South America - Bolivia

Woke up feeling as if I was dying; severe headache, nausea and loss of breath. Yep, the altitude was hitting me hard. I nearly didn't make it out of bed but was forced to by my two waiting fellow English. The walk to the bus terminal was hell but on arriving got a bus straight away. A mere 40c to Tapiza. The landscape during the 3 hour bus ride was amazing with colourful eroded mountains and giant cacti all over. Arrived at 2pm and immediately checked on getting a bus or even better a train to Uyuni (this is where I plan to do a 3 day Salt Lake and surrounding areas tour).

All three of us were also on emergency cash (no ATM's in town) and it being Sunday there were no buses or trains out of here. Resigned to the fact we had to stay a night in this sleepy place the hunt for cheap food was on (stray dogs were starting to look appetising and plans were made for a barbecue). Saving myself from eating dog we found a local shop that also made cheap burgers (what a result). We ate like kings. Back at the hostel me, Ivan and Chris chilled on the roof terrace munching on Coca leaves (I felt a lot better by now...fully adjusted for the altitude). Met a cool new age Aussie couple. He was a great guitarist and she a great singer.

After a rousing rendition of Wonderwall we headed out for some cheap dinner (by this time we managed to rustle up some stray dollars and get them changed. Walking around and watching the people it feels and looks so different to Argentina. The people, and especially the older woman all wear traditional clothes; black leather sandals, wide dresses, stockings, white blouse...and of course black bowler hats (with upturned rims). They are also a lot darker than their Argentinean cousins. Hoping to get up early tomorrow to see if there's a train running.

There was a whisper that there may be a train to Uyuni at 8am this morning (promising to be a very scenic ride) but sadly when I got to the station I was told the next train was a 6.30pm'er. Plan B was a bus at 10am. At the bus terminal waiting for the bus I tried to get a few sneaky shots of traditionally dressed women but they were having none of it (I think they have some form of photo sixth sense) and would move out of the way just at the right moment.

The 8 hour bus ride (was told 6 originally) was a damned rough one. The seats were hard and the windows didn't close (it was freezing at this altitude) but boy were the views amazing. Had a few scary moments when the bus broke down (twice) but with the aid of modern mechanical technology and skills (a hammer and chisel bashing) the driver got us on the road pretty sharpish. The roads were scarily edgy and going round tight gravelly turns with the wheels merely inches from the 500m drop scared the Be Jesus out of me.

Arrived in Uyuni at 6.30pm and we all headed straight to the haven that is the only ATM in town (great to have some money in my pocket again). Next mission was to book a tour for this landscape rich area. After 30 minutes of hard haggling I managed to get a 3 day jeep tour for $62 (all inclusive) starting tomorrow morning (Bolivia is so much cheaper for everything than all other Latino countries I've been to...God bless Bolivia's cotton socks and it's cheap goodness).

A slap up celebratory meal was in order so me and the lads headed to a Pizza place to celebrate our new found wealth and cheap tour. Beer was pondered but the day before yesterdays feeling on waking up was still fresh in my mind...and Uyuni is damned high up.

Not much sleep last night as my two roomy's Ivan and Chris were up all night vomiting and shitting (really badly it seems). They were in a right bad state, as pale as ghosts and seriously in no fit state to go on this tour. I went to sort out all our supplies for the trip (the brave northern monkeys were still going) and then we headed to the jeep pickup place (where Chris did a streaming vomit on the main road). On the 3 day tour was a German couple, Swedish fellah (weird aggressive dude) and us three.

First stop was the Train Cemetery sad looking place with old train wrecks left to rust in the middle of nowhere because of a lack of coal and wood in the area (seemed quite obvious to me). Next up was a small salt processing factory showing how its made into a final product (apparently you can't eat the salt straight from the ground until being processed). My two fellow Englishmen were slowly improving but still surviving only on water. Then the place we all wanted to see , the biggest salt lake.

Driving across this 2,000 square km lake we arrived at a small coral island in the middle of nowhere covered in cacti. The views were staggering and sunglasses were a must because the sun reflecting off the salt flat was well bright. The horizon was very surreal and mountains in the distance looked like they were floating in the air. After lunch when our guide and driver ploughed straight into a lake there was horror all round but we soon realised the surface was solid salt with a thin layer of water on top. Of course I demanded a stop to do the obligatory 'I can walk on water' shot. Quite a weird feeling walking out into an open lake...but on the surface. Finally the first nights stop was in a small village called San Juan. The two infirm's went straight to bed while the rest of us went for a wander around town.

Really not much to see here except an outdoor basketball pitch with a gang of Llamas in the background. Dinner was the usual tasty stuff prepared by our driver and guide's wife. Early night tonight (not much choice really as the generator shuts off at 10pm). Tomorrow its up at the crack of dawn for a sunrise and a drive to the heady heights of 4,900m (Holy Shit...did I bring enough Coca leaves with me?)

A word on chewing Coca leaves. Its always worth buying the fresher leaves (softer). First thing to do is prepare roughly 7 leaves (pulling the stems out with the teeth or by hand). Roll them into a ball and place them between the side teeth and cheek. Once they are soggy pull them out and either sprinkle some Bicarbonate Soda or banana paste into the middle of the ball. This makes the flavour better and also the Bicarbonate makes the goodness get into the system quicker. Chew every few minutes and leave. After about an hour pop a top up leaf every 15 minutes.

Shit its cold here. Woke up well early and caught the sunrise at 7am. It was very tranquil and unusual to see the sun rising over a field of Llamas. All go at 8.30am and a long...long, bumpy ride to a lake of flamingos. The altitude is starting to hit me real bad here as we slowly rise to the dizzy height of 4,900m. My head is pounding, am feeling sick most of the time and have no appetite. Even so I still enjoyed the beautiful landscape and yes...it is amazingly Daliesque. Superb colours in distant rock formations and mountains, volcano's everywhere and strange rocks scattered all over the place.

We made a lot of stops at scenic points and then headed to our next stop for the night at 4pm. Pretty early but we had to beat all the other tour companies to the best beds for the night. At 4,900m now and its hit me real hard with the altitude. All I can do is lie in bed and try to sleep. Coca leaves, some local herbs the driver picked for me and painkillers didn't seem to work. Praying I feel better in the morning.

Last day of the tour today and woke up at the shocking time of 4.30am (madness..but worth it as I was to find out later on). It was time to see the Geizars shooting sulphurous gas out of the ground. Difficult to see properly as it was still dark but still impressive (and boy did it stink). Next was a dash to some hot springs to catch the sunrise . Got there at 6.30 just as the sun was slowly coming up. It was truly freezing now but bravely we all undressed and hopped into the hot pool. It was absolute bliss and just right at 30c. Really beautiful to there and watch the sun come up. Later on a hoard of other tourists scrambled into the pool so it was time to move on.

We dropped the Germans off at the Chilean border and then drove the 8 hours back to Uyuni. Caught the 7pm chicken bus to Potosi which was worse for wear. There was only one headlight working, it bumpy as hell and ahead in the distance was a serious storm brewing.

One benefit of catching the night bus here in Bolivia is you don't scare yourself half to death watching the buses scrape round turns with sheer drops). The plan for the next week is to do a silver mine tour in Potosi and then slowly head towards La Paz..the highest capital in the world.

Arrived in Potosi at 2am and rather than wait until light (all the bus passengers settled down for the long wait) me and the lads and a similarly impatient Israeli girl caught a taxi to our hostel of choice. The poor girls had to share a room with 3 complete strangers but at least it was a place to sleep. Settled down and caught up with some sleep. On rising the first mission of the day was to get a silver mine tour booked. Potosi is famous for its silver mines and used to be the richest city in the world until the Spanish drained it and now its only real claim to fame is being the highest city in the world. I quite like it here..it feels more like a town than a city.

Walked around the market and centre for a while and can see the people look very indigenous and traditional. Very hard to take photos (they get well grumpy).

The 2pm tour of the mines kicked off on time and the first stop was to get kitted out with mining gear (with obligatory miners hat and lamp). I tried to convince a group of passing girls that I was in fact a real miner but they didn't believe a word of it and instead compared our group to the camp singers of YMCA. Next up was a store that miners buy their stuff from. On my shopping list was a big bag of Coca leaves, a bottle of alcohol (no ordinary stuff either but a clear, gut melting 96% proof liquid of the paint stripper variety), a few packs of home made cigs and...just what I needed...Dynamite! Dynamite was obviously the most exciting buy for our group and so we bought one each to blow up later on. In fact all of these things were gifts for the miners as a sort of thanks for letting us get in the way of their work.

Coca leaves in mouth and torch on head it was time to enter the dark and airless mines. First stop was a statue of a devil where the miners make sacrifices of Coca, cigarettes and alcohol to protect them against misfortune in the mines (collapses, lung poisoning and explosions gone wrong). Our guide did a small prayer for our own protection during the tour. After a walk through narrow and short tunnels I met the oldest miners in the area; 53 and 54 (life expectancy for mine workers is a measly 35). They were both having a Coca, cigarette and alcohol break in the tiny Catholic shrine (a point was made that in the real world you can drink and smoke in a religious area and still be religious. We all shared a drop of the paint stripper...Sweet Jesus it was strong. So thanking my lucky stars I chose the internet rather than mining as my profession (not that they have much choice) it was time to explore deeper into the mines. We did a lot of climbing up ropes, ladders and through holes just big enough to squeeze through. The air was getting very thick and it was well hot and humid now.

Finally we came to a place still being dug out for minerals and had a little go. I found a nice little shiny piece of stone (apparently with some trace of silver in it) and soon pocketed it hoping to top up my ever decreasing travel funds. Escaping the claustrophobia of the mines it was time to set off some dynamite. Sadly we couldn't do it ourselves so Willy did the honours. We got a complete lesson in setting up dynamite (very useful in my line of work). As Willy scampered away from the set dynamite the first one went off with a bang...the second one was so powerful it made everyone jump out of their skins.

Exhausted and totally covered in dust we headed back to town. I couldn't help but think of the shitty life the miners have...and the low wages of between $100 and $200 a month. This tour was one of the best and insightful I've been on so far and really was worth every penny of the 50 Bolivars ($6). There was a bus to catch at 8pm so picking up our bags we headed to the bus terminal and chilled waiting for it to arrive. This is the first bus I've been on in Latin America that had heating...weird.

Sleep was difficult to come by in this oven on 8 wheels called the Cocacobana Meme bus. Pulling into the bus terminal of the highest capital city in the world called La Paz at 5.30 me and the lads tried to get a taxi. I'd heard a lot of stories and warnings about taxi robberies (generally radio taxis that have a proper taxi sign on the roof, a phone number on the side and are registered are safe...generally the same all over latin America). So when a dodgy taxi driver did try and get all 3 of us into a pretty average looking car around the corner I used my finest Spanish to tell him to piss off.

Found a decent hostel in town and settled down to catch up with some kip. When at 7am a group of Israelis decided on a game of shouting snap right outside the door I cursed them and gave up on sleep. Instead I got up sat next to them and lit up a fag (they all happened to be non smokers). 20 minutes later they left as to plan and I went back to bed for a good sleep.

Later in the afternoon I went for some grub with the lads at a local restaurant and then it was time to catch up with my old travel mates Surekha and Krina. Today was no ordinary day...it was Surekha's birthday. Just by chance while walking around the market I bumped into Krina in the market and a little reunion and birthday drink was arranged for later. Back at the hostel for some siesta'ing (still adjusting to the altitude and as well as that Ivan has a dodgy stomach and Chris has a cold).

That evening me and Chris (Ivan was suffering too much) met up with the girls in the location of dreams when your traveling. It was an English pub called Oliver's travels; good beer, football on tap..and the ever elusive English brekkie (black pudding goodness which I'll be back for tomorrow morning) and the usual good grub of fish and chips, curry or shepherds pie. It was really good to see the girls again and we all had a good drink and chat. Getting back afterwards was not so easy as the girls couldn't remember where their hotel was. We caught a taxi but he didn't know where the bloody hotel was either so I asked him to return us to the pub. The girls insisted on walking which really wasn't a good idea in the deepest and darkest La Paz.

In the end I asked a burger stall owner the way and one of his dodgy customers was kind enough to warn me and the gang of La Paz's dangers when walking around at night (he ran his hand across his throat in the universal cutthroat sign) which prompted me to mutter 'bollocks to this' and was about to demand a taxi when the rest of the gang had one ready. The girls were dropped off at the hotel finally and me and Chris back to our hostel.

Today checked out the local market in town (saying that..the whole of La Paz seems to be just one big market). The usual array of everything at criminally cheap prices; for example new DVD films 40c a piece. Also checked out the Witches Market where they sell the strangest objects; Llama foetuses, stuffed frogs, stuffed lizards, statues of good fortune, wild cats fur (sigh) and all sorts of natural herbs that promise to heal anything. Next was the highlight of the day for me...a full English breakfast (the first in 8 months by my count) accompanied by a pint of tea (PG Tips no less).

Then it was time to book the bike ride down the infamous Road of Death (the most dangerous road in the world...apparently). We had a nice group of 5 people and that's how it was to stay for tomorrow's day of fright (Me, Surekha, Krina, Ivan and Chris). For dinner we found a cheap chinese restaurant (well...when in Bolivia..) and had a tasty sweet and sour pork for $2. Early night tonight as tomorrow I truly test my vertigo to see if Costa Rica really did cure me...

Today will go down as one (if not the) most memorable days in not only my travels but my life (all for the wrong reasons I might add). The gang went for an early 7.30am brekkie at the tour company for the bike ride (Barro). All were in good spirits and there was some nervous tension in the air as we ate the usual bread, jam and tea (why the hell do they only do continental brekkie's in South America ...maybe I've been spoilt with yesterdays Full Monty English brekkie with extra bacon). Forgot to bring my sunglasses with me so the next 20 minutes frantically tried to find a pair but gave up in the end.

The 1.5 hour drive to the bike ride of death starting point was good fun and a few songs were sung (Californication went down well) and as we passed through La Paz I mimicked the hundreds of buses that pass through by shouting out prices and pretending we would pick up passengers. Reaching the start point we all donned waterproofs, helmet and gloves then tested the bikes (brakes being a huuuuge must work here) and went through a safety chat with Jose our guide. The two lads were well up for it being adrenaline junkies through and through.

Me and the girls stayed at the back as we all bombed it down the twisting road (not yet the Road of Death but just the beginning stages). The bikes handled pretty well even at the frightening speeds we were doing but the signs of what was to follow soon became apparent when we got to a check point and Krina's bike suddenly veered violently to the left (almost hitting a stray dog on the road). Nobody was hurt but she was a bit shaken.

The next part was a grueling 1 hour uphill cycle which I have to admit I lazied out of (as well as the girls). Much cajoling and harassing of Ivan and Chris followed while I was sitting comfy in the van (following us all the way) and they struggled up the steep road. Fair play to them they did us proud and managed the whole bit without a stop.

Now as we reached the proper Road of Death (a gravelly, slippery and narrow twisting road cut out of the mountain with shockingly steep cliff-face drops) we all mounted our bikes and followed our guide. All was good as we bombed it down and I have to say I was getting braver and braver the further we went. Chris had some brake problems (really not the place for that) but Jose soon fixed it and we all continued ploughing into streams and waterfalls. We stopped for a few photo and video shots and then Jose stopped us for a chat that brought us back down to earth.

Eight months previously an Israeli with apparently bad cycling skills had plunged full speed off the cliff here and quite obviously died. There was a memorial stone in place and I couldn't help but think about the poor fellah. The order we were cycling in changed after every stop and at this point it was Jose, Surekha, Me, Ivan, Chris and Krina in the back.

When we turned the corner just after the memorial some of us heard a gravelly sound and as I watched Jose turn his head while cycling and then pounce off it with a murmur of fright me and Surekha realised something was badly wrong. Looking back we realised Krina was missing at the back and this is when the shock hit. She had plunged down the cliff. After we all jumped off our bikes and raced back to where she may have plunged shock and reality hit us...it was a very long drop down.

Poor Surekha was obviously the worst, what with Krina being her best mate and not knowing where she was or if she was still alive (survival rate from plummeting off these cliffs is understandably minimal if not impossible). She was shaking like a leaf. After 15 minutes of frantically trying to spot her or her bike down below we finally found here bike and the eery sight of one of her white trainers next to it...but no Krina. The van pulled up and the race was on to rescue her. Jose and the driver pulled out some long rope and he climbed down slowly to see if he could find her. Everyone was really tense and Surekha was obviously in tears not knowing if her close friend was dead or alive.

The atmosphere changed dramatically as a cry was heard from Jose below and Ivan spotted a body next to him....moving its head and sitting up. The relief was huge. Now everything changed and the rescue operation was started in earnest. We didn't know how badly she was injured (back and neck was my first worry) so this had to be done carefully. Jose clambered up the cliff to where the rope dangled and we dropped a stretcher down to him. He then said he needed all the man-power available so the 3 lads including me (a real test of my stupid vertigo) had to climb down using the rope. Surekha was quite adamant about going down as well (understandably) but I had to ask her to stay there and help at the top.

The climb down was well slippery and dangerous (right on a stream) but eventually I made it and was so relieved to see Krina sitting up and cracking a few jokes with the lads. There was still the worry about her back or neck but she said it felt ok. She was shaking a lot from the cold so Hypothermia was another worry as she was sitting in a freezing cold stream of water. Putting her into the stretcher was a tough job but finally she was strapped in (the only back support we had to hand was an old street sign...shocking).

And so the long backbreaking carry back to the base of the cliff-face started. We all slipped, fell and winced as we hauled her up slowly (she's not a big lass but the dead weight was a killer even for 4 grown men...less burgers next time Krina). Finally we got her to the base of the cliff and I clambered up the rope to help pull her from the top. Another scare happened when the guys down below lost grip of the stretcher and she very nearly plunged down again with a sharp rock in her way but thankfully (well, not for him) Ivan bravely put his hand in between her and the rock which stopped her but also ripped a hole in his middle finger.

Krina was re-tied (strapped in tightly) and after 10 minutes of backbreaking pulling from up top and below we swung her onto the flat cliff surface. By this time she was shaking violently so we swiftly got her into the relative warmth of the van and Surekha quickly got her into dry clothes. One thing that really pissed me off was that Jose and the driver then spent another 5 minutes trying to retrieve her bike and equipment while Krina was shaking and moaning in the van. I actually went over and shouted at them which made them hurry a bit.

The 1.5 hour drive back to La Paz was painful Krina, it being a bumpy gravelly road and painful for us to watch and hear as she moaned at every small bump. Surekha was holding her head and I was trying to keep her awake. The threats of me singing her a few songs worked a treat and she stayed awake for the whole ride back. At the hospital she was seen immediately and the prognosis was a twisted ankle, total bruising down her left side, a bruised shoulder and a few cuts here and there. In other words...a miracle of survival. Ivan was patched up (very nasty deep cut on his finger) and by late evening we all checked on Krina again and then headed back to the hostel.

Its difficult to describe the emotions running through everyone but we were all still in shock (especially Surekha) so when we got back to the hostel and saw groups of people chatting and laughing it took a mammoth effort not to tell them to shut it. We all had a quiet night and as a form of distraction watched some Simpson's on my laptop. Sweet Jesus...what a day. One I'll never forget...

First thing in the morning me and Surekha headed to the hospital to check on the non-intentional cliff diver. She seemed ok but true to being a bad patient demanded to be released from hospital. Her only current memory of the fall was that she came off the bike and tried desperately to grab or cling onto anything as she plummeted. She then blacked out and remembers waking in a beautiful spot in the middle of a stream with tropical plants and trees around her.

The doctors suggested she stay another night in hospital and we all agreed. So exhausted we came back to the hostel and me and Surekha went off to organise a new place to stay. The shit hole that is El Solario hostel was no place to recover (it also made Ivan ill and Chris got a cold). Found the Hotel Majestic (it was indeed pretty majestic and also fairly cheap at $8 per night). We then hauled all our packs (I had mine and Krina's and nearly gave up when I remembered the hotel located uphill) there and settled down for the night.

Checkout day today for our patient. Surekha went to pick her up while me and the lads stayed sleeping. The whole day was basically a flurry of activity around her and keeping her company. Not much else was done really. Dinner for tonight was at the British Hindu Curry House where we had a delicious curry. The mood was good and of course a lot of the time we talked about how lucky Krina was.

Rumour had it that it was possible to get into the infamous La Paz prison to see how the inmates lived and survived. Its a prison with a difference in that without money you can't survive. You have to pay for a room, essentials...well, everything really. No money...no survive. Me, Ivan and Chris (Surekha wasn't in the mood for prisons at the moment) hopped into a taxi and got to the prison (strangely located next to a central plaza).

After a few inquiries with the prison guards we nearly gave up when they sternly refused us (I wasn't going to push the idea). Walking away a Bolivian fellah approached us and set the whole visit into operation. I was to call a South African inmate called Daniel Foley and then go to a side entrance where the guards would let us in. After buying a small gift pack (toiletries, ciggies and chocolate) we headed in. A not very strict search was made and passports kept by the guards.

To be honest I was a tad nervous (I mean...this is a South American knick...who knows what could happen in here). Daniel was a big, friendly South African (near Jo'burg) who'd got himself involved with Nigerian drugs smugglers (bad move indeed). He was caught carrying 3 kg's of Charlie (swallowed in vials) at La Paz airport and was thus sentenced to 3.5 years. After the introductions he immediately took us to his cell (I say cell in a very broad term...it was a room with a computer, books, nice bed etc.). The first thing he told us was there was a huge fight here last night between the foreign prisoners (23% of the prison) and the Bolivians. Started when they picked on a small South African fellah (seem to be quite a few in here).

Life in here seems very tough. Apart from the fact that they can buy pretty much anything in here and that they produce the best Charlie in the country the main threat was the locals who didn't take too kindly to the foreigners in here. After loads of stories (have been asked not to repeat or mention names) the hunger set in and Daniel asked us if we wanted some food. There followed a delicious burger and chips (shit...never thought I'd eat in a knick in South America). For obvious reasons something else was tried (well...at what other time can I say I've tried the best gear in Bolivia in such distinguished company).

The afternoon went swiftly and after a tour of the solitary cell (it had 7 inmates in it), kitchens, gym, pool room (the room that funnily enough has the most fights) we realised we'd been here for 6 hours (the longest for Daniel apparently). On the way out I met the Butcher of La Paz (apparently the best butcher in town who sliced his wife up in butcher style). Saw the daddy of the knick sitting on some stone seats with his lieutenants around him (yep...he looked well hard).

Rumours abounded about the legendary fellah (nicknamed red beard) who got caught smuggling 4 tonnes of gear by plane. He was quite a character apparently. Daniel's due for release in 5 months so good luck to him and I quote from him 'I've learned my lesson' (we'll see). A bit worse for wear I said my adios's and we all hopped into a cab home. What a great day...one of the best and most surreal days so far. Dinner was a takeaway and exhausted it was straight to bed and thanked my lucky stars I'm not remotely interested in the smuggling game.

The plan for the next week is to get Krina well enough to travel then I'm heading to Lake Titicaca for a few days (ok, childish laughter whenever I hear that name) for some chilling and to see the legendary Moon and Sun islands (where apparently the sun was born). Then its into Peru for the last main stretch of my Latin American journey...only 3 weeks to go.

Said my farewells to the lads as Ivan and Chris, now fully recovered (Diarriah, cold and a hole in finger) headed off to catch the bus to north Bolivia. I think its fair to say that if they weren't there with us on the fateful day of plunging down cliffs Krina wouldn't be with us anymore (nuff respect for their rope tying and rescue skills). Krina still needed looking after so we all shared the 3 bed room. A lot of the day was spent with keeping Krina comfy and checking internet stuff (just generally lazing around).

Had a wander around the market area and bought a few cheap DVD's (latest cinema releases for 30p...bargain). Even though I'm kind of stuck here in La Paz I'm really liking the place. It reminds me a lot of an African town/ city; very rough round the edges, holes everywhere on the street and pavements, weird and wonderful things for sale (dried Llama foetus's being the one that stands out the most), local minibuses flying around everywhere with touts shouting prices and destinations from the windows, a dank smell everywhere and people hustling and bustling. Another odd thing is if you need to get a haircut there is a street solely for that...need plastic bags...then head to plastic bag street.

Dinner tonight was a Chinese Takeaway with Krina. Tonight Krina made the decision to fly back home to recover (good choice in reality). Watched a film called Michael Clayton and half way through it fell into a deep, bored sleep.

Today was Krina's last day in Bolivia...and maybe of travel (for a while anyway). We herded her slowly to the internet cafe to book her flight tickets. Surekha's continuing north towards Ecuador via Peru and I've still to see Peru so we decided to do the Peru leg together. The day was taken up with the usual wandering around town. Bought a few bits for tomorrows exodus and spent all day updating my blog and photos (its been severely neglected for the last 2 weeks). Although I really like La Paz I'm pretty excited about heading off (plus La Paz has some bad memories for me).

I'm particularly excited about heading to Lake Titicaca (the highest navigable lake in the world). Bolivia seems to have some record breaking spots; highest capital, highest city, highest navigable lake and...the worlds most dangerous road. I do feel I haven't seen as much of La Paz as I wanted to but with the situation it couldn't be helped (apparently there are some awesome clubs here).

Bought a few souvenirs and Krina kindly packed them up for her return to the UK.

At the ridiculous time of 4.30am we made our sad farewells for the brave (and damned lucky I might add) Krina and packed her off to the airport. Checked out of the cheap but slightly Majestic hotel and headed for the haven that is Oliver's Travels for a slap up breakfast (yes...black pudding and a whole pint of PG Tips) and to watch Liverpool trounce Man U (sadly the reverse happened with a Liverpool trouncing). Around midday beers were ordered in the hope of watching the hi-light game of the day for me...the mighty Chelsea vs Arsenal. South American TV scuppered this by showing a Boca Juniors game instead. Had a few more bevies then a last chance to check out markets before heading off to Lake Titicaca.

Caught the 3pm bus and was a tad concerned when we were the only passengers on board. I had a brief chat with the driver and his assistant (just to confirm that I could speak Spanish and would hopefully notice any dodgy tricks). The landscape changed after a few hours with more vegetation and small lakes.

Finally we arrived at Lake Titicaca's narrows. I was well concerned when the bus driver ploughed the full sized bus onto a raft/ ferry the size of a rowing boat. Miraculously the bus fitted snugly and we rocked precariously forward towards the other side. Another 30 minutes and with excitement we arrived at Copacobana (no...I'm not back on the beaches of Rio but instead at the lakeside town that gives the impression of Southend meets and Austrian lake). The views were beautiful and the town was pleasant enough but lined up on the whole shoreline were plastic swans of the peddling power variety. Heading towards the chosen hostel we stumbled across a very rustic and bohemian looking hotel.

Checking out the rooms we discovered an absolute gem of a room with huge bay windows and a view of the lake (gorgeous). The kind manager of the hotel was a pleasant fellah who has been dubbed Mr Dimples. After settling down we both realised we were exhausted and...both had a damned cold coming on.

The cold weather, altitude and stress of Death Road (more like Stress Road) had finally taken its toll on the 2 non cliff fallers. A swift dinner and a trip to the chemist...then sleep.

Due to illness the next few days were a blur of rest, rest...oh and more rest (basically doing absolutely nothing except drink liquids and watch films on the laptop). Ventured out a few times to buy essentials. Noticing a hell of a lot of tourists and backpackers (probably more than locals) shuffling around with their packs and bags. All along the side of the main road are groups of New ager's stuck here for some reason or other selling jewellery and just generally wasting time and chilling. Want to do a day trip to the fabled Isla Del Sol (Sun Island...fabled Incan birthplace of the sun) but not until I'm feeling better.

Another day of illness and just doing nothing. Luckily I bought a supply of dodgy films in La Paz to keep me and Surekha busy (season 2 Simpson's, Family Guy, Jumper, I am Legend...and loads more). Watched I am Legend (my kind of apocalyptic/ survivalist film). Went for a brief wander to a restaurant and had a proper dinner to help fight the cold.

...and so, another day of illness. Surekha is still very bad but I'm improving. Went for another wander and did some internet stuff (amazing how quickly the blog gets neglected and outdated...2 weeks of blog to catch up on. I've kind of held off writing it because one of the weeks is the Krina Death Road incident...still strong bad memories there) and checked out the local market. Had some well tasty trout for lunch (trout being a specialty here...and it is well good). An ambitious attempt was made to visit the island and tickets were booked for tomorrow mornings boat trip at 8am (fingers crossed we won't be illin). Tonight's showing at the Multiplex Cinema (well...Rowleys laptop) was Jumper (pretty decent film...and more Simpson's).

Failed this mornings attempt to catch the boat when Surekha started feeling sick, so the trip was postponed for tomorrow. Shit, what a week. Its one of those weeks where nothing has happened really...but I do foresee a good week ahead as the lure of Peru draws me closer. To be honest I think me and Surekha are still shell shocked from the whole Death Road thing. These things do take a while to digest and recover from. The plan for the next week is recover...then finally go to the island. Then its goodbye Bolivia and Hola Peru. The first major stop there will be Arequipa where the Colca Canyon (deeper even than the Grand Canyon) awaits. The added attraction here is the possibility of seeing the graceful 3 metre big condors swooping in the sky.

Finally...caught the boat to the fabled and elusive Isla Del Sol. The 2 hour boat ride was slow but the views were beautiful with scatterings of small islands on the huge Lake Titicaca. The waters were crystal clear and temptingly swimmable but yet again freezing cold (should bring a wetsuit with me everywhere to quell my water lust) On reaching the island the group was met by a local guide and we were whisked off to the small local museum. Saw some artifacts from an underwater city in the area and learned that the legendary Jacques Cousteau did a lot of diving in these parts in his heyday.

Next was a slow walk through small villages along cobbled pathways. Reached the ancient ruins of the island and had a stroll through the pre-Incan rock ruins. It was now 12.30pm and the return boat was due to leave at 3.30 on the other side of the island so me and Surekha had a long 17km walk ahead of us. The going was pretty hard (me and especially Surekha, were still weak from the cold) and steep in places (even though the tour ticket seller told us it was flat all the way).

By 3.25pm we still hadn't reached the end of the island and with just a minute to go reached the top of the cliff (at the bottom was our boat). Between us and the boat back was a steep set of stairs and no time. I ran down at breakneck speed, avoiding donkeys blocking the path (nearly vaulted over it), tired backpackers coming up the stairs, touts selling hostel beds and locals with market goods. Reached the boat just as its second siren sounded for leaving and managed to hold it up to give Surekha time to get down here.

Exhausted we made the boat and on the way back pondered the 3 hour walk and the mystical island. I thought it was ok but to be perfectly honest nothing like what I expected. It didn't feel mystical or spiritual at all. Some of the views were impressive...but that was it really (honestly...all that effort and endless delays ending in a disappointing trip).

Back at Copacobana it was back to the heaven hotel for a slap up dinner and an early night. I never learn...today I forgot to use sun block during the island visit (yes...even the obvious clue of 'Sun Island' wasn't enough to provoke the brain into remembering) and am now suffering or it. (damnit).