Then in Chile. WHAT!!!???

After visiting the salt flats in Uyuni, the largest and highest salt flats in the world, we set off to Laguna Colorada in the deep south-west of Bolivia. You haven't missed the blog about Uyuni or Laguna Colorada yet, I still need to write them. Please be patient.

I do like Bolivia, don't get me wrong, but as someone brought up in Europe, there is one essential thing missing: paved roads. Almost all the way down from La Paz to Uyuni and then on to Laguna Colorada, there were NO bloody roads. Dirt tracks, some tracks left by other drivers and we did actually need a guide to direct us to the Laguna. I had a seat at the very back of the truck and it did my back in a bit. Although Renee, our tour leader, let us use the roof-top seats for a while so we could enjoy the stunning scenery a little more, I'm a city kid at heart and it took me half a bottle of shampoo to get the dirt out of my hair.

But why am I talking about Bolivia when the title of the blog is Chile? Well, what a bleeding nightmare that was. After negotiating the Bolivian border without any problems, we hit the "tarmacked" road (cheers throughout the truck) leading through "what we thought it to be and trucks used to get away with it" a 60-kilometre stretch of so called no-man's land to Paso Jama, the Argentinian border. Well, suffice it to say, we didn't get away with it. When the Argentinians saw that our passports had a Bolivian exit stamp, they refused to let us in because, officially, we had come through Chile. So we had to get back on the truck, turn it around, drive some three hours to San Pedro de Atacama where we were searched top to bottom and finally let in. After a quick dinner, we pitched our tents at midnight at the back of some hostel and left quite early in the morning for the road we had started to call our home. Around lunchtime we finally hit the Argentinian border again and now, in possession of a valid Chilean entry and exit stamp, they let us in without any problems.

Lots of stunning images on the way - especially the clouds.

Stuck in La Paz

There will be Presidential Elections this Sunday and we have encountered a slight hick-up. As no-one will be allowed to travel on Sunday, mainly to prevent people from voting in different areas and more than once, we will be stuck in our La Paz hotel. As Evo Morales seems to be well liked by his fellow Bolivians, the results seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Cholinas with their bowler hats and scarfs wrapped around their shoulders dominate the street view. For miles, the local street markets - neatly divided by the products on sale such as electricals and ironworks in one road, wool in another - wind around the La Paz streets behind our hotel. If you need something, you are bound to find it here. The bowler hats of the Cholinas don't seem to be sitting on their ears, instead they appear to be perched on top of their heads - without ever seeming to fall off. Oh, and they don't really like to be photographed. That's when the hats come off and they are quickly held in front of their faces.


One area I particularly liked was the Festival/Carnival area where lots of colourful costumes and masks were displayed. In London, there is a special Latin American carnival festival (or carnaval as the South American call it) where these costumes can be seen in action.

Just south of La Paz, a mud-cum-rock area is called Moon Valley (Valle de la Luna) because of its appearance. Water seems to be the cause to these rock formations that look very much washed out. Honestly, I didn't know they had these kinds of rock formations on the moon. I'm being sarcastic, of course.

Tomorrow I'm off to Tiwanaku but there might be a problem because of the impending elections as we may encounter road blocks etc. Ah well, we shall see.

Machu Picchu

There are two ways to reach Machu Picchu. One involves a lot of time and stamina and the other one is a train journey. Reaching Machu Picchu by Inca Trail takes four days following old Inca routes in the mountains and three base camps. Definately a very ecological way of travelling and Machu Picchu is reached for sunrise. Taking the train from Poroy station just 20 mins outside Cuzco whizzes you there in just three hours. What then follows is a short bus trip up a long and extremely winding dirt track. As you move up the hill, you become aware of the architechtural feat the Incas managed to accomplish building the place. Between the peaks of Machu Picchu (the Old Mountain) and Huayna Picchu (Young Mountain) the small Incan village sits like a saddle on the mountain ridge. Places for whorship, storage and accommodation neatly fit into the agricultural terraces which lie on the outside. From the top, where the caretaker's lodge stands, the best views can be had. Well, in theory. When I got there, the clouds had engulfed the entire area. And as if the clouds weren't bad enough, it also rained pretty hard. The first couple of hours were basically spent seeking shelter in various huts and drying out the camera gear. At around 2pm, the hordes of tourists in their brightly coloured raincoats began to subside. They left because many needed to catch the trains back to Ollantaytambo or Poroy (Cuzco). Around an hour later, the rain also died down and the downpour gave way to a constant drizzle. It was a relief to be able to just spot the entire village below including the peak of Huayna Picchu. And then, completely unannounced the sun came out. Slowly but surely and restored the place's magic. The grey blankett was pulled away to reveal the bright greens of Machu Picchu's grass areas and the darker greens of the adjacent mountains. Persistance does pay.


I spent the night in Aguas Calientes and went up again the following morning hoping for a better day but the rain proved equally bad. At least, now reunited with my group, we tried to make the best of it.

Plaza de Armas - South America

In many South Amerian towns the central square is called "Plaza de Armas". According to wikipedia, "the name derives from the fact that this would be a refuge in case of an attack upon the city, from which arms would be supplied to the defenders." Here life happens. You meet friends, watch what's going on around you, shoe shine boys linger alongside vendors of souvenirs and sweets. And, of course, there are military parades. It is not, however, an entirely peaceful place as the Peruvians love to protest and demonstrate. Hardly a day goes buy without them venting their anger at the governing institutions, against corruption - and this affects most - underpaid jobs and general poverty.

Here are some images from the Peruvian towns of Lima, Arequipa and Cuzco to give you a general idea.

Nazca Lines & Chauchilla Cemetery

Ever since Erich von Däniken first mentioned the strange lines on the Nazca altiplano, I was hooked. Could it really be that aliens had created them? Or was the archaeologists' outcry that they had been created by the ancient Nazca people justified? Flying over the lines in a small four-seater Cessna plane, I got a first-hand view and could clearly see the lines criss-crossing each other without any apparent plans wasn't it for those that clearly depicted figures. There was the monkey with its curled up tail, the colibri with its long beak and the friendly figure up on a little mountain waving at us. This figure is called the astronaut. Astronaut? Well, it could easy be a figure of a being from outer space. But the archaeologiest have taken the fun out of it again and now proclaim that it is an owl-man. Did the ancient Nazca people really have a similar association we have have with owls? But the truth is, that we are actually none the wiser with this interpretation. The riddle of the lines has still to be cracked - but in whose interest would this be? Wouldn't the aura of mystery - such as described by von Däniken - be the one to be followed as it brings scores of knowledge-seeking tourists to this barren place and it helps to keep its economy afloat?

A little further down the road is the necropolis of Chauchilla. The desert heat managed to preserve the remains of many ancient Nazca people buried here. But one thing is striking, namely the general absence of the line-patterns on their clothing and ceramics.

Do the archaeologists really know something or are they, like the rest of us, just prodding a long white stick into dark places until they find a theory they are happy to stick with?

Dune Buggies, Suicidal or What?

The trip to the Huacachina sand dunes near Ica was announced as "dune buggies", "sandboarding" and "desert camp". Okay, let's start at the beginning. Sandboarding is a variety of "snowboarding", but because so many accidents occur, many sandboarders actually lie on the boards and then whoosh down the sand dune. Not any old sand dune - only the biggest and steepest will do. Dune buggies are high-powered carts that take you up to the dune. People who know me know that I rather sit aside and take pictures - so I just opted for a ride on the dune buggy, but as soon as we were firmly strapped into our seats, it dawned on me that it wasn't just going to be a "walk in the park". On the contrary. The manic dune buggy drivers did not only go up the steepest and highest dunes but also decided to take the quick option of taking the same way down. Aaaarrrggghhh. We had a fabulous day, but upon our return to the truck the following morning, we were told that there had been a break-in. Not very nice. Luckily, none of my stuff was taken.

Cuzco - Markets

Just a few pictures taken earlier today of the market area where lots of women sell their goods. The lucky ones are in the San Pedro market where they have set up their own pitch. The others are outside, displaying their goods in the street. Lots of poverty. Makes you think about our own lives and how much we have actually got and take for granted.

Birdwatching in the Islas Ballestas

Just a few hours south of Lima lies the Paracas National Reservation. After a drive through what Peru's coastline actually is, namely a desert, that comes very much as a surprise. Just off the Paracas peninsular lie the Islas Ballestas, a few barren rocks with nothing much on. Well, almost. They are haven to thousands of sea birds such as the Peruvian Booby, pelicans, several penguins and a large group of sea lions. The sea lions are either perched up on the rocks where they got to at high tide or are cheek by cheek on the shallow beach. They are tired now because they hunted all night. Small speedboats circle the rocks at very close distance and the birds are almost within touching reach - no need to conceal yourself in a hide or shouldering a huge telephoto lens.

Almost Gone

I'm bound to forget something but right now I can't think what it will be. Passport? Money? Camera? Or maybe something more subtle. Compass? Plasters? Travel Cushion? Keep your fingers crossed that my forthcoming three-month trip to South America (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil) will be as great as my last one in 2003. From Thursday I will be criss-crossing South America on a Dragoman tour and I hope to show you lots of wonderful places and interesting people.

Now sing along everyone:

I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh, babe, I hate to go ...