, where we spent a number of months in 2013, and a bit of 2014. That is where we are now, and have been out here for over a month. We don't have internet out here. We also have a crew member, a woman from Oklahoma we met in Panama City. She will be with us until we get back to Panama City (in a couple of weeks) and then we have boat stuff to do.
Now the kind of crappy stuff. While we were in Colombia, our boat was broken into and burglarized. They took four computers (two of which were old and did not work well, one that was totally broken, and one really cheap one that did work. Luckily, they left one (A good one) and we had our newest one with us. They also stole a bottle of hot sauce (which made Mike furious). The hatch over the vee berth is broken now. The area was supposed to be patrolled, but there have been a number of break-ins there, and it really seems like the people running the place do not give a shit. It is all really sad. And then - but a bit of background is necessary. This anchorage is in an estuary, and you need a local pilot on board to guide you through the entry, as it is very shallow other than a narrow channel. You also have to go over a surf break. AND it is very important that you go through on the high tide, not before and not after. So our pilot was late, and while he was directing us we ran aground about four times. The pilot looked totally clueless, and really had no idea which way we needed to go to unground ourselves. Mike finally got us going again, and while we sailed on to Panama, we did not notice any problems with navigation or how the boat performed. But when we got to the islands, Mike and I dove under the boat and noticed (to our horror) that about a third of the skeg (a part of the boat that hangs down in front of the rudder to protect it) was torn away. We seem to be sailing okay without it, but it is very important to have. And the fact that it broke right off might indicate some serious problems with overall hull security. It could be like the beginnings of a cracked foundation on a house. So we are hauling the boat out and will have to get a surveyor out to assess the damage. We are going to call our insurer once we get back and find out how they want us to handle it, as the damages might be high. I am hoping they have a local agent (and in Panama that is a real possibility) that can help shepherd us through this. SO keep good thoughts for us that all works out well. We had to have the boat hauled anyway for its yearly bottom painting, so we will have to see. We should know in about a month - that is how long it will take us to decide to leave the islands and head for Panama City (about 45 miles from where we are anchored) and get our haul out scheduled. It is a total bummer, but we will just have to wait and see what happens with it.
That brings us up to date here. I apologise to anyone who was worried about us, but remember that no news is usually good news here.
We have a lot of safety stuff including emergency GPS beacons that can be set off if we are in trouble, and any ship that is close will come and rescue us. We always have people know where we are going and when we can expect to get there, and other cruisers watch out for each other and keep in touch while traveling via the SSB radio. So again, all is well, sailing is great, and the beaches and
warm water cannot be beat! (P.S. As an added safety feature, we are studying celestial navigation.)
----------
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Time to Go Home
Mike and I made a mistake when we got there - we got off the train and hopped aboard the bus, only to discover that we should have bought our tickets in town, and tickets were not sold at the entry to MP. Now that was not so good, because it was a 30 minute bus ride back down, not to mention double bus fare. But after a bit of standing around and sort of pleading with people ("There must be way!") we were told that we could buy tickets through the only hotel at MP, which was right by where we were standing. And it was only about $7 more per ticket than it would have been had we bothered to read the signs at the bus terminal. SO no harm, no foul - except that I am sure we looked like fools.
We are back in Cuzco now, and plan to leave here and begin winding our way back to Ecuador on Tuesday (Today is Friday). We will bus it across the country like we did getting here. We did have an interesting thing happen to us when we took the bus from La Pas to Cuzco a couple of weeks ago, more ot less. It was actually pretty weird and unpleasant. We were riding on one of these overnight buses where the seats lean way back and there is a little fold out foot rest to put your feet on. When that footrest is up, you can't see the floor. So anyway, Mike and I were riding along, dozing in our chairs, and chatting every now and then about nothing in particular. We head a cat meowing, and started talking about the poor kitty trapped in its car carrier, and speculating whether the cat carrier was more comfortable than the bus seats. All of a sudden we smelled this truly awful smell. Mike said "The cat has shit its crate." I didn't think it smelled like cat poop, but then it has been a long time since I have smelled cat poop. We started giggling and making jokes about "shitty kitty" and "CAT-astrophe" and stuff like that. In the meantime, although we paid no attention to it at the time, the guy behind Mike got up and went to a different part of the bus. Mike and I tried to sleep, but it was hard with that awful smell. But there were only a couple hours left in the bus ride so we dealt with it. When the ride came to an end, Mike reached down and pulled his footrest back and I screamed out "Do not put your feet down!" There, under Mike's foot rest, was human poop, several handfuls of it. We freaked out, to say the least, and realized the guy behind us must have pooped himself, and then threw it under out seats. We could not think of any other way it might have gotten there. It was not there when we got on the bus. Thank goodness it did not get on us! That has to be the strangest thing that has ever happened to us.
After Cuzco but before MP, we went to the Sacred Valley, which is a series of little Andean towns between Cuzco and MP, all of which have their own ruins and Incan things. We stayed for several days in a town called Pisac, where we hiked up high into the mountains and visited some ruins. It was a difficult hike, especially so at over 11,000 feet, but it was worth it. We also just kicked back and enjoyed the little town. Then we left and went to another little town called Ollantaytambo. This town is actually an Incan town, and the walls of many of the buildings now in use were built during that epoch. The streets were narrow and winding, and surrounded by high walls. (We never failed to remark on how the enormous tourist buses navigated around them.) While we were there, we had another really interesting experience - we underwent an ayahuasca ceremony.
For anyone who has not heard of it, ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic plant used quite widely by the jungle people of Peru and Bolivia, as well as being known elsewhere in South America by other names (for example, in Colombia it is called yage). William Burroughs came to South America specifically to try this, and it is not something you buy in the street and take home to get high on. We went (with two American girls and a German girl) to the home of the woman who administered it to us. I have done plenty of drugs in my day, including LSD, but this was really different. I don't think I got as much out of it as others did, but it was an interesting experience and I want to do it again. It is something that really should be done in a controlled setting with a leader you feel comfortable with. The effects are hard to explain - I did not have any hallucinations, but some really odd physical sensations and spent a lot of time thinking about strange, random things. Mike had a completely different experience, as did everyone else. It was different for everyone. I was a little disappointed that my experience was not more profound, but considering how nervous I was it might have been that I needed to show myself I would not lose control and send my brain off into some stratosphere, never again to return to reality as I know it. (I was really afraid this might happen.) So that is why I want to try it again. Hopefully I will get the chance to do so, someday, somewhere.
So anyway, as the title of this post says, we are on our way home. I miss the boat and I want to cook my own meals again and sleep in my own bed, and feel the boat moving beneath me at night.
"I live in my own little world. But its ok, they know me here." (Lauren Myracle)
Friday, October 3, 2014
Wandering Around
As I write this, we are in Pisac, Peru. It is about 20 or so miles from Cuzco, in what is known as El Valle Sagrado, or the Sacred Valley. It is a small town, although usually overrun with tourists. (At the risk of being pretentious, Mike and I prefer to refer to ourselves as "travelers" rather than mere "tourists.) As usual, I think it is amazing here and am enjoying myself tremendously.
I know I have skipped some of the wonderful places we were in Bolivia, but short of going back and re-reading my earlier posts (which I can't stand to do, I hate to read my own writing almost as much as I hate the sound of my own voice) I don't remember what I have written about and what I have not. So instead, I will talk about Peru.
The food is better than in Bolivia, but that is because the tourist infrastructure is better. I have eaten some of the best curries I have ever had in places that seem to cater to English tourists. It is easier to get a "real" breakfast. The street vendors are a bit more assertive (some would say aggressive) than the street vendors in Bolivia. And things are a bit more expensive. But both places are wonderful, the people are very friendly, and since we are accustomed to the altitude now, we are having a great time.
I am getting sort of homesick for the boat, and do have some concerns about the fact that there is no one to water the batteries as often as we do it. I have expressed this concern to Mike, and he is not that worried about it, so I suppose I shouldn't be either, as he knows way more about this sort of thing than I do. That is my only real worry about the boat in our absence. There are no concerns about weather problems there while we are gone, as this part of Ecuador has extremely benign weather. No storms will come up and blow us off our anchorage. Rain will only give the boat a nice cleaning. The anchorage does have security. So I guess there is no real need for concern. I am considering asking a friend if he is willing to water the batteries, but again, Mike says it is not necessary yet.
I have no idea how long we will stay here in Peru - maybe for the rest of the month. Cuzco (Cusco? I see it both ways) is a great place to be. We stayed in a great hostel, and for one glorious day got to have their best room, which was way up top and had an amazing (sorry about that word again) view of the city. We only got it for one day because it was booked up for the other days we stayed there. When we get back, we will try and get it again. I suppose if we were willing to make reservations, we could have it without any problems, but Mike always says "If we make reservations we are tied down!" So that is that, we will see what happens when the time comes. We had heard that Cuzco was expensive, but there are lots and lots of reasonably priced hostels, and really, it is only expensive if you compare it with the rest of Peru. I haven't really noticed any great differences. I have decided that I like staying at hostels - they are friendlier and you get to meet other travelers (hostels tend to attract travelers rather than tourists, sorry for the reverse snobbism again) easier than you do in a regular hotel.
Speaking of other travelers, we have met so many wonderful new people while visiting here. Just the other day we met a couple from Australia, and had drinks, then dinner, and then they located us at our current dwelling here in Pisac and I had breakfast with them before we left. It was so much fun, and as an extra treat, they were close to our age. Most of our new friends are young enough to be our children, so it is a great treat not to be so much older for a change. We talked about everything, and I was really sorry to see them leave. We are still in touch with friends we met while adventuring in Bolivia, and two of them are planning to meet us in Ecuador and sail up to Panama. Although it is totally redundant to say, I am totally enjoying myself, and Mike is too. The only problem I have is trying to curb my buying. I have to keep reminding myself that there is limited wall space for art, no place for knick-knacks, and no real need for the GORGEOUS sweaters they sell here for incredible prices. I was able to buy one for myself because I somehow managed to lose my all purpose zip up the front sweatshirt, and then I could not resist a pullover as well. I shall just wear the hell out of them while I am here. I also got myself a moonstone pendent, some silver bracelets, and some new hoop earrings. But there is so much more I could buy were I not ruthless with myself. And I even have to be careful with presents, because we can only transport so much in our backpacks.
Here are some more pictures from the places we have been so far:
This is me and our guide hiking in ToroToro National Park near Cochabamba, Bolivia. We finally hiked all the way into a canyon, with over 800 steps. I was very proud of myself for getting back up in almost the same time it took to hike down. Uphill hiking is NOT my favorite thing to do.
These are dinosaur tracks. Although there were no dinosaur bones found in Bolivia there were lots of tracks found.
We went to a ladies wrestling match in La Paz. It was way better than any WWF action!
I know I have skipped some of the wonderful places we were in Bolivia, but short of going back and re-reading my earlier posts (which I can't stand to do, I hate to read my own writing almost as much as I hate the sound of my own voice) I don't remember what I have written about and what I have not. So instead, I will talk about Peru.
The food is better than in Bolivia, but that is because the tourist infrastructure is better. I have eaten some of the best curries I have ever had in places that seem to cater to English tourists. It is easier to get a "real" breakfast. The street vendors are a bit more assertive (some would say aggressive) than the street vendors in Bolivia. And things are a bit more expensive. But both places are wonderful, the people are very friendly, and since we are accustomed to the altitude now, we are having a great time.
I am getting sort of homesick for the boat, and do have some concerns about the fact that there is no one to water the batteries as often as we do it. I have expressed this concern to Mike, and he is not that worried about it, so I suppose I shouldn't be either, as he knows way more about this sort of thing than I do. That is my only real worry about the boat in our absence. There are no concerns about weather problems there while we are gone, as this part of Ecuador has extremely benign weather. No storms will come up and blow us off our anchorage. Rain will only give the boat a nice cleaning. The anchorage does have security. So I guess there is no real need for concern. I am considering asking a friend if he is willing to water the batteries, but again, Mike says it is not necessary yet.
I have no idea how long we will stay here in Peru - maybe for the rest of the month. Cuzco (Cusco? I see it both ways) is a great place to be. We stayed in a great hostel, and for one glorious day got to have their best room, which was way up top and had an amazing (sorry about that word again) view of the city. We only got it for one day because it was booked up for the other days we stayed there. When we get back, we will try and get it again. I suppose if we were willing to make reservations, we could have it without any problems, but Mike always says "If we make reservations we are tied down!" So that is that, we will see what happens when the time comes. We had heard that Cuzco was expensive, but there are lots and lots of reasonably priced hostels, and really, it is only expensive if you compare it with the rest of Peru. I haven't really noticed any great differences. I have decided that I like staying at hostels - they are friendlier and you get to meet other travelers (hostels tend to attract travelers rather than tourists, sorry for the reverse snobbism again) easier than you do in a regular hotel.
Speaking of other travelers, we have met so many wonderful new people while visiting here. Just the other day we met a couple from Australia, and had drinks, then dinner, and then they located us at our current dwelling here in Pisac and I had breakfast with them before we left. It was so much fun, and as an extra treat, they were close to our age. Most of our new friends are young enough to be our children, so it is a great treat not to be so much older for a change. We talked about everything, and I was really sorry to see them leave. We are still in touch with friends we met while adventuring in Bolivia, and two of them are planning to meet us in Ecuador and sail up to Panama. Although it is totally redundant to say, I am totally enjoying myself, and Mike is too. The only problem I have is trying to curb my buying. I have to keep reminding myself that there is limited wall space for art, no place for knick-knacks, and no real need for the GORGEOUS sweaters they sell here for incredible prices. I was able to buy one for myself because I somehow managed to lose my all purpose zip up the front sweatshirt, and then I could not resist a pullover as well. I shall just wear the hell out of them while I am here. I also got myself a moonstone pendent, some silver bracelets, and some new hoop earrings. But there is so much more I could buy were I not ruthless with myself. And I even have to be careful with presents, because we can only transport so much in our backpacks.
Here are some more pictures from the places we have been so far:
This is me and our guide hiking in ToroToro National Park near Cochabamba, Bolivia. We finally hiked all the way into a canyon, with over 800 steps. I was very proud of myself for getting back up in almost the same time it took to hike down. Uphill hiking is NOT my favorite thing to do.
These are dinosaur tracks. Although there were no dinosaur bones found in Bolivia there were lots of tracks found.
We went to a ladies wrestling match in La Paz. It was way better than any WWF action!
They did not mind pictures, and when I asked for one, this is what I got.
Now on to Peru - this is the main square in Cuzco (Plaza de las Armas). It is also known as Plaza of the Tears because the last Inca to strike out against the Spaniards was killed here.
The time has come to end this post - my internet connection is getting dicey and I have a horror of losing all my work. So I will continue to have a good time in Peru, and will endeavor to update this blog on a regular basis.
"Make your mistakes, take your chances, look silly, but keep on going. Don’t freeze up." (Thomas Wolfe)
Sunday, September 28, 2014
More South American Stories
We are now is Cusco, Peru, but I am going to try and finish up our Bolivian adventures before I move on to Peru.
While in Bolivia, we went on a four day trip to the Salar de Uyuni, which is a HUGE salt flat area in the southern part of Bolivia. At one point we could see into both Chile and Argentina. It is way bigger than Bonneville.
Here I am in a chair made of salt at a hotel made of salt. The walls were made of salt bricks, whitewashed with more salt. We stayed at a different salt hotel, but it was just like this one.
This is Mike standing next to a pile of - you guessed it - salt. We toured a plant that turned this salt into table salt. If you lived here, you would never have to buy salt. Just break off a piece of ground and put it in the soup.
The whole place looked like this, with the ground broken into hexagonal shapes. It went on for miles and miles. We were there in the dry season, and in the rainy season the whole thing is covered in really shallow water. It is hard to visit then, although warmer. We were pretty cold.
Here I am, standing on salt. This is what it looked like for most of the trip.
Our driver and guide made lunch for us every day while we were out. They set up a nice table and the food was great.
Our guide, Victor, set up these great photos. It was really fun to see them.
We also learned that flamingos do not just live in Florida. We saw so many here at the various lagoons. The color of the lagoons is determined by the minerals in the water. It was really cold, and I am surprised these birds did not mind it.
There were literally hundreds and hundreds of them. You weren't supposed to get too close, and we respected that, but there were a lot of tourists that seemed to be ignoring that very reasonable request.
Anyway, after we finished the Salar de Uyuni trip, we decided to go to the city of Potosi, which is famous as the source of more silver than anywhere else in the world. It is said that the Spanish took enough silver from Potosi to build a silver bridge from Potosi to Spain and still have enough silver left over to ship it to Spain over that silver bridge. While that may be hyperbole, it is true that Bolivian silver propped up the Spanish empire for literally hundreds of years. Potosi is an interesting city, built at the foot of a big mountain where all the silver was found. It is still mined today, and there is still some silver, but there is more copper, zinc, tin, and other metals.
We took a tour of one of the mines. The miners still have a very hard life and the techniques are pretty much the same as they were in the 1500s. I had mixed feelings about taking the tour, from both a safety standpoint and because I felt sort of intrusive about it. But after some soul searching and talking to locals, we decided to do it. The tour begins with a trip to the mining market, where we bought gifts for the miners. We bought dynamite, coca leaves, and large bottles of water and soft drinks.
This is one of our fellow tourists inside the mine. It was dark and very close inside.
This is me holding two sticks of dynamite with the wire and blasting cap in my teeth. Mike was way more enthralled with the dynamite than I was, despite the picture.
Another one of us inside the mine.
That is my back as I head deeper into the mine. It did not seem to be very stable. I just kept telling myself that there were no reports of any dead tourists.
These are some of the tools that the miners use.
Here I am with my bandana over my face because of all the toxic dust in the air.
This is the little god-like thing that the miners regard as the deity who rules the underworld where they work. They believe that Jesus rules the heavens, but "tio" rules below. They give tribute to him with cigarettes, liquor, and coca leaves.
Here I am with a couple of the miners. They were taking a break from their incredibly hard labor.
We had to walk over this bridge, and it was scary as hell. It was a long way down beneath it.
Well, this will be it for a while now. We are trying to decide at which one of the incredible restaurants we are going to eat tonight. There is still more to tell about Bolivia, before I can begin to describe the wonderful things about Peru. I am glad we get to stay pretty much as long as we want to - the boat is safe and sound in a quiet estuary, so we are free to wander on. Life is good.
"With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?" (Oscar Wilde)
While in Bolivia, we went on a four day trip to the Salar de Uyuni, which is a HUGE salt flat area in the southern part of Bolivia. At one point we could see into both Chile and Argentina. It is way bigger than Bonneville.
Here I am in a chair made of salt at a hotel made of salt. The walls were made of salt bricks, whitewashed with more salt. We stayed at a different salt hotel, but it was just like this one.
This is Mike standing next to a pile of - you guessed it - salt. We toured a plant that turned this salt into table salt. If you lived here, you would never have to buy salt. Just break off a piece of ground and put it in the soup.
The whole place looked like this, with the ground broken into hexagonal shapes. It went on for miles and miles. We were there in the dry season, and in the rainy season the whole thing is covered in really shallow water. It is hard to visit then, although warmer. We were pretty cold.
Here I am, standing on salt. This is what it looked like for most of the trip.
Our driver and guide made lunch for us every day while we were out. They set up a nice table and the food was great.
Our guide, Victor, set up these great photos. It was really fun to see them.
We also learned that flamingos do not just live in Florida. We saw so many here at the various lagoons. The color of the lagoons is determined by the minerals in the water. It was really cold, and I am surprised these birds did not mind it.
Anyway, after we finished the Salar de Uyuni trip, we decided to go to the city of Potosi, which is famous as the source of more silver than anywhere else in the world. It is said that the Spanish took enough silver from Potosi to build a silver bridge from Potosi to Spain and still have enough silver left over to ship it to Spain over that silver bridge. While that may be hyperbole, it is true that Bolivian silver propped up the Spanish empire for literally hundreds of years. Potosi is an interesting city, built at the foot of a big mountain where all the silver was found. It is still mined today, and there is still some silver, but there is more copper, zinc, tin, and other metals.
We took a tour of one of the mines. The miners still have a very hard life and the techniques are pretty much the same as they were in the 1500s. I had mixed feelings about taking the tour, from both a safety standpoint and because I felt sort of intrusive about it. But after some soul searching and talking to locals, we decided to do it. The tour begins with a trip to the mining market, where we bought gifts for the miners. We bought dynamite, coca leaves, and large bottles of water and soft drinks.
This is one of our fellow tourists inside the mine. It was dark and very close inside.
This is me holding two sticks of dynamite with the wire and blasting cap in my teeth. Mike was way more enthralled with the dynamite than I was, despite the picture.
Another one of us inside the mine.
That is my back as I head deeper into the mine. It did not seem to be very stable. I just kept telling myself that there were no reports of any dead tourists.
These are some of the tools that the miners use.
Here I am with my bandana over my face because of all the toxic dust in the air.
This is the little god-like thing that the miners regard as the deity who rules the underworld where they work. They believe that Jesus rules the heavens, but "tio" rules below. They give tribute to him with cigarettes, liquor, and coca leaves.
Here I am with a couple of the miners. They were taking a break from their incredibly hard labor.
We had to walk over this bridge, and it was scary as hell. It was a long way down beneath it.
"With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy?" (Oscar Wilde)
Saturday, September 13, 2014
My Take on This Amazing Country
Before I launch into more stuff about what we have done here, I thought it might be a good idea to describe some of the interesting things we have discovered about Bolivia and the Bolivians. It is like no other place we have been.
Firstly, they like their pizza, and it is really good. Even the smallest, most remote place we have been has a pizzeria. They use those special ovens, and even though I don't like pizza, I can tell it is good by the smell, the look of the crust, and the raptures everyone goes into while eating it. I can make pizza and it is good because I can make a good crust, but I think they have me beat.
Second, they have the US beat on displays of public art. As I read somewhere, and it is true, even the smallest of villages have at least two Blessed Virgins and one Bolivar. There are statues of everyone who ever did anything noteworthy in Bolivia. And the buildings have murals painted on them. I love that. The parks are filled with fountains and sculpted plants.
Third, there is graffiti everywhere. It cannot be used as the marker of a bad neighborhood, because it is literally in all different parts of every town. It is not scary because if you look closely, it is all boyfriend/girlfriend stuff rather than cryptic gang crap.
Bolivians are very friendly and always want to know where you are from. And even though officially the US is not in favor here (we have no embassy, we were kicked out a few years ago along with the DEA) no one has ever treated us badly. I think speaking Spanish helps, even though I am far from fluent. However. this trip has been a real immersion experience for us because there are many times when the people we are dealing with speak no English. We have even decided when we tour a museum or church or whatever, we choose the Spanish language tour instead of waiting for an English one. Both of us are learning a lot from that, and I don't think we miss much. When we went on our trip to the Salar de Uyuni (a giant salt flat area that I will tell more about later), although our guide spoke English, we told him we wanted to speak Spanish as much as we could. So that is what we did. When we ran out of words, we switched to English. We helped him learn new words as well, so it was a fun exchange. People are very curious about the US and how things are done there
The shopping is to die for - I almost wish I lived in a cold climate so I could buy some of the gorgeous sweaters and other knit goods out of alpaca, which is the softest wool I have ever felt, even giving cashmere a run for its money. But all those lovely things would do is sit in my closet, probably getting ruined in some way. I think we might get some ponchos, though, because once in a great while it gets chilly on night watch. We were eating dinner one night at a rooftop restaurant- I forget exactly where - and it started to get pretty chilly once the sun went down. We were dressed for the sunny day, and the waitress brought two ponchos over for us to wear while we were eating. They were wonderfully warm and comfortable. They also sell silver jewelry and I am seriously contemplating new earrings and maybe a bracelet.
The mountains are absolutely huge and impressive and almost dwarf the Colorado Rockies. All the towns are surrounded by volcanos (God forbid these dormant giants should ever decide to wake up, it would be a horrible disaster) that all have mythological stories about them. In fact, the religious aspect of Bolivia is another wonder. Everyone is pretty much a devout Catholic, but with overtones of the original polytheistic religions of the indigenous people. For example, the earth itself is thought to be the Goddess Pachamama. There are many rituals associated with her, and she is also associated with the Virgin Mary. It is easy to see why Catholicism works here, the church seems to be very tolerant about this. Even the shamans, who would be considered witch doctors in the US, always have pictures of Jesus and different saints around their shrines while at the same time they are conducting their various rituals, like burning llama fetuses and other objects in an attempt to bring good fortune or cure various problems. This is something even upper and middle class Bolivians take very seriously. They consult these shamans (for lack of a better term, they are called "brujos" here, which means witches, but there are nuances that make it pretty well untranslatable into English) and fortunetellers on a regular basis.
Another interesting thing here is that there are many, many people here for whom Spanish is a second language. These people speak Ayamara or Quechua, depending on where you are. There is also sort of a mixture of Spanish and these languages, which means that you can be chatting along nicely in Spanish only to encounter a word that you can't understand. And some people, like in the markets, don't speak much Spanish at all. This country has a HUGE indigenous population that never really culturally assimilated to the Spanish culture, and ever since Evo Morales was elected, there has been a resurgence in the various indigenous groups asserting their unique cultural ways. There is true diversity here, and although there is still some discrimination against the indigenous population, it is not very evident to an outsider.
Now a word about Evo Morales, who is certainly controversial in the US as he does not like us, is a former coca farmer, and threw the DEA out. Most people here seem to like him well enough. The indigenous and poorer people really like him. The income of the poor has doubled since he came into power, and the percentage of people living in what is considered abject poverty has dropped from 40% to about 17%. The rich people do not like him very much, as he nationalizes things and did this deal where it is now limited how much land one entity can own, making things better for small farmers but delivering a big hit to agribusiness. There is no real freedom of the press here, but then that is pretty much the norm all through South America. He did some fancy footwork to allow himself to run for a third term, and I think he suppresses dissent, again something not uncommon in this neck of the woods. He is planning to do something with gasoline (Bolivia is working on dealing effectively with its oil resources) that I do not completely understand, but people are not happy about it as it is believed the price of gas may rise. But having said all that, he seems to be well liked, even though he makes incredibly stupid statements that he later has to take back. So I guess only time will tell on that one.
About coca. Coca growing is a big business here, and not just for the drug cartels to make into cocaine and sell to Europe and the US. People use it here for many things. Coca tea is for sale in any grocery store. It is supposed to aid digestion, help with the altitude, and other things. It does not make you high in any way - actually it is soothing, like any other herbal tea, like chamomile. People do chew the leaves (Not exactly chew, more like sucking a huge wad in one side of your face), especially people who do hard physical labor. There is no stigma at all to it. The leaves are sold openly in the markets. When we visited a working mine in Potosi (again, more later on that) we were expected to buy bags of coca leaves in the miner's market as gifts for allowing us to gawk at them while they worked. You can't get high off the leaves, and all I felt (yes, of course I tried it) was that my cheek got numb on that side. I did not notice any help with the breathlessness effect of the altitude. I had more effects from chewing betelnut in Taiwan. But it is a way of life here, and I have not noticed any coke freaks hanging around causing trouble. In fact, we have been approached way less by drug dealers here than in any other place where we have spent time. (Mike's pony tail and beard seem to attract them). I haven't even seen too many drunks, even though these people are not afraid of their alcohol. The Bolivians believe in any excuse for a party, and a party involves lots of drinking. As a side note, Bolivian beer is very good.
So that is all for today. I have been sitting in my hotel room (while Mike takes a midday nap) because it was pouring rain outside. But since the rain has stopped and the sun is coming out, it is time to get outside and explore more of the wonderful city of Sucre.
"Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Firstly, they like their pizza, and it is really good. Even the smallest, most remote place we have been has a pizzeria. They use those special ovens, and even though I don't like pizza, I can tell it is good by the smell, the look of the crust, and the raptures everyone goes into while eating it. I can make pizza and it is good because I can make a good crust, but I think they have me beat.
Second, they have the US beat on displays of public art. As I read somewhere, and it is true, even the smallest of villages have at least two Blessed Virgins and one Bolivar. There are statues of everyone who ever did anything noteworthy in Bolivia. And the buildings have murals painted on them. I love that. The parks are filled with fountains and sculpted plants.
Third, there is graffiti everywhere. It cannot be used as the marker of a bad neighborhood, because it is literally in all different parts of every town. It is not scary because if you look closely, it is all boyfriend/girlfriend stuff rather than cryptic gang crap.
Bolivians are very friendly and always want to know where you are from. And even though officially the US is not in favor here (we have no embassy, we were kicked out a few years ago along with the DEA) no one has ever treated us badly. I think speaking Spanish helps, even though I am far from fluent. However. this trip has been a real immersion experience for us because there are many times when the people we are dealing with speak no English. We have even decided when we tour a museum or church or whatever, we choose the Spanish language tour instead of waiting for an English one. Both of us are learning a lot from that, and I don't think we miss much. When we went on our trip to the Salar de Uyuni (a giant salt flat area that I will tell more about later), although our guide spoke English, we told him we wanted to speak Spanish as much as we could. So that is what we did. When we ran out of words, we switched to English. We helped him learn new words as well, so it was a fun exchange. People are very curious about the US and how things are done there
The shopping is to die for - I almost wish I lived in a cold climate so I could buy some of the gorgeous sweaters and other knit goods out of alpaca, which is the softest wool I have ever felt, even giving cashmere a run for its money. But all those lovely things would do is sit in my closet, probably getting ruined in some way. I think we might get some ponchos, though, because once in a great while it gets chilly on night watch. We were eating dinner one night at a rooftop restaurant- I forget exactly where - and it started to get pretty chilly once the sun went down. We were dressed for the sunny day, and the waitress brought two ponchos over for us to wear while we were eating. They were wonderfully warm and comfortable. They also sell silver jewelry and I am seriously contemplating new earrings and maybe a bracelet.
The mountains are absolutely huge and impressive and almost dwarf the Colorado Rockies. All the towns are surrounded by volcanos (God forbid these dormant giants should ever decide to wake up, it would be a horrible disaster) that all have mythological stories about them. In fact, the religious aspect of Bolivia is another wonder. Everyone is pretty much a devout Catholic, but with overtones of the original polytheistic religions of the indigenous people. For example, the earth itself is thought to be the Goddess Pachamama. There are many rituals associated with her, and she is also associated with the Virgin Mary. It is easy to see why Catholicism works here, the church seems to be very tolerant about this. Even the shamans, who would be considered witch doctors in the US, always have pictures of Jesus and different saints around their shrines while at the same time they are conducting their various rituals, like burning llama fetuses and other objects in an attempt to bring good fortune or cure various problems. This is something even upper and middle class Bolivians take very seriously. They consult these shamans (for lack of a better term, they are called "brujos" here, which means witches, but there are nuances that make it pretty well untranslatable into English) and fortunetellers on a regular basis.
Another interesting thing here is that there are many, many people here for whom Spanish is a second language. These people speak Ayamara or Quechua, depending on where you are. There is also sort of a mixture of Spanish and these languages, which means that you can be chatting along nicely in Spanish only to encounter a word that you can't understand. And some people, like in the markets, don't speak much Spanish at all. This country has a HUGE indigenous population that never really culturally assimilated to the Spanish culture, and ever since Evo Morales was elected, there has been a resurgence in the various indigenous groups asserting their unique cultural ways. There is true diversity here, and although there is still some discrimination against the indigenous population, it is not very evident to an outsider.
Now a word about Evo Morales, who is certainly controversial in the US as he does not like us, is a former coca farmer, and threw the DEA out. Most people here seem to like him well enough. The indigenous and poorer people really like him. The income of the poor has doubled since he came into power, and the percentage of people living in what is considered abject poverty has dropped from 40% to about 17%. The rich people do not like him very much, as he nationalizes things and did this deal where it is now limited how much land one entity can own, making things better for small farmers but delivering a big hit to agribusiness. There is no real freedom of the press here, but then that is pretty much the norm all through South America. He did some fancy footwork to allow himself to run for a third term, and I think he suppresses dissent, again something not uncommon in this neck of the woods. He is planning to do something with gasoline (Bolivia is working on dealing effectively with its oil resources) that I do not completely understand, but people are not happy about it as it is believed the price of gas may rise. But having said all that, he seems to be well liked, even though he makes incredibly stupid statements that he later has to take back. So I guess only time will tell on that one.
About coca. Coca growing is a big business here, and not just for the drug cartels to make into cocaine and sell to Europe and the US. People use it here for many things. Coca tea is for sale in any grocery store. It is supposed to aid digestion, help with the altitude, and other things. It does not make you high in any way - actually it is soothing, like any other herbal tea, like chamomile. People do chew the leaves (Not exactly chew, more like sucking a huge wad in one side of your face), especially people who do hard physical labor. There is no stigma at all to it. The leaves are sold openly in the markets. When we visited a working mine in Potosi (again, more later on that) we were expected to buy bags of coca leaves in the miner's market as gifts for allowing us to gawk at them while they worked. You can't get high off the leaves, and all I felt (yes, of course I tried it) was that my cheek got numb on that side. I did not notice any help with the breathlessness effect of the altitude. I had more effects from chewing betelnut in Taiwan. But it is a way of life here, and I have not noticed any coke freaks hanging around causing trouble. In fact, we have been approached way less by drug dealers here than in any other place where we have spent time. (Mike's pony tail and beard seem to attract them). I haven't even seen too many drunks, even though these people are not afraid of their alcohol. The Bolivians believe in any excuse for a party, and a party involves lots of drinking. As a side note, Bolivian beer is very good.
So that is all for today. I have been sitting in my hotel room (while Mike takes a midday nap) because it was pouring rain outside. But since the rain has stopped and the sun is coming out, it is time to get outside and explore more of the wonderful city of Sucre.
"Make your own Bible. Select and collect all the words and sentences that in all your readings have been to you like the blast of a trumpet." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Amazing Bolivia
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)
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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