Day No 21
I spend the whole day of sightseeing. I started by
going to La Boca, a very interesting place, full of locals and tourists. I then
moved on to the center or something with canals or just big artificial pieces
of water next to the tall buildings. I went to this huge park, ecological area
or how locals are calling it. Basically it is a huge area full of green things:
grass, trees, bushes. And lots of people. I was maybe kind of surprised, but
there were plenty of people – jogging, walking around, resting at the `beach`.
I guess you could say I wasn’t one who
needed to get away, no matter what from – the noise of the city or the noise of
your own thoughts.
Once back from the escape of the city, I realized that
I could probably really live in Bs As. I liked the city. It was big, it was
noisy enough, but not too much, it was modern, it had a mix of chaos and order.
I kept myself on the path – walking through the central area, once again
crossing some bridges, taking some pictures, arriving to the obelisk once
again, walking along the main huge street. I ended up in the Recoletta area. I
just wanted to see the cemetery in there. The one everybody talks about, you
know. So yes, just my luck – once I got there, it was already closed. My guess
is – they closed it just minutes, if not seconds before my arrival. Which maybe
would not be that bad, but it was kind of my last possibility to see it. I
walked around, optimistically hoping that maybe there is another entrance and I
could still get it [who would think they would close anything in Bs As at 18
hours?]. No such luck. Well, at least the gates are transparent, so I got to
see that it is actually a worth seeing thing. It’s not just cemetery as we are
used to. This one actually has huge, enormous monuments. Oh well, another time
maybe.
After Recoletta I went to Palermo once again, walked a
little around the area and ended taking the metro. Do I need to mention I took
the wrong one? Or better yet – I took the right one, just going to the opposite
direction. No idea how my head or my feet worked this way – I do know how to
use a damn metro. Either way – it took me a while to understand what happened,
so at the end I just had to get out and get back in for the right direction.
I guess this all messing up thing worked out fine at
the end for me, because once I got back, I did not find the guy who was hosting
me at home, instead his friend at the stairs. I said hello and his first
question was – so you are a friend of Tano’s? After my positive answer he told
me Tano should be home soon. So we waited for him. He was home soon. Bringing
some coal and meat and everything. Well, what do you know – the night I was
leaving he was making asado, or better in English speaking world known as
barbeque. While I was packing and just having last minutes in Tano’s place a lot
of his friends came, they offered me some fernet and everything.
Finally, before the meat got even ready, I had to
leave. So Tano guided me to the doors, we exchanged hugs and goodbyes, he also
asked me if I would find metro and which street I should better take, so it is
safer and I left.
I got on the metro once again, this time to the right
direction, but the problem was – it was night, much less metros going and I
already had this feeling I am going to be late. Sure, the girl who always gives
others hard time about being late is actually going to do the exact same thing.
Nice. Double standard expert.
So I was late. I could only hope that Ariel would
still be there waiting for me, because if not, well, let’s just face it – I
would have been screwed. But going up from the metro I saw him and I saw Lima,
they were both smiling even, so I figured – my being late is not gonna cost me
a fortune. Lima was all over me and I have to say, it was a little hard to
balance between her and my bag.
So, since the meeting was already late, I was late, we
had dinner, I do not recall actually, but not earlier than 00:30, followed by
some wine and some beers, we ended up going to sleep pretty late. But we had to
– I was making fun of him, that he is going to the photo-shoot, so he needs his
beauty sleep.
Day No 22
We got up after only several hours of sleep and took
some coffee. It was early. Not for me, but for the Argentinian standards. We
went for the photo shoot. It was a kind of long ride to the place, we were kind
of late, but still not the last people to come, so we had to wait. While
waiting Ariel asked me if I could maybe do some `backstage` pictures. Oh well,
what do you know, I was just to be used in there, I laughed. It was funny
actually how he was trying to explain it was not like that.
Either way, we spend kind of half of the day in there.
Him – being a model and making me smile and laugh sometimes, since he really
looked like someone from those catalogues of clothes and me – walking around
and taking some pictures. Well, a lot of pictures, to be exact.
After it was all done and over [and I was actually
glad it was. It’s not that I did not enjoy it, but Argentinian speed is killing
me with the slowness] we got back to Ariel’s place. He downloaded pictures from
my camera. Turns out – I might be better than I actually thought. Pictures were
actually not as bad as I thought and some of them I could probably even call
good. That gave me some thought again. Yes, about that thing I am not saying
out loud just yet.
So after I packed once again and figured it all out
again, Ariel took me to the bus station – I had to catch my bus to Mendoza.
Just once I was in the bus I realized how tired I was and so my day was
practically over. I drizzled to sleep.
Off Topic
How do you say goodbye to someone you know you are not
going to see again?
Day No 23
My day started in the bus again. On the way to
Mendoza. The bus, not to my surprise anymore, was a little late, but I was kind
of happy about that this time. Tetu told me he is going to be back only that
morning and I definitely did not want to get there and wait in front of his
house. So it was better to be late. I figured I am strong enough to walk to his
place with my backpack, which is around 30 minutes walk from the bus terminal.
Too bad I did not take into calculation the fact that Mendoza is a living hell
this time of the year. Sun was killing everyone around and normally there are
no people in the streets during the mid-day.
I got to the place all tired and hot, so you probably
have no idea how happy I was when after pressing the buzz Tetu actually came to
the doors and let me in. He was sleeping and I woke him up, which I was sorry
to do, but he let me do my thing and went back to sleep. I took my time for
some shower, some rest, some reading a book and doing whatever I needed and
letting him sleep. I was thinking about going to the city but it was so hot
outside and I did not have a key, so I decided to wait for him to waking up.
At around 7p.m. he had to go to the office, so I went
for a little walk. There was not many things I haven’t seen in Mendoza already,
but it was kind of nice to get back to the city I actually knew already. After
a little walk I went to the supermarket, bought something to eat and waited for
Tetu to get back. His `I will be back around 9` turned into 11, we had some
dinner and some beers together with Yogi and then Tetu went to get ready [I
figured we are going out] and he left me with guitar hero. For the first time
in my life I tried that thing and I have to say – I loved it. At some point
some of his friends came in, we were playing some more of guitar hero. It was
already around 3a.m. when I thought that maybe we are not going anywhere after
all. I was wrong. Well, Mendozians are late even for Argentinian standards, but
3a.m. for going out? Well, that is something I probably have never done before.
We went to one bar, then some kind of night club till
it closed, than another club. I had my portion of dancing as Tetu was
promising. And before I knew it, it was already 8a.m. and we were heading back
to his place. Me, him and a friend of his. Yogi got back from somewhere as
well. We started playing some more of guitar hero, but around 10a.m. I have decided
I got enough. Since my little couch was in the living room, where people were
kind of partying, I asked Tetu if I could maybe use his bed to lay my head down
and after getting affirmative answer I finally went to sleep.
Day No 24
Day No 24 or better known as 31st of
December started to me around 1p.m. when I woke up and realized that I am once
again the only person awake in the house. So without wanting to wake someone
up, I took my book, got back to Tetu’s room and kept on reading. Around 5p.m.
the life in the house became alive again – a friend has left, Tetu woke up, we
went to the shop, bought some champagne and Campari for the New Years night got
back to his place, said goodbyes to Yogi, who already went for his New Years
celebration and while waiting for his dad to come, we played some more of
guitar hero.
Once in the place, we got to the dad’s car and went to
the place of Tetu’s aunt, with a big family of his for the celebration. There
were really a lot of people there – aunts and uncles, cousins and nephews. They
were all very welcoming. One of them asked me if I was speaking Spanish and
then kept on talking to me. I definitely was not a part of the family and I
felt a little strange being there in the first place, but people were so nice
that they did their best to make me feel as a part of it.
At around 11p.m. we sat at the table for the New Years
dinner. There was literally everything you might want – chicken, meat, seafood,
sandwiches etc. And it was all good food. I really enjoyed it all. Not long
after the 12p.m. kicked in and then champagnes were open, hugs and kisses for
the Happy New Year part started. The amazing thing was, to me at least – people
were also hugging and kissing me and wishing me happy years, even though they
knew me only for couple of hours at that time.
And then there was time for fireworks, which, they had
a lot. Then some more drinks, some more talking, some more wondering around,
some more of everything. At around 4.30a.m. Yogi came along and when me and
Tetu said our goodbyes to everyone I honestly thought we are going home. Turns
out – I could not be more wrong. We went to another party. There was some big
fiesta party where Tetu disappeared with his friends soon enough and me and
Yogi kept on dancing till the literal dawn. People started separating and
leaving the place when the sun was already high up in the sky – I don’t recall
the time, but my guess is – around 8-9a.m.
Once again, my going to sleep time was later than the
time I was used to wake up and get up. I was living the nights in Mendoza.
Off topic
Once again, I found myself in a miserable situation.
How do I manage to do that? And yes, at the end it wasn’t as bad as I expected,
but I thought I lost it. Lost it I and I did not even had a runaway plan. Why?
Honestly, while holding my hand at my heart I can say – I did not do anything
to f*** it all up. I still don’t know how did it all happened or why for that
matter. I just wanted my dance over the sun. I just wanted to be happy.
Day No 25
New Years day started earlier than you could expect
with out life-style at that point. And only because we were going back to the
aunt’s place for some more food, some more drinks and some pool+sun. We did not
do much at home, just got up, got ready and then went right to the place.
It was kind of the same – big family together, having
lunch, having drinks, conversations and then at points refreshing themselves in
the pool. It was soooo refreshing to jump into that thing, you have no idea.
It was kind of the day of doing nothing, just
enjoying, you know? I watched Tetu playing in the pool with his nieces, who are
very much fond of him. They all were kind of seeking his attention. Made me
remember me when I was their age and those older guys, who were actually giving
you at least a tiny bit of attention, seemed like the best from the best.
At some point Yogi showed up again and since most of
people were napping, sleeping, watching lotteries or other things, we spent
most of the time chatting with him before we had to leave. Once again, I
thought, once we were on the road, that we are going home. Turns out, I could
not be more wrong. At least this time we did not go to another fiesta. We got
to the place of Yogi’s relatives. So once again we had a little thing to drink,
to eat, a little chat and then moved back to Yogi’s van. First time I got a
chance to experience ride in the back of the van slash some kind of the bed,
since he has matrasses in there. It was fun.
Once we got back to the place we said goodbyes to
Yogi, who left for Bs As too early in the morning, Tetu went to the office to work on something
and I drifted to sleep. I woke up at some point just to see him coming back and
drizzled my way back to my dreams and sleeps.
Day No 26
You can say that I haven’t done much once I was in
Mendoza for the second time and you would be right. It was not about
sightseeing or hardcore traveling. It was about people, about experience, about
keeping the promises and doing one thing that scares me every day.
So my Day No 26 was not much of a difference. I woke
up, kept being as silent as possible, so I would not wake up Tetu, but at some
point I just got tired of waiting for him to wake up voluntarily, so I left a
note to him and went out. Basically I had some things I need to do that day – I
had to buy my ticket to Cordoba, my next destination, I had to check my e-mail
and tell at least my mom that I was still alive. I had some things I had to
figure out on my own. Well, that took me couple of hours and before it got way
too hot I got back to Tetu’s place. I found him almost at the door, he was
going to the office, so we kind of exchanged the hellos and I stayed in for
couple of hours.
After recovering of the unbearable heat outside and
fighting the monsters I left again. This time – for some sightseeing. The thing
I missed the last time I was in Mendoza was Cerro de Gloria [Victory Hill] and
I wasn’t about to leave Mendoza without seeing it. I took Tetu’s advise and
took a bus to the place. I could not be happier I did that. It was freaking hot
outside and walking to the place would have been a torture from the capital T.
It still was some kind of a torture anyways, because I still had to climb to
the hill. It wasn’t that bad, maybe 20-30 minutes walk, but it was exhausting.
Once on the top of it I saw that it was possible to get there with a car or any
other vehicle, but of course, the only vehicle I have in my trip is my feet,
so..
There is nothing much to do on the hill, but I still
recommend you to get there if you are around. It’s nice. There is a huge
monument on top of it and if you do not find it interesting whatsoever, there
is one interesting point to it – the same monument is on the banknote of 5
Argentinian pesos. So if anything – you can at least have a memorable picture.
Once down the hill I waited for the bus. I saw that
the number was not the same I took on my way to the hill, but how can it go to
the wrong side, right? Turns out – just this how. It was going straight the
road [the only possible way at that time – such a surprise] and then, when I
was expecting it to turn to the right, it went left. Well, at least it did not
go out of my map I was holding in my hands.
So I got off the bus on the earliest possible stop and
went back to the Tetu’s place. It took me not more or less, but about 45
minutes. I could say I was lucky so at least it wasn’t that damn hot anymore.
Once again, back in his house I was not even surprised
not finding him there. Working probably, so I got to my business which was
basically doing nothing. Once he got back, we had some sort of `movies night`.
I guess we decided just to watch one of them, which was followed by another
one, then another one and finally one more on the TV. Just like always in
Mendoza, since we were living only the nights, we finally closed our eyes not
earlier than 4a.m.
Day No 27
I woke up pretty early, but Tetu did not seem to do
the same. So I waited. It was the last day for me there and I surely did not
want to escape from the house while he was still sleeping and then come back
while he was still working and end up missing him saying goodbye. This time for
the last time [most probably, but still chances for us to meet are less than
minor]. So I waited some more. I ate some breakfast and I waited. I read my
book and I waited. Finally, tired of waiting, I left him a note, woke him just
long enough to tell him I was leaving and I left. I was hoping that at least
last time’s scenario will repeat itself and if not having a proper goodbye, we
would still have a chance to catch each other before I left.
I walked in Mendoza for the last time [probably the
very last time in my life]. I had to take my time there. I had to walk the same
streets, I had to breathe in the same smells for the memories, I had to make a
mental picture of the city. Something addictive is about this place and I
needed to make it memorable. How do you say this… Maybe I haven’t fallen for
Mendoza, but I definitely fell.
So before I knew it and before I managed to take every
single smell in me it was time for me to come back. So I did. I found Tetu’s
note telling he will come back at 9p.m. [sure, Argentinian nine, or so I
thought], I had my last supper, I packed my stuff, I settled for waiting. To my
surprise, he was even early. He got back home, called a cab for me [not sure if
he was thinking it was dangerous or he did not want to see me walking the same
distance with my bag on my back] and we went shopping.
Surprisingly again the cab came earlier than expected
and from that moment till the moment I realized I am actually moving in the car
everything seems very blurry. It was too fast, too rapid and nothing like you
would want. Saying goodbye to someone special to you for the last time is never
easy. Saying goodbye to someone like Tetu [to me], who possibly have changed my
life and turned it a little upside-down [still not loosing my idea and just
taking my time to maybe implement my turn] was somewhat ripping me from the
inside. And there it was – this fast hugs, getting out, last `Buena suerte en tú
viaje`, last kisses and before I knew it, I was waving him from the moving car.
The new years were officially over and I could only hope that it is true that
your years will be just like you celebrated them.
Off Topic
Funny or sad that is, I need you to hold my hand.
Again. Strong. Please.
Day No 28
I did not have much time in the bus, since I spent
most of the night sleeping in it and then worrying that the bus is AGAIN late
and that Ariel is waiting for me in Cordoba and that probably he is already
cursing me off [is that the expression?]. The good part was – I arrived to
Cordoba in one piece, but the bad part – Ariel seemed really nervous. And I
wanted to explain him that `sorry, I do not drive the damn bus, it was not my
fault`. Turns out, he was told that my bus came on time so he was just worrying
we actually miss-met [that’s probably not even an expression. So it’s going to
be my expression].
After we met, we went to take his Unita [the Car, the
Baby, the True love] and started with some coffee for breakfast. I managed with
no big trouble to make him change at least a little and instead of heading to
his route, to make a little round and go to Alta Gracia. The small city where
Che Guevara grew up. I mean, since I was so close to it, I could not just not
go there right? So we hit the road.
Not long before we went we were stopped by the police.
Nothing serious, just kind of a regular check. Well, kind of regular anyways.
They asked where we are from, what is our relationship [why would police be
interested in that in the first place?] and then they wanted to see my
passport. They also checked some numbers of the engine and his papers, but since
everything was in order, we were allowed to continue.
After a little drive we got to Alta Gracia, found a
tourist information, collected information and went to the museum of Che. Or
better yet, the house where he lived and grew up which now was turned into a
little museum. I have to say, I learned some more about Che once again. It made
me think.
After the museum we went for a park, which turned out
to be some kind of the mess and then we tried the hills. It was once again – a
weird thing. We were following the road on the map, then we got outside the
map, followed just a sense, but we only got to the private areas and nowhere
good and nice to look and see.
After some time we gave up and decided to move to
another little town – Mina Clavero, if I recall correctly. Once we got there,
we collected information at the information center from a very nice and helpful
girl and since it was a little late already – we went looking for the place to
stay. It was a nightmare. Everywhere we went were fully booked and there was no
options, at least for that night. After some time we gave up and went to the
even smaller town, Nono [which, by the way means `boobs` because of two hills
next to it that look just like boobies]. We had a lot of trouble to find a
place to stay there too, but finally we booked it for the next nights and for
that night [it was already after 8p.m.] we took places in the very basic some
sort of the hostel. Which was good, because a couple working there were
unbelievably nice and helpful.
We went for dinner [we only had easy breakfast that
day so we were starving], some beers and we went back to the hostel. The day
was officially over.
Day No 29
The next morning we packed once again, got into the
car, went to the `beach` sort of the thing next to the river where you can take
a picture of the boobies, then went to the new place we were staying and
finally, after getting all of the directions from the guy in the hostel, we
went for some sightseeing.
After a not so long ride in the car we came to the
river, where people were doing basically nothing – laying in the sun, swimming
in a knee-length river. We decided not to do that. We wanted to see something,
so we went along the river, hopefully towards some waterfalls or something
nice. We were doing some easy rock climbing, going up and down. It was not
easy, but it was good. And there were no people at all. We took a little rest
in a little lagoon kind of a thing after we passed a little tiny waterfall and
then went back.
While I was taking pictures, Ariel was posing [yeah,
could have guessed that before, since I knew he was a part-time model], jumping
from the rock to the rock and letting me make fun of him. Once we got back, it
was already time for dinner, so we got into the shop, bought what we needed and
went back to the place.
I was complimented on my `rice with vegetables` thing
[yes, a real rocket science to make it, but still, it was nice to hear] and we
ended up going to another city for some `good beer`.
It was a challenge alright. First of all, we took a
short-cut [which was shown in the map, not that we created it], which was a
pain in one place, because it was awful road and I guess it took us more to go
there then to go on the longer one. If that wasn’t enough once we got to this
`beer garden` we learned that it was closed [who closes places in Argentina
before 11p.m.??] and we ended up with no good beer whatsoever.
So the night was going the following – shop, some
beers, getting back to the place and watching some IT crowd.
Day No 30
Now you will probably call me an idiot, but I do not
remember the place we visited next. I forgot the name completely. If I saw a
map, I might be able to remember it, but whatever. So we went there with a car,
since it was a little long way there. It wasn’t Cordoba anymore, it was San
Luis [I guess though], but the place looked promising. We were going up and up,
very high up the hills.
The views were absolutely priceless. Green hills, sun
shining on them was creating this unbelievable colour. I was literally happy.
Just like that. And taking pictures. One too many pictures.
Once on the top of the hills we took one turn and went
for some place which sounded promising from the tourist information office. It
was around 45 minutes drive on a bad, some times terrible roads that led us
nowhere. After some time we got tired, gave up, took some pictures `in the
middle of nowhere` and went back. We stopped at some point, did some trekking,
found a little river [normally I would not even call that little water thing a
river] and went back.
Down there at the hill there was a little kind of the
ecological park, so we entered. The river was bloody cold, so I decided against
swimming in it, but Ariel did. Soon enough though the sun hid and it was
becoming pretty cold so we packed and went back.
We had a meal in a small tea house. Very cozy and very
nice but extremely slow place. I, once again, do not remember the name, but I
had the best Italian style little sandwiches there. Especially the ones with
dried tomatoes and olives were unbelievably tasty. After that we went for
another beer garden which was open and got the Artesenal beer. My companion was
so happy about it.
We got out of the town pretty late and it was still a
long way back to the place we were staying. I am not sure when exactly did we
come back, but it was late and still we took our time for some beer and IT
crowd. Yes, it can become seriously addictive.
Day No 31
The next day we basically just tried to find a nice
place not too far away. So we started and ended up close to another little
river. We were once again, walking around, climbing a rock up and a rock down,
jumping here and there, crossing water again and again. After we got tired we
reached some little bar just next to it with a fabulous view to the landscapes,
so we settled for a little rest and some beer called `Cordoba`. I was not
surprised I have never seen it, but Argentinian, who have been to Cordoba a lot
of times never seen it – well that was a little of the surprise.
Anyways, we stayed there a little bit, but not too
long. We had to go back, because for the last night and since in the place we
were staying there was a possibility to make barbeque, we decided to do exactly
that. On our way back we took some hitchhikers, went to the shop and finally –
got back to prepare the dinner.
It was one of the best barbeques I have ever had. It
involved an incredibly tasty sweet pepper [paprika – how do you call it in
English exactly?] and some very tasty meet, plus a good company. After a little
while we decided to make it an easy night and not to go out to look for another
beer garden or anything – the long day was ahead of us and for some or us –
even a long night.
Day No 32
So the beginning of the day was almost as always –
packing and leaving. I got so much used to packing and unpacking that I think I
can seriously put it on my CV as a additional skill.
We were heading back towards the Cordoba, but we did
stop for a little trek and kind of last nature thing around the area. We did not
find a waterfall or anything, but we found a river and a shade next to it where
we could stretch our legs and just stay there. Unfortunately soon enough more
and more people were coming in with families and kids and it became a little
too crowded, so we moved on to the road.
We made another stop and some 100meters waterfall
which is the birth of a little river. It was a little walk down the hill,
marked one but we still managed to get lost. After going too steep down and
seeing the waterfall somewhat we decided to go back. On our way back we found
the actual way toward the `view point`, so we went to look at the waterfall one
more time and finally – we got back up.
Before we got to Cordoba we visited a very nice little
town [no name I’m afraid], but since all of the places [and I am not
exaggerating] for eating were closed or not preparing meals for the time being
we had to leave it. We decided to have a lunch on the road, since I already
proved my skills of feeding people while they are driving and have my
experience back from trips in Lithuania or Europe. We got some salami, some
cheese, some bread and went back to Cordoba.
I literally missed Cordoba as a city itself, since all
I’ve seen there was a bus terminal. But people I met before told me the city is
nothing much to see or do, except for partying and dancing, so I wasn’t crying
my eyes out for that.
It was once again, strange and weird, since I was
saying goodbye to someone I will most probably never ever see again. I still
have not managed to answer the question how do you actually say goodbye in
these tough situations. Although Ariel waited with me for the bus and waver me
goodbye.
I finished my day in the bus. Next destination –
Salta.
Day No 33
I have to say – after getting used to travelling with
a car for several days it was a little weird of getting out of the bus, going
to the information office, getting a map and walking, actually walking my way
to some hostel which I was only hoping will not be fully booked.
I was lucky that the first one I entered actually had
some place. Just not right then, I had to come back a little later. So I left
my things and with a much lighter bag went for a walk. My first stop – tourist
information where I got a more decent map, some more information [but mostly
about museums that I was not that much interested in], walked around the main
square and back to the hostel. I got the bed, I took a shower I tried checking
tickets and other things on internet, but oh, just my luck – the internet went
down, so instead of waiting for it to wake up, I went for another walk. There
is a San Bernardo hill in Salta and you can get up to it with a little lifting
balls [can’t remember the name] or by the stairs. Me, the strong girl – of
course I can do the stairs right? 1070 steps. And I am not joking. It is
written like this at the bottom.
So in the beginning it was an easy walk. You do not
count the steps, you are just walking. After some time, when it gets hard, you
start thinking – why the hell you did not count those steps, now you would at
least have an idea how far more you need to go more. And the funny thing was –
I almost only met people going downstairs. Well, so I am just the only freak
there, going up, I thought.
But that wasn’t true, actually. After some point, I
started seeing more and more people. They were not just going up, they were
actually using that as an exercise. So probably they were doing it more or less
every single or every second day.
Once on the top, I took some time to relax and get my
breath back. It was a very small place, with nothing much to see or to do,
except for some sports and a view of the city. Which was nice, I give you that,
but nothing `oh my god` nice, you know?
The rest of the night I spent in. Having some dinner,
reading some book, talking to some people. Over.
Day No 34
I have decided not to waste any more time and do the
important things first. I went to the bus terminal to buy my ticket to Atacama.
And here I got the damn surprise. The earliest I could book the ticket was
after 7 or 8 days. Oh wow, I really could not stay in Salta for that long. But
since internet in my hostel [after I learned that not just in my hostel, but in
most of the city] was down, I went looking for an internet café. My first trial
was a mess, I ordered some coffee and only then learned that internet was down
there too. Second trial – a little place with a lot of computer was promising.
At least they had internet. Too bad though, they did not have the tickets I
needed. I kept on looking and searching and looking some more and doing some
more research and at the end I have decided to skip Atacama and go to Bolivia.
At least for going to Bolivia there is no such thing as all of the tickets
booked.
I got some rain just after I finished and since I was
not interested in museums, I only had to wait for it to end. After that I had a
little more walking around the city, booked two tours for the next two days
[since Salta itself is nothing special, but the places around are spectacular]
and ended up easily in the hostel with some internet and some reading of the
book.
Day No 35
I had to wake up unbelievably early in order to catch
my tour bus and go to Cafayate. Once at the agency I met my guide for the day,
got into the bus and started my trip.
First two hours were totally nothing special – just
driving forwards. After those two hours the magnificent views started
appearing. Huge hills, very red or very coloured were getting taller and taller
and more spectacular. We stopped at several places, like `Amphitheater` and
`Devil’s something` to take some pictures on the way. Too bad the absolutely
best spots for making pictures and astonishing places to see, something like a
Grand Canyon in US were visible to me only from the window of the bus. Still, I
can tell you honestly – if you get a chance – go there and see it. Absolutely
amazing. Those hills and canyons have different colours and not just to say it,
they are actually green, red, yellow or white. Those are breathtaking
landscapes and those who know me know better than that – it is not that easy to
take my breath away.
Just before we got into the Cafayate, we visited a
vinery. Which could have been nice if we only took our time there. But since we
were on a schedule all we did there was taste vine and get out. Not that bad,
to be honest, the vine was good, just a little too little time. We also went to
the very touristy market where I, of course, did not buy a thing and then –
lunch. I decided I can give it to myself – to go there and feel a normal human
being, having a decent lunch for a change.
I took a seat next to a American women. I cannot tell
you exactly how old she was, but since one of her kids are my age, we can guess
she is more or less my mom’s age. And she is traveling. For several months.
Backpacking. Just like me. She told me her family thought she was crazy. I have
to admit, if I wasn’t just like her, I would probably think the same – the
woman not in her twenties, sold her house, quit her job and went travelling.
For as long as she has money. We talked a bit and I learned a lot about her. At
some point in her life she figured out that she want to do something `in
return` for the world, so she established a little NGO and doing good things
for the ones who have less. They built some houses in Guatemala and next year
they are planning on building a library in Cambodia. I almost asked her if I
could join. I would kill for the activity like that. And going back to
Southeast Asia.. Well, that would be one of the dreams to come true. Which,
lets face it, I still have millions and billions.
So after the lunch we still had around 40 minutes, so
we decided to take a little walk around the city, where basically there is
nothing to see. Honestly. We visited a silver shop, main square, cathedral and
other places around it. Once we got into the bus, we had a little ride and we
got off at another vinery. Finally, I thought I will take a decent walk around
it. Well, once again, as almost always in my life, I could not be more wrong.
With the coming rain we had to rush, so instead of skipping tasting of the
vine, we skipped the tour in the vinery plus a little museum of vine. Oh well.
Once on the road, we did not get any rain, but we did
stop for some `lets feed lamas` kind of the thing. Very touristy, but I had to
try. It was strange seeing lamas who are not afraid of you. Usually they run as
fast as they can from you. Well, that or that fact that they were actually
hanged.
All the rest of the trip back to Salta was as usual,
people were sleeping and I was reading a book. Although once we got close to
the Salta, we faced the first difficulty – even if we skipped the rain on the
road, Salta did not and it was huge apparently. Some roads were closed, we had
to go all around and at some points it seemed as if we literally crossing
rivers.
Once back in the hostel, since it was pretty late
already I did nothing much. I met a British couple, who decided to hitchhike to
Atacama, since there are no bus tickets available went to sleep. My day was,
once again, officially over.
Day No 36
If I had to wake up early the day after, I had to wake
up even earlier this day. My tour was starting at 6:30a.m. and I was going to
Cachi. Now to those who might be interested – it is definitely a nice place,
but not much to do, so instead of booking a tour to Cachi, you might wanna
consider booking one for some other place, which I do not remember the name,
but it is going up, close to Jujuy and apparently has much more things to see.
Anyways, I took some breakfast and went to the office.
There I met my guide, a young good looking French guy, who made me sit in the
front with him. He explained that if I sit just behind him he will be talking
and spitting and I do not want a saliva rain in my face. I agreed. Since I was
the only one taken from the office we talked a little bit what is he doing in
Salta and what I am doing in my life in general.
Once we collected all of the people the trip started.
The scenery there is different from the Cafayate, but amazing really. Red and
green colours in the rocks and mountains, serpentine roads through those hills
and mountains I could probably say up to more than 3000 meters altitude was
really spectacular. There I did one new thing for the day – I tried coca
leaves. For the concerned ones – it is not a drug or illegal stuff. It is
actually legal in Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and probably some more
countries. So I did not do anything bad. Besides, with the altitude – coca
leaves are saving your ass. Trust my word on it – I experienced it in Bolivia.
Anyways, the thing works like this – you take several leaves of coca, and put
it between your teeth and cheek. And you leave it there for half an hour, one
hour, how much you like. No some kind of `high` effect, but apparently to
overcome the effect of altitude – it is a great deal. We were going up and down
the hill with several stops to making some pictures, which, once again, were
kind of a breath taking.
We also stopped in one out of two parks of cactuses in
the world, where we were able to see cactuses of 200-300 years old. Tall as
well. I know I am tall for this part of the world, but they were even taller.
Once in Cachi, we went to east some typical food of the region. And then – a
little walk around the town, which is basically three streets, little plaza and
that is it. After that – we headed back.
Once I thought it was over, it became interesting. We
were the entering the cloud. No kidding. We were up high, so that is not such a
surprising thing. And I know, I have been in the cloud before. I lived in the
cloud in Turkey that one first time of mine there in my life, but this was
different. The views from the window were absolutely priceless, unfortunately
impossible to take pictures off. Those green huge hills and clouds below looked
so unreal, just like from the fairy tale, you know? Ok, maybe I will take my
word away afterwards – the guide said that it is almost every single day in
Cachi like this, so maybe you should go there after all. It is amazing view.
The only tip I have – do not fall asleep then in your ride back – you might
miss it.
Once I got back to the hostel, I packed my stuff, got
some very surprising looks at me and my bag and I went to the bus terminal to
wait for my bus. I had a new book, so that was not a problem, the waiting I
mean. The funny thing is though, that at some point I closed my eyes just for
the second and once I opened them, it was 30 minutes later. But at least I did
not overslept the bus. Once in the bus, it wasn’t that hard to fall asleep
again – I had a long day, I will probably be having even a longer one, so sleep
was official. My last night in Argentina. Somewhat it felt strange. I
experienced too much in it. I saw too much. I got too involved and I left too
much. when you think about it, I was really close to just skipping it. And now,
I could not believe I was actually leaving it.
The country that changed me. The country that changed
my life. The country were you can only love and hate honestly. The country that
taught me several lessons of life. The country where I will have to come back.
One way or another.
Off Topic
Once again, I entered the panic zone. This time –
quite reasonable. It wasn’t just a simple paranoid looking fear. It was real.
And yes, you may say that I am stupid enough walking on a thin ice and dancing
or playing with fire there. And yes, I would agree with you. And it would
probably be a lie if I told you I will never do that again. I still do not have
an answer why I am sometimes acting THAT stupid. Maybe I just trust my luck too
much. and I know this is a bad excuse, but I do not have a better one. Not for
now at least.
On the Day No 36 I did not know that yet, I could only
have hoped, but I entered a panic zone but I did not have to do that. Once
again, my luck was stronger than anything and it kind of literally saved my
butt. Again. I should probably stop doing this. But.. How can you taste a life
without dancing on a thin ice? Yes, it is a bad excuse. It is not even an
adrenaline rush. Simple stupidity. I’m almost 27. I should be smarter. I should
know better.
Can I be honest? I hope I will. I’m afraid I won’t.
Day No 37
My day started very early and not so comfortable. I
had to leave a bus which, to my surprise, was not late, at around 7a.m. and
take my bag from very mean `bus boys`. They were not expecting for the tips to
give you your bag [which is nonsense to me if you care for my opinion], but
they are requesting it as if `give me money or I will piss on your bag`. Such a
lovely attitude. After that another surprise. I mean I know I am at the border
city, but the queue for the toilets were unbelievable. I figured out it is not
the most important thing in the world. I tried to moved on.
Another thing was – I did not have a map of the town,
it was too early in the morning for the tourist kiosk to be open and I had no
idea where is that border. I looked around and saw a gringo looking not Gringo
[European and Dutch were my guesses], most probably looking for the same thing
as I did. So I went to him asked if he was looking for the border as well, he
responded positively and seconds later we were already in the cab going towards
the border.
Turns out it was a good thing that the bus was not
late and that we arrived early. Crossing that border is a pain in one place.
Especially if you come in the afternoon. Consider this a traveling tip – if you
ever get to Villazon [from Bolivia part] to cross the border – DO IT in the
very early morning. Just to save you some time and nerve cells. We joined the
queue and waited.
It wasn’t that bad once the border opened and the
queue started moving slowely. I learned that gringo looking guy was Swiss and
going the same route at least for Bolivian part. And so, after maybe 1.5 hours
we were in Villazon. Benvienidos a Bolivia.
We stayed in Villazon just long enough to find an ATM,
get into the bus station and catch a bus to Tupiza. There is nothing to do in
Villazon. It was around 2.5 hours on a crappy bus, but the views from the
window were unbelievable. Bolivian landscape is awesome from the very
beginning. Once in Tupiza we found a hostel, put our stuff in it and went out.
We went to the market, grabbed a creap lunch, walked a little around and ended
up on the little hill, where you can see a panoramic view of the place. Very
nice. It’s hot and very hot there, but nice as well.
Since my new found friend wanted to take a tour to
Uyuni from Tupiza, we went to look for a agency for him. Once in one of them,
since the lady was so nice and had a lot of information, I asked her about
possibilities [in general, not just in that agency] about going to San Pedro de
Atacama in Chile and since it is complicated, long time and much more
expensive, I decided to join Swiss guy and take the tour in there. We booked it
for the next day and with some information about where to go around Tupiza, we
left.
We took a little hike, but hard, because it was so insanely
hot to the landscapes. It is hard to explain the things you see, because it is
mostly rocks and mountains and hills and desert, which are unbelievable pretty
but hard to describe. If you want to see it, you have to go there. We were
going to some rock called `the doors of devil` and we missed it, somehow. Well,
just my luck. We found it on our way back though, so you can consider us not
that awful of the tourists.
Once back in the city I rushed for the post office, we
had a little rest and went out for the dinner and some beers. Not too much,
since we had to start a tour the next day and it was supposed to be a long and
hard trip up to more than 4000 meters above the sea level. I did not know that
at that precise moment, but it was a REAL killer to me.
Day No 38
We had breakfast in the hostel and left for the tour
agency. To my surprise the lady from the hostel found us and told us we had to
pay for breakfast [I honestly thought it was included in the price, but
probably, I was wrong]. It was only 1EUR, so it wasn’t that bad, but still
crazy. How did she manage to find us?
Anyways, we met a Belgium guy and an Argentinian guy
who were going on the same tour with the same company in the same jeep. But as
we watched all of the rest of the cars to leave, we were still waiting for
ours. I was starting to get nervous and worried. Well, just like always, right?
Once the jeep was there, we packed and went on the
road. We had a very lovely guide/driver and very lovely cook Maria with us. The
day No 1 in the tour was mostly the amazing landscapes, which, once again, you
have to see to appreciate and going up and up and up the sea level. That kicked
me. I got a headache. And I thought I will manage to overcome it buy some
sleep, it did not help. On our way there we stopped at a plain place with
millions of lamas and had lunch. I ate some lunch but the headache was still
with me. And it was getting worse and worse.
Once as we stopped in somewhat nice, but tiny and
deserted town I asked for some medications. Too bad they only had paracetamol,
but I guessed it’s better than nothing. I took it and went to sleep. Landscapes
were still awesome but after a while is seems quite the same.
Sleep and pill worked and once we stopped for the
night I hardly felt anything. I was happy. And we were two jeeps in there. Ours
and another one, with four Argentinians. We settled in a tiny little town in
the altitude of 4200 meters with amazing views of mountains around. The guys
found a ball and we went for play football.
After two minutes and my headache coming back I
decided I am better at taking pictures than playing so I just watched. And the
guys were very out of breathe in the second. Well, altitude. After football we
went for the walk, met some local kids, played with them, played some guitar
with them, finally, got back in for the dinner.
After dinner we stayed with the guys from another jeep
till quite late, playing a game which is similar to Mafia. You know – the town
goes to sleep, the killer wakes up, chooses his/her victim and so on. It was
fun and it was great, but it was getting freakishly cold [altitude again] and
we went to sleep. For the long 4 hours, we slept.
Day No 39
The day better known as `the best things I have ever
seen in my entire life` started VERY early in the morning. We left and the sun
was not even out yet.
We stopped at a ghost town, very deserted `once
there’s been people` kind of the place and then landscapes landscapes
landscapes.
I really cannot explain you how beautiful those places
are but once there you cannot hold it in. you want to scream and shout and cry
of joy. We stopped at some lake. I same some kind of lake, because it has so
many minerals in it, that it is weird walking next to it and the colours..
well, they just do not look like water at all: white, orange, red, purple, pink
and so on. I took maybe a million pictures there. I could not help it.
We moved on and stopped at another place, not sure how
to call it – some sandy valley maybe. Unbelievable views. I took millions of
pictures there as well. Then we stopped at the white lake, full of zinc and
looks very unusual.
We stopped at a hot bath sort of the thing next to
another incredible lake for the lunch. While the guys were enjoying that hot
water, I enjoyed staying next and taking pictures. Once again, the views were
priceless.
Once after the lunch we went for another lake, or
lakes for that matter – the green once and the white one [another one]. They do
look like they are named – truly. The green was is totally green and the white
one is definitely white. No kidding. And it’s all thanks to the minerals.
After the lakes we changed the view a little, we went
for the geysers [or how do you spell this word?]. well, it was another first
thing in my life once again. Interesting to see all the smokes coming out of
the ground and see the mud being spit out of the holes in it. I might agree
that geysers are probably much more exciting in Iceland for example, but for
the time being, these were enough to me.
And then, for the ending of the very long and
spectacular day we went for the `Laguna Colorada`, which basically means
coloured lake. It was coloured alright. Red and orange and white were the main
coloures. If you did not know, you would probably guess that somebody put
paints in it. And it was full of pink birds [flamingos]. And so close to the
shore that pictures are actually pretty amazing [will come to the blog
eventually]. It was breathtaking, the views.
Once that over, we settled for a tiny not even a town
for the night. It was awfully cold, so we stayed in, had a supper, had a wine,
had some more of the same Mafia game with the same Argentinian guys and went to
sleep. Still freezing. And my headache, plus stomach ache was coming back. I
was starting to feel as if I was getting worse and worse.
Day No 40
We started a little later that day, packed our things
once again and went on the road. First stop – a rock tree. Basically in the
middle of the desert there are a lot of huge rocks you can take pictures, climb
on and so on. And this is exactly what we did, for a 20 minutes at least,
anyways.
Once after that we had a little drive and I was
starting to feel worse and worse every minute. My head was double the size and
I was almost sure my stomach decided to stop working. Once we stopped at the
black lake, I managed to get out of the car and walk a little towards it, but
that was it. I was feeling pretty bad. I could not even look at the side of the
lunch, instead I took medications, some coke with me and I was hoping for my
stomach to work – one way or another, because it, together with a headache was
killing me.
We played some elderly people’s game, I was still
feeling like `mierda` and we moved on. We stopped at several more places, still
magnificent, but not as magnificent as the ones before, took some pictures and
finally arrived to Uyuni. My trial to get some water with gas [mineral water]
failed, since it does not exist in Uyuni, so instead I drank my coal and went
to sleep. I was hoping for a better feeling. That did not completely came. I
went for dinner, and guys forced me to eat something, but I actually would have
preffered nothing instead. I went to sleep a little more after dinner again.
Once in the evening I started to feel at least a
little better, so I joined the other guys for some hanging out. At the end my
headache started to kick in again, so at the end I left them and went to sleep.
An early start was waiting for us the day after.
Day No 41
We had to wake up way before the sun did. I was ok,
since I slept half of the day before, but my guys were pretty tired. We took
the same jeep and went to the Uyuni, salt desert and went to the salt hotel. It
was still dark in there so we patiently waited for the sunrise. Finally the sun
came and we were taking pictures. Me, as usual, I took more than necessary, but
it was impossible not to take them. Such a beautiful thing. You do not see
those everyday.
Once sun was up, we had breakfast in salt hotel. It is
called salt hotel because everything in there is made of salt. If you don’t
believe it, you can taste it and realize it for yourself. We had pancakes and
even though I wasn’t so sure about my stomach, I did not care about it anymore.
I may die that day later, but I could not possibly refuse pancakes. Seemed that
my stomach enjoyed them.
Once settled we drove a little more further and took
our time to make, what our guide and cook called `fotos locas`, which basically
means `crazy pictures`. One day, in a blue moon, those appear on the blog.
Consider that a promise.
After that I was the only one who wanted to go to the
cemetery of the trains, but the guys were positive about it, so we went. Too
bad I only had a little time there, because some of the angles for the pictures
are priceless there. I took pictures as much as I could, I climbed some of the
trains and we had to get back for lunch.
After lunch we went to the bus station, said goodbyes
to our guide and cook [they were really lovely people, so if you ever do a
Uyuni tour from Tupiza, please let me know and I will tell you where to find
them. Or just head for Torre Tours].
We took the same bus that 4 Argentinians, who were
always with us during the Uyuni tour and left for Potosi. I wasn’t sure if I
wanted to go to Potosi, but I was sick and everything, so when guys offered to
buy ticket for me I was very positive – I will go anywhere as long as I do not
need to decide anything.
It was around 5-6 hours bus ride with the spectacular landscapes.
Once again – Bolivia is so rich of those that it is absolutely impossible not
to enjoy them. Once in Potosi I was feeling a little better, but we had to walk
to the center which was a bit of a walk and with bags plus the altitude it was
a challenge alright. Once in the center we settled for just sitting and keeping
an eye on the bags, while the others went to search for the hostel. They found
one. Very cheap and not the perfect, but good enough. We settled.
I wasn’t feeling perfect, even though not terrible, so
all we did was to go out to the market and get some food, got back to the
hostel and the guys just disappeared. I guess for some drinking party. I
drifted to sleep though. Altitude was giving me tiredness all of the time.
Day No 42
The next day we spend very easily, just walking around
the city. We started in the market with some breakfast. It is amazing, I tell
you. You go to the market, you order bread with cheese, bread with butter and
some coffee or tea and you pay for that in total a little less than one dollar.
Once we all ate, we went through the little streets of
the Potosi, went to the main square and finally decided to go on a little hill
for the panoramic view. It was a short walk up, but with an altitude and lack
of oxygen it was a bit of a work out. Once up, I decided to take some pictures
from the other side of the hill and was almost attacked by a dog. Warning –
there are a lot of dogs in South America in the streets in general, but so far
only in Bolivia I managed to meet angry ones who are going after my feet or
hands or some other parts of my body.
The guys decided to go up the restaurant on the same
hill and I, with no clear view of what I wanted to do, joined. Once up, we met
the same Argentinians guys. It seemed like a destiny for us to keep on bumping
in each others. We had a drink, then another one, then another one and finally
went back to the hostel to rest a little. After that we went for the dinner and
hopefully some fun, but hostel told us there is a limit until what time we can
be out, so we ended up just going for the dinner, a beer and got back to the
hostel. Altitude was still giving us effect after all.
Day No 43
Once again, we started the day in the market with
cheap and quite tasty breakfast and then went to a little tour of the mines.
Every tour agency in Potosi offers you that and it is one of the little things
you can do once you are there. Basically they take you, dress you almost as a
miner, make you buy gifts [but cheap ones, like coca leaves, cookies and etc.]
for the miners and take you to the mine where people are actually working. So
sometimes you have to move to let them go and so on.
We spend about two hours in the mine, where our guide
explained it all to us – about the mine, people working there, minerals that
can be found and so on and so forth. It was really interesting, especially
being around those workers and I can only imagine how hard it must be to work
there. It was already hard just to be there.
After the mines we got back to the center, had lunch
and went to some place that Gilles said is spectacular because there is a hot
kind of pool on the top of the volcano and you can see the whole city from
there. Well, that sounds exciting, doesn’t it? I thought so too, until I got
there. Turned out it was just a hot or better yet warm kind of little lake on a
little hill and all you can see from there is three houses. Not a panoramic
view of the city – for sure. Anyways, guys decided to go for a swim so we
stayed there for a little.
Once back in the hostel Argentinians were already gone
for Sucre, but we found other Argentinians and ended up playing the same Mafia
kind of a game. Till 4.30 in the morning.
Day No 44
After a short sleep we packed and left the hostel,
because it was our time now to go to Sucre.
We found a cab in the street and the drive had a
little kid with him. He wanted to put the kid on our bags in the trunk [well,
open trunk I give you that] and we offered to take him on our laps. He
cheerfully nodded and finally went on driving with the kid on his laps. I was
seriously afraid that if we crash that kid was the first one to die.
Once we got to the terminal I was pleasantly surprised
– it was quite new, very modern according to Bolivian standards. We bought
tickets and went for breakfast. Guys told me that the bus was leaving 11.30, so
I was taking it easy. Besides, everything in Bolivia is always chaotic and
late, so why rush, right? In the middle of our breakfast some guy came to us,
asked if we bought tickets to Sucre and that the bus was already waiting for us
and was ready to leave. So we rushed for it and got to the bus.
Once in Sucre we spend a lot of time searching for the
hostel. Once we found one it was already late afternoon. The guys were still
preparing themselves with bags or something and I was out reading the map when
the same 4 Argentinians came in. Apparently we chose the exact same place to
stay. It was incredible really. So after a little chat we went for lunch and
some sightseeing in the city. The city itself is not very much spectacular, but
those little narrow old fashioned streets are nice.
Once back in the hostel we took our time – had
showers, had some rest. Later at night we were trying to find a place for the
night. For dinner and possibly some partying, maybe dancing. We found a place
completely for gringos, but we entered. We ate tacos and had some beers and
afterwards everyone felt tired enough so we decided to put all the dancing and
partying for another day. We just got back to the hostel and went to sleep.
Day No 45
Since there is nothing much to do in Sucre, we left
the hostel in the late morning, wondered a little in the streets of it and
decided to go to the park where apparently you can find footprints of
dinosaurs. It was a fairly easy ride up the hill in the mini-van, but the park
itself was a disappointment. It was very small, only had several dinosaurs
dolls and some sort of rocky wall where there were some things on them and they
call that footprints of dinosaurs. Well, maybe, I cannot really discuss that a
lot. Could be.
Me and Simon though, took our time in a playground. As
always, it turned out to be the most exciting part of the museum. We ended up
playing chess kind of the thing.
Once back in the city we separated the ways. Guys
wanted to visit museums and I wasn’t interested so instead I decided to go to
the panoramic view point. It was a hard walk due to altitude and lack of
oxygen, but the view was nice enough for me to stay there a little longer. The
guys joined me there a little later and we ended up having a drink there and
enjoying the view plus the silence.
In the evening we went for a meal and then guys wanted
to go partying. Ok I thought, I can go partying, although I wasn’t very much
into it. Our partying ended up being no party whatsoever. Going from one street
to another, looking for a place, asking locals where to go, going those
directions, finding nothing and moving around without clear purpose started to
piss me off. So I said I was going back to the hostel and they can go partying
till the morning. Not sure if they were tired of wandering around as well or if
they did not want to let me go alone, they joined me and we went to sleep. I
was definitely happy with such an ending of the day.
Day No 46
I was woken up in the early morning by Gilles knock on
the doors and something like `let’s go` and he went straight for the shower.
Once he was out of the shower it was 7:50 and he told me `we are leaving for
the market town at 8`. Seriously, I wanted to tell him some not so nice things.
I mean yes, we decided from the day before we were going to that very touristy
city with big market, but we did not decide on the our and giving me 10 minutes
to get ready plus to make my bag ready was a little bit too much. so I told
Luis, who was my roommate at that time, that I am going to take a shower and
there is no way I am going to be ready in 10 minutes, so they can go to that
town and I will do something else. I was that angry.
I took my time in the shower and then I was packing my
bag – slowly. Not on purpose, but in general – I did not want to go to that
town in the first place very much, plus, I wanted to make my things in order.
Luis and Simon was coming to me asking how much more time I need and that maybe
I could hurry, because the last bus to that town is at 9 and we have to try to
make it. I was telling them all of the time that they can go and I won’t go,
but they were still waiting.
Finally, around 8:30 I was ready, still pissed, but
ready and we went to look for the mini van to the place from where we can take
a minibus to that town. Gilles, as always `I know everything and everything`
without consulting or talking was going to one side of the road, then another
and so on. That was only pissing me off more and I was ready to play my bitchy
side and act like one. Good at least that Luis and Simon were not like me, but
I guess they had hard time trying to balance between me and Gilles. At the end
we took a cab and came to the place.
The minibus came early enough and of course, Gilles
was one of the first ones to get it and take a seat. Right, I don’t care about
myself, but sure, that is a very manly thing to do – when you have a lot of
women different age in the minibus who, by the same, some of them, have to
stand because there are no seats.
Anyways, we started moving. And if I thought that this
place is close, I could not be more wrong. It was around 2.5 hours away. And
once we got there, I realized that is VERY very touristy. Those places are
tiring me very fast. And, if that wasn’t enough, we got a huge rain, so we had
to find a roof and wait for it to finish or at least slow down.
The day was strange and we did not do much. First we
waited for the rain to slow down, then we took a little walk, but it was
freakishly cold, so we ended up going to some place for coffee or tea. Then we
went to another place, some kind of the restaurant with traditional dances. Ok,
I give you that – it was a nice place, where we could sit down, have something
to eat, watch some traditional Bolivian dances and play some games. So guys
were playing chess and I was playing with cards.
Once the time came, we left, found a minibus to go
back to Sucre, got back, said our goodbyes to the Argentinians who we were
bumping into all of the time, probably for the last time and went to the bus
station. We had to get to Cochabamba and our bus was leaving in the evening. We
spent night in the bus, trying to sleep or just pretending to sleep.
Day No 47
Cochabamba welcomed us very early in the morning and
with some rain. Looking for the hostel wasn’t going that well, because all or
most of the places were still closed for the night. We ended up finding a
market and having a breakfast. Then I volunteered for going and looking for the
place. 20 minutes later I had a place already and went back to the market. Guys
were already having a second kind of breakfast.
We went to the hostel and before I knew it, both of
them were asleep. I was tired as well, so I thought I am just going to lay down
and close my eyes for just a second. Second was long.
Once awake, we went for a walk. Once again, just like
most cities in Bolivia, people are living by buying and selling. There is
nothing else happening, but markets and street shops are all around the place.
We walked to the main square, we did a little tour around the churches. At the
end we went to the hill with Jesus on top of it. And in the beginning we were
thinking about climbing to it, it is something like 1300 steps, but once there
and since taking that cabin that brings you there costs only a little less than
a dollar we decided to take it and walk stairs down.
After waiting in the queue for a while we got into the
cabin and flew up. From the top of it you can see a nice view of the city and
the hills that surround it. But apart from that – there is nothing much to do
up there. Guys went up inside Jesus also and I just stayed watching the view.
Going down the stairs was pretty fast and easy, even
though the sun and heat was killing us. Once down we went searching for the
market of witches. We found some, but at the end Simon did not go for it and
did not ask anything about his future, so we returned to the hostel.
In the evening, since it was supposed to be a last
night of the three of us, we went out. Amazing thing was that in one bar we
order a jar of Caipirinha drink [two glasses each] for 3.5 EUR. Tell me that is
not crazy. So we stayed there, talking and laughing. After that we went out,
looked for another place, which did not work. We tried to find a place to eat
and we were not that successful also. We ended up eating burgers from the
street stand [they were good, though] and going back to the hostel. It was
already after midnight and at least Luis had to wake up early. I still had to
make up my mind if I should stay there longer or leave for La Paz.
Day No 48
When I woke up and saw it is raining and does not seem
to be a short rain, I decided to go to La Paz. I mean, what can you do in the
city or around it when you are soaked with rain? Simon, after seeing the
weather, decided the same thing, so we went to the market for some breakfast,
back to the hostel, packed our things and went to the bus terminal.
We were lucky to find a but that left 20 minutes
later, so we bought the tickets, paid bus terminal tax and went for the bus. It
was supposed to be 7 hours of bus ride, but with the traffic, especially in
crazy La Paz, it took as longer and we got of in La Paz not earlier than 7p.m.
We still did not have a place to stay or a plan, so we went out and started
searching for the hostel.
The first one we entered was promising. It cost 30
Bolivianos per person [3 EUR] in double rooms and was available. Not sure if we
were just that tired, but we took it. The guy working there was a bit bizarre,
but who cares right?
Once settled we once again went out for a meal in the
market. The amazing thing about Bolivia is that you go to the market and you
get the whole meal [sometimes soup and second] for more or less 1 EUR. We also
went to several travel agencies and got information that going to the Jungles
is dangerous and maybe even impossible with the bus due to the rains and
conditions of the roads. That made me and Simon think, because we were thinking
about catching the bus the next morning. So instead of making a rapid decision
we went for a meal. We found a place, very nice with very nice atmosphere and
service [I do not recall the name, but I remember where it is, so if you need –
I can tell you the directions] and had a decent meal for 2.5 EUR, including
salad, soup and second which to me was trout and it was delicious.
We ended the day deciding to stay in La Paz for one
more day and clearing our minds about where to head next and how.
Day No 49
We got up and La Paz congratulated us with a rain.
Just our luck. So we went for breakfast in the market, San Fernando square and
cathedral and then separated our ways. Luis wanted to go to the museums, I
needed tourist information, information about how to get to jungle and post
office and Simon wanted to see the Coca museum.
We met after couple of hours and since the rain had
stopped, we decided not to waste too much time and go to the Valley of the
Moon. Something extraordinary and worth seeing apparently.
It took us some time and some of my nerves to get to
the spot where we could take a mini van to the place, but once we succeeded it
was a 30 minutes drive through the crazy streets of La Paz to the Valley. The
valley turned out to be not valley, but it is really worth visiting. It looks a
little like sand castle, just a huge one and you can walk around it inside.
Plus next to it there are a lot of red [but really red] hills or mountains, so
we enjoyed the walk and taking the pictures.
Once again, it was the last night for the three of us
so after some negotiations with the hostel we got approved to go out and be as
late as 1a.m. and we went. It wasn’t so easy to find a place, but we ended up
finding one. Very strange, very not noticeable, but very nice. Some sort of
underground pub, where at least I felt like at home.
Day No 50
We woke up in the morning, packed our stuff once
again, said goodbyes to Luis who was going to Copacabana and went to another
bus terminal with Simon to catch a bus to Rurrenabaque. At the end we decided
to give it a try. How bad can it be? If bus are going, we can go too. It was
supposed to be 18 hours of a bus ride.
Taxi dropped us off in the middle of the street and
claimed that this is the `bus terminal`. Well, he was right, but it did not
look like a terminal at all. Just a simple street with a lot of street shops
and some agencies who kept on shouting the destinations. We bought the tickets
in one of the places, still had an hour or so to kill, so we went for breakfast
[a big cup of coffee and bread with butter and jam cost 0.3 EUR] and then
buying something to eat for the road.
Once in the bus, we started moving. It was an
experience alright. The road was awful in the sense of condition, not paved,
drenched with rain and very narrow. It was like a death road for the buses.
While passing with another bus was an adventure all the time, because you could
see the cliffs just centimeters away from the bus. All I could think was – if
the bus can do it, I can do it too. Meaning – I was going more and more ready
for the death road on a bike once back in La Paz.
Despite the extremity, the views from the bus window
were absolutely unbelievable. All the hills, mountains, rocks and forest. It
was like watching a live national geography. If you ever come to Bolivia – try
going up north to the Rurrenabaque. It is worth it. Even if very long.
So we spent the whole day in the bus.
Day No 51
We were supposed to be in Rurrenabaque at around 6 in
the morning, but that did not happen. Since we had to stop and stay on the road
for the whole night, we spent the whole other day in the bus again.
After 31 hours of a bus ride we finally entered
Rurrenabaque and were able to get off the bus. Well, once again, the same old
story – you take your bag, you go to the center and you hope that some hostel
will be available and price is not going to be too high.
We were lucky, I guess. The place we had in mind was
open, was available and we got a room for two persons for 7 EUR. Once settled
we went out to look for the tours to the jungles, since going there on your own
basically would mean getting lost in the middle of nowhere.
Now choosing the travel agency is a crucial thing.
Since everyone is offering you he same routes and the same thing, the quality
differs highly. I am not sure if I want to recommend the one we used, but I am
sure I want to offer one of our guides [he is working independently as well].
His name is Honorio and he is unbelievable. Knows a lot, has a lot of
experience, cooks good food and all in all – really, just ask me and I will
give you his directions.
So we booked a 3 days tour to the Jungle, went for a meal
and got back to the hostel. It was 27th of January and in a few
moments I was supposed to get older. Hopefully wiser as well. While in the
hostel we joined some Chileans and kept on talking to them. They were very
young, but very nice. they even talked slower so we could understand their
Spanish. Once they learned that it was just about to be my birthday, they
insisted on partying, but since we were going to the jungles the next day, we
decided not to. Still they made me drink some strange kind of home made
Bolivian ron once we had `the tomorrow`. It was a weird way to mention my
birthday, but it’s always an experience.
Day No 52
We woke up early in the morning, packed for the tour
and went to the agency. We were greeted by Ovidio – our guide and Honorio – our
cook and went off. We took a boat and crossed the river. This reminded me of
Southeast Asia so much that I can hardly find words. Same boats, same big
rivers, similar looking people.
Once on the other side we took a jeep and went deeper
into the nature. It took us two hours and we got to the place where we were
supposed to spend the first day and night. We had a little walk around to take
pictures and then had lunch. It was a very very tasty chicken. Once after the
lunch we had our first trek to the Jungles. It wasn’t hard, but it was hot and
it was uphill, so it took some energy from us. Ovidio was a good guide – he was
telling us stories and explained a lot about animals, insects and plants in the
jungles. We went up till the view point where you can see Amazon. And when I
say Amazon, I mean the real, whole Amazon that lasts till the Atlantic Ocean.
Of course you cannot see that far away, but still the view was priceless.
On our way back we stopped at some place and Ovidio
started collecting grubs [larvas]. I thought he was kidding when he said we are
going to eat them. Turns out, he wasn’t kidding. I was not about to even touch
those ugly creatures, not talking about eating them, but I patiently waited
till they were collecting them. So once we got back Honorio put them in the pan
and started baking. Everybody was talking about how tasty and good for people
they are and I started to feel interested in trying it. Once fried they did not
look that ugly anymore. And so I tried it. It wasn’t bad at all. So even though
I managed not to try them in China, I tried them in Bolivia. And I tried two.
So trust my word – the taste is not so bad. I learned that if I ever get lost
in the forests, at least I would know one way to keep myself away from hunger.
After that we had a little rest, then dinner with some
wine and we ended up watching the stars, which are a lot in the jungles,
because there are simply no lights of the cities.
Off Topic
Somehow I wanted this birthday to be special. It was
special, but I wanted it to be special in a different way. Don’t know. Hard to
explain, but it turned out into a little disaster. I still cannot understand
how and why. I just realized that I became smart enough to stuck to my guns. I
managed. Maybe I did become one year wiser as well.
Day No 53
Once we got up and had breakfast the clouds came so
instead of going to the jungles, we stayed and waited for the rain to come and
to pass. No one wanted to walk in the jungles in the middle of heavy rain.
While waiting Ovidio and Honorio made rings for us from pits. One more amazing
thing to learn about the nature. It was interesting how almost white pit became
completely black. Also in one of the pits they found another grub and to my
surprise Honorio ate it alive. Yeaaack.. it still grosses me out when I
remember that.
Anyways, after the rain we went to the jungles. We
walked up, then down, then up then down, then crossed the river, then crossed
it again. We were trying out a new road, something even our guides haven’t
tried again. It was an experience. And it was hard. I mean I liked it, but it
was hard. Because it is very hot and humid and slippery and so on – jungles is
not an easy walk, I tell you. So once we settled for the place we were going to
spend the night – I was happy about it. Very happy.
Once there we had a little swim in the river, prepared
the dinner, ate, sat, talked, heard some animals and try to find them but with
not so much luck and finally went to sleep. We were all tired and once sun is
out – there is not much things to do in the jungle. Or it is not that safe
either.
Off Topic
It was a heavy rain. One of those rains that you dream
about. Or better yet, one of those rains where you would love to be kissed.
Yes, that kind of the rain. Too bad there was no one to kiss. Another time.
Another jungles. Another experiences.
Day No 54
We spent the last day of the tour coming back to the
same place we spend the first night. We made several stops, we drank coco milk,
we ate some strange, but tasty fruits, we collected some avocados. Once back in
the place we had a very big lunch, waited for the jeep and got back to the
Rurrenabaque.
Once there we bought the tickets for the day after for
the bus to La Paz [I was positive about it – even if it takes me 30 hours – the
ride is worth it, besides, flying is much more expensive].
We ended our day with a beer and a sleep. A beer –
because we thought we deserve it after the trek and sleep – because after
sleeping in the jungles we lacked that as well.
Off Topic
He reminded me of you. A lot. Too much, to be exact.
It made me remember and get sad again. I guess you can never completely get
over, can you?
Day No 55
The day started usually, having breakfast and packing,
once again. But an unpleasant surprise was waiting for us in the bus terminal.
Ovidio, our guide. He was talking to someone on the phone, then he came to me
and said `we have a problem`. What kind of the problem I asked and he told me
we did not pay for the entrance of the park. F… that I thought. When we were
booking the tour they clearly told us that entrance is included in the price.
And I really wasn’t ready to pay additionally, especially after everything was
already over.
He tried to play on us, telling that he will loose his
job now because of us and that entrance is never included in the price. He even
brought his kids, maybe to soften our hearts. Well, you know me, I have a
calculator instead of my heart, so it is not that easy. I told him that this is
agency’s fault then, if they gave us false information and that I was not going
to pay any extra. And I moved to the shade while waiting for the bus. Simon was
still trying to talk to Ovidio about what we knew and that is was really
supposed to be in the price of the tour. I was watching them and thinking that
I do not believe any of what our guide tells me. It seemed as a cheap scenario
for getting additional money from us. I wasn’t ready to be scammed. I know it
may be difficult to live with the money he earns, but I wasn’t about to pay
additional for that.
Finally he said that he will loose his job because of
us and left. I felt relieved and not bad. He definitely is not going to loose
his job. I guess Bolivia is becoming more and more like Cambodia, where to
people you are just a walking ATM. Too bad.
And then – the bus ride once again. Theoretically 18
hours. I was sleeping, listening to the music, reading a book, taking my time
to think. I fell asleep once it was dark outside and the night came.
Day No 56
This time the bus did not get stuck on the road. Just
as promised we arrived to La Paz at 6 a.m. I am not sure how long I slept in
the bus, but it was short. Really short time. So I was tired.
We took a minibus, went to the center and went looking
for a hostel. Once again, we shared the responsibilities. I stayed with the
bags in one of the plaza’s and Simon went looking for a place. Once there, I
experienced watching the rise of the flag. It’s funny, there were 20 guys
dressed in a specific clothes in the procession.
After about an hour Simon got back with good news. He
found a place, cheap enough and close to the center so we went for it. Once
there we had to wait for the room to get ready and somehow he got involved into
conversation with a strange Argentinian.
I can tell you honestly, I am sure he was on crack and
not the good kind. He was talking as a mad man. `Oh, you are from Lithuania? So
you were in Soviet Union? I like Soviet Union. I like Stalin. He was a good
guy`. I mean, you just don’t say these
kind of nonsenses right? Or `I want to make something big. I want to make
revolution. I don’t know where or what, but I want to`. And a lot of more crap
like that. I was very glad when our room was finally ready and we could get
away from him.
So, since in La Paz there are not so many things to do
and it was cloudy, we decided to go and to look for an agency and actually do
the road of death on bikes. I mean, I came to Bolivia kind of for that and
somehow I was sure I will manage to survive that. Worst comes to worst – I
needed my adrenaline dose and I did not want to get it from the same thing I
had it last time. So – we were looking.
It is not that easy to find, because you want bikes to
be really good so you don’t end up down the cliff definitely dead. After some
walking around, asking and talking we decided to take Barro Biking tour. I can
already recommend it to you. It was good. Bikes were great, all the other stuff
they give you, like helmets were good as well and guides were nice and
considerate.
So once settled that we went back to the hostel. Simon
fell asleep and I kept myself busy with writing those lines. I was already way
too behind and I needed some time, so why not La Paz, which has not so much to
offer right?
We got out in the evening for a little walk, for a
food and no beers, since it is better to get on the death road without too much
of alcohol in your blood.
Day No 57
I can honestly tell you – I did not sleep that well
that night. Fear was doing it’s business. I was afraid of going on `el camino
del muerte`. I did not want end up dead. And even though I was kind of sure
nothing bad will happen, my night was still a little stressful. So I was kind
of happy when we had to wake up already.
Since market was closed that early hour of the day, we
bought some empanadas and fresh juices for the breakfast. Then we went to the
agency, waited for the rest of our group, got into vans and moved towards the
death road.
After a little introduction and trying the bikes we
went on the road. The first part of the road is kind of a piece of cake on the
one hand – paved road, pretty wide and easy to handle. On the other hand –
there is still traffic and there are a lot of buses, trucks and cars going next
to you, so you still are risking your life. Also the weather conditions were
unbelievable. First it was riding in the cloud, then in the fog, then it
started raining, pretty heavily, then it stopped, then it was fog again. I
could not decide if it was better for me to put my sunglasses on or take them
off, since with the rain both ways are bad enough.
After the first part we got to vans once again, had a
little snack, drove a little uphill and then came to the worse conditions, much
more narrow and rocky road. Kind of the real road of death part. And yes, I do
have experience on biking and enough, but not hardcore mountain biking. So it
was a little scary, especially in the beginning. Although the views around were
absolutely priceless. It was hard to see them, because you always had to look
in front of you – one wrong turn, one a little too small turn and you end up
down the cliff. Possibly dead. Adrenaline was rushing in my veins.
We were making several stops for some snacks, for
taking pictures and so we had a chance to see it all. And we were going pretty
fast. I was surprised that I actually can go on such a road so fast. It doesn’t
feel that fast though.
Once we were at the end of the death road and guides
greeted us that `you made it in one piece` I couldn’t help but thinking – I
want to do it again. And if it wasn’t that expensive or if I had more time in
La Paz I would have probably done it more. It is amazing. The views, the
adrenaline – everything. Totally worth it. If you have a sense of security for
yourself – definitely do it. It’s a lifetime experience.
After the ride we got to some hotel, had showers, had
lunch, had a swim in the pool and went back to the city. Going back to the city
took us almost 4 hours, since the traffic in La Paz is unbelievable. Seriously,
absolutely unbelievable. I do not understand how people drive there and do not
get killed. There are no rules, no nothing, just a lot of using of horn and
driving one on another.
After such an adventurous day we went out with a
Canadian guy who was also on the same tour. We went for a meal and a beer, then
kept on looking for a good another place but without much luck we ended in very
`for gringos` bar where I decided I can award myself with White Russian.
After that we went to sleep. I wanted to wake up early
and let’s face it, el camino del muerte kind of took all of my energy that day.
Day No 58
I managed to wake up early enough and pack my things.
I paid for the hostel, said goodbye to Simon and went to look for the minivan
towards the cemetery from where I could catch a but to Copacabana. It was lake
Titicaca time. I got minivan in a few moments and had a `ride to hell`.
Seriously, several times I was sure we were going to crash or kill some
pedestrian. It was that crazy.
I got to the cemetery around 8:40 in the morning,
bought a ticket to the bus for 9 o’clock which gave me enough time for a
breakfast coffee just next to the bus. The bus ride, just as always in Bolivia
was very nice with the scenery, although getting out of La Paz was a pain in
one place – very slow and with very crazy traffic.
After about 3 hours of ride we stopped at the lake
Titicaca. We had to pay additional 1.5 Bolivianos for crossing it, got back on
the bus and continued to go to the Copacabana. Once I got off of the bus I
started looking for a hostel. For the first time in a while I had to do it on
my own. But I got lucky. I went into one place and even though it is very
basic, it cost for me alone 25 Bolivianos so I settled for it.
I went for a walk right away. I wanted to collect
information about how to get to Peru and to the island of the sun and other
things. So I went to the shore, took some pictures of the lake, got back to the
city, exchanged some of leftovers of Chilean pesos and dollars, booked a tour
for the island of the sun for the next day and bought a ticket to Cuzco in
Peru.
In the end I was left with no more than 40 Bolivianos
and I had still to survive kind of two days. Well that is a challenge right?
We’ll see how it goes. I visited cathedral and Candle Chapel, both of plazas
and market in Copacabana and basically I was done with the city. I also climbed
to the main hill of the city and that was REALLY hard. It only takes around 40
minutes to get there, but with altitude and sun and everything – you can hardly
catch your breath after 5 first minutes.
The view from the hill is totally worth it though.
Very nice. you can see the hills, the lake, the whole Copacabana and even
corrida in the main stadium of the city. Once back from the hill I felt like I
deserve a nice meal, even if I was risking to spend all of the money I have
left. I ordered trucha [trout] for 20 Bolivianos, which is 2 EUR and got the
full place. Portions are huge in here. You get the whole fish, rice, French fries
and salads. It was a very good meal.
I stayed in the beach a little longer for the sunset,
but once sun disappeared in the clouds I moved back to the hostel. Altitude,
lack of sleep and strange thoughts in my head were making me more than tired.
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