Amazon

Unfortunately we had to hang our La Paz the next day as our flight to Rurrenabaque kept getting delayed. The next morning it still wasn´t flying out due to the rain in the amazon basin...the runways there are dirt and fields so it gets too muddy to land. We decided to take a 20 hour bus instead - worst bus ride we have ever had! Anways, once we get there it is great. We have a day to wander around Rurre....really no cars, they all go around on dirt bikes and atv´s. The next day a small boat takes us up the Beni and Tuichi Rivers for several hours until we reach Chalalan in Midi National Park. It is a very clean, very nice ecolodge run by the village 3 hours upstream. We were only supposed to stay 3 days but we were having such a great time that we stayed an extra day. The days involved getting up early and going on hikes through the rain forest with our amazing guide who grew up in the village - we are talking hunting and gathering, huts, no electricity or running water and he is our age. Anyways, he was so knowledgable and would just stop and listen and could tell where we should go to find monkies and toucans etc. we saw 5 different kinds of monkies. Some are very noisy and easy to track since they play in the lower canopy. Others are quiet and lazy and we had to bushwack our way to find some. It was so hot and humid so after lunch we had siestas or went swimming in the lake - though that was not all that refreshing since the water must have been around 25 degrees. Later we went for another hike or took the canoe out - lots to spot around the edge of the lake. At night we would either hike and find tarantulas and cool coloured frogs and bats or we would go caman hunting! The food was amazing and the huts we stayed in were nice...though one night we had a bat trapped and it was so stressed it would fly into our headboards and fall....so glad we had nets on our beds! The howler monkey would wake us up at 6 am sharp with its LOUD howls. Pretty much had the place to ourselves too so it was really relaxing.

Anyways, we were able to fly out and catch a bus from La Paz to Copacabana Where we checked out Lake Titicaca and hiked around Isla del Sol for a day. Man, altitude hits you like a bus! Plus none of us were reacting so well to the Malerone. Still good though.

I left Ann and Liz in Copacabana and headed for Arequipa in Peru. Here I spend a few days before heading to meet my friend Sina in Quito.

One of the Best Days....

So Sucre was quite nice. Went up to the Mirador, saw some amazing churches. Went to Tarabuko which is outside Sucre as they have a huge market on Sundays - very scenic drive. Left Sucre for La Paz on an overnight bus.
La Paz is crazy! It is huge and located in this valley so one part of the city is at a very different elevation than the upper part. Have seen a lot of women in Bolivia wear the tradition etire - pleated skirts, lacey tops and shawls and top hats but here there are soooo many more. We did a walking tour, saw the witches market and black market the mirador. Basically all stores are on the side walks and you have to walk in the street and avoid the constantly honking vehicles and people trying to get you to buy everything from llama fetuses for good luck under your house to shoe laces.
The next day we took a mountain bike down ´´the worlds most dangerous road¨. (sorry mom i couldn´t tell you the whole story the other day on the phone - knew you would worry all day yesterday). The company was very good! The road is dirt most of the way, carved into the mountains and you drop about 3500 m in elevation from the top where you are going through the cloud forest and end up in the jungle, near coroico. We then stayed for a few hours at this animal rescue sanctuary and got to play with many a monkey...it was a great way to end the experience. Probably one of the best days so far!
Today we did a few museums including the coca museum which was very interesting. It explains a lot about why bolivia hates the states.

Bolivia

So we did the 4 wheel drive tour into Bolivia! wow what an eye opener. so beautiful driving through the desert....all the lagoons and valcanoes and mountains. Stayed in little desert villages...usually no hot water, poverty stricken. Got food poisoning the second night which was terrible because the third day was the highlight where we went to the salt flats. I still forced myself to explore and take pictures.
Arrived in Uyuni and only stayed the night before heading to Potosi - mining town to the south. FYI if i ever complain about my job or my life just say Potosi. Did the mine tour and wow the standards here .....well there are no standards. Everyone works for himself (for pennies) so hours are long... conditions are horrible (small tunnel diameter, no ventilation in some areas, exposure to arsenic and silica among other things). And even with only my uni background in geotech for tunnels and rock structure, let me tell you, i was very uncomfortable with the whole thing. Anyways, it was a good experience...makes you count your blessings. Toured the historic mint which is now a museum then left this morning for Sucre which is the capital and the prettiest apparently. So far it is quite nice!