Oh wow, 2 months in now??? More than half-way-done! Can’t belieeeeve it.
Here’s the much belated latest news.
After leaving Uyuni, Kate and I had to take a bus to Sucre. We did the usually thing; go from company to company to compare the prices and the time it leaves/ when it arrives etc… None have bathrooms, which is one the first major differences than the bus’ in Argentina, and obviously they wont give you food. It doesn’t even stop for enough time to run outside and pee.
Bus ride and hostel guy:
Kate and I took it easy in Sucre. I did a bunch of touristy shopping or in word here’s “gringo shopping”… (gringo/ gringa: a white foreign traveler
Unfortunately Kate got a parasite sickness or some kind of food poisoning and I felt a little ill myself. Later we found out that 2 of the boys had it at the same time, but in Potosi. It must of spread right before we parted ways (maybe from sharing water bottles); also, I think it was because Kate and I had a smoothie made with water instead of yogurt… hence, be careful and try to avoid/don’t drink the water (contaminated)and always make sure juice drinks are made with milk or yogurt. Or you will get ferociously sick and eventually become immune to it, which explains the locals having come accustom to the water situation. She was pretty bed ridden. I just wandered around, had a decadent ice coffee mocha frothy wonderful beverage. Later I ended up meeting some Aussies; went out for a few drinks and they were very kind in helping me at a pharmacy to try to get meds for Kate. With hand motions and face expressions that from far away would be ridiculously comical, I ended up communicating what I need. The pink pill stopped vomiting and the charcoal grey pill was meant to block the other end. I got a set of three. I was going to go out dancing, but I was pretty tired and felt bad for Kate literally living in her bed and the bathroom.
Kate felt a bit better and we explored the next morning. We hit a cultural gem! Going through the markets, we went into the building and found a big square perimeter with vendors selling fruit parfaits and smoothies (all natural of course). Bananas, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, apples, strawberry, orange, grapes, you name it! It was SO cheap, like 7 Bolivianos for a fresh fruit smoothie that is massive and you get free refills on. That is like a $1.50. I got a sundae type thing, but with yogurt and she sprinkled it with almonds and shaved coconut! Yum yum! And then we went upstairs. There was like a cafeteria full of Bolivians (no gringos in sight!) and you would go to a vendor with big pots with the menu behind you. Basic traditional foods, but cheap, warm, freshly made in the morning, and massive portions! Long tables would be set in front of each vendor and you would sit at the table, who’s vendor you bought the food at. Soups, noodle dishes, rice and lentils, meats.. etc. It’s pretty crazy when you think about it… that is their “fast food for lunch;” homemade hot plates of good food and we have shitty, greasy, MSG, thrown together “asian foods,” chicken nuggets and fries, or hamburger. I saw the most beautiful Bolivian older woman. Her skin (as 98% of everyone Bolivian) was illuminating and fresh. She had some eye wrinkles, but was very youthful still. She was wearing almost all black, which is different from the very colourful (and interesting pattern/ fabric combinations) that the typical traditional women wear, which leads me to believe she might have been a widow. I tried to tell her that she was beautiful, but for some reason I don’t think she understood. I remember just sitting there in the cafeteria and the fruit market really feeling like “I am in Bolivia right now.” This may be a bold statement, but Bolivia might not be a typical place for someone to travel to or just write off because they think of it as the completely unknown. I thought it was an extremely lovely and culturally fulfilling country.
Later on I sent a package home with gifts and we took off to the bus station to meet up with Maddie. She literally did the Potosi mines that morning, raced here in a taxi with some of the others and then us girls all went to Samaipata, which is a smaller village outside of Santa Cruz. I was feeling the sickness coming on stronger and the bus ride was just torturous. At first, I sat with the bus driver just in case we had to stop and me throw up on the side of the road (there was obviously no bathroom on the bus). The driver and his assistance gave me coca leaves to calm my illness. After getting some fresh air, I thought I was able to go sit back in my seat, until I grabbed a bag, had my way with it and then threw it out the window to further get sick with my head hung out the side of the bus. At the bus stop, I grabbed some pills and it slightly made me feel OK.
We arrived in Samaipata, trekked to a wonderful hostel, and the woman there was very caring. I slept the most of the days I was there. But it was so pretty, so I felt comfy and secure. Our room had a little kitchenette and beds with a cute mosquito nets. The first night when we ate dinner, I ordered vino caliente; which was hot mauled wine and tasted like the best parts of Christmas.
Instead of going on a organized trek, we took a walk up a hill that looked over the entire village of Samaipata. That was intense enough for me. We passed many beautiful "summer" homes on the mountain of people from La Paz. We practically got chased by some dogs on the way up and down, so we definitely hussled and broke ou in sweat. The view was spectacular and Kate and Maddie and I just sat there and took it all in. It was very peaceful.
Later on, we met a jolly guy from Australia, who was super charismatic and amused us with stories. The last night we went out for dinner and drinks and sat with another English couple and girl from Miami. It was is a place called “Latino Café” and was pretty decent. Still feeling sick, I took it easy.
We are heading to the capital - La Paz! I got some snacks for us for the bus. Not an empanada; but salteña. Here is the definition… salteñas are savory pastries filled with beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spicy or very spicy sauce, and sometimes also containing peas, potatoes and other ingredients. They are super tasty and a trademark for Bolivia; however, eat them while holding them out in front of you because the bottom will tear open and juices (that will stain) with explode all over you. This happened to me... twice.
Alsooooo, another good food I had earlier was a tamale or tamal. This “is a traditional Latin American dish made of masa (a starchy dough, often corn-based), which is steamed or boiled in a leaf wrapper. The wrapping is discarded before eating. Tamales can be further filled with meats, cheese, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste and both the filling and the cooking liquid may be seasoned.” As you see, I have been enjoying my consumption of some authentic cuisine.
We turned up in La Paz after another over night long bus ride (but not on a shitty bus this time). It was very epic when we entered the city. You wind down a mountain and see the entire city sprawled out. It was waaaaay bigger and crowded than I thought. It definitely surprised me. I had never seen such a condensed city at this view before - it really looked like they tried to use every inch of space!
We checked into an uber party hostal called “The Wild Rover.” This was duo hostel/ Irish pub; just imagine. The guys checked in earlier and we hadn’t run into them yet; therefore, we went on a hunt to look for Halloween costumes. After walking the streets back and forth and up and down, we settled on buying 3 metres of Cheetah print fabric and making our own cave women costumes. This was 1) the cheapest possible option and B) disposable, like something we didn’t have to carry around a ridiculous and/or bulky costume (like a pumpkin) around with us the rest of South America.
Bolivian Fancy Dress:
We came back to the hostel to find the guys with their own costumes planned and sprawled out. This was going to be a good Halloween. I think that night we went out for English Pub food, which was actually legit and good. We drank at the bar and the next day was kinda of low key. The big day of Halloween arrived and it was also the one guy, Jimmy’s Birthday. We went out at this awesome curry house called “Star of Asia,” and devoured some Indian sweetness. Tony took the free T-shirt challenge to finish this super spicy dish. He did it, but I think his tactic was to eat it as fast as he could. Maaaybe not the most enjoyed experience, but he got a free T-shirt. The next day we walked past this church and there was this ceremony go on. People were all around throwing confetti and in the church locals were carrying a statue of Jesus and rocking it while chanting; it just hypnotized you. Then we walked more and stumbled upon this random cultural festival that had every tribe in Bolivia and people dressed in their traditional costume of the tribe and did their specific dance. It was so cool and the fact we just ran into it was just breathtaking. I definitely had an appreciation moment. It must have been because it was 2 days before the massively celebrated “Day of the Dead.” This is on November 1 and people celebrate their ancestors. I think it lasts for a few days afterwards too.
In the room, we had 2 other girls from England with us, one was named Grace and she dressed up like a bat. We threw our costumes on together and in a group of 8 of us there were: 3 cavewomen of various styles, batman, joker, 2 face, Avatar and pretty much a Freddy. 2 Face was super good because the guy got two cheap suits and had a tailor sow them half and half, but now he has two suits of halves. Also, the Avatar. Luke painted his entire body royal blue, had ears, a stuffed tail, and wig to match. He ended up winning the best costume prize, some of the other guys got 2nd place in another category and the other two girls and I won too! Kate and I got a free dinner , but they were to different restaurants and Maddie randomly got a motorcycle city tour. It was a long night at the hostel bar and then everyone from the bar moved to a club. I don’t think I saw a local in there, but it was full of costumes and fun.
The next day was a complete write off. Everyone laid in bed all day and watched movies. We went to a really nice Mexican restaurant for dinner. To get ready for the next day, we went to be reeeesonably early.
In the morning we did the “Most Dangerous Road” tour with a company called Altitude. It wasn’t as scary as I thought it was going to be. The company gives you knee pads, elbow pads, pants that are snowsuit like, and a thick jacket. Along with a helmet and bike obviously. It was run by some really cool guys and they had 2 “paparazzi” biker crew, who took all the photos and videos, so you could just focus on cycling. That was awesome. The temperature went from cold to hot, so at one point when we stopped for lunch (sandwich, ham, cheese, and I added chips in), we took off layers and threw them into the vans following us. You had to dodge some cars and buses, but not as many as you used to. There is a bigger new highway the Bolivians use. We actually were cycling on the Day of the Dead, so there was more traffic than usual, but it wasn’t too bad. You would be super focused on the path and then look up and be amazed. The scenic view was remarkable and this was becoming a very rewarding experience. At the end we got a free T-shirt, a beer (no joke), and then was told the stories of how many deaths and how. We got bitten to bits but mosquitoes, but only at the very end. Then we got to go to a nearby hostel and swim and have free buffet lunch. The drive back was a nightmare, due to heaps of fog, so that added a few hours.
Later we grabbed a gourmet meal that I had the free voucher for and it was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The next day we headed for Copacabana, just to have enough time to eat the best trout I’ve ever had on a beach.
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