Just arrived in Sucre - good job we didn't fly Aerocon as when we landed we passed by a previous flight that had skidded off the runway into a ditch!!!!!

Not sure where we are going from here. Maybe ton Uyuni via potosi and then down to tupiza / villazon and into Argentina or straight to Argentina via Villazon and back to Uyuni. Either way we want to go to SPdA in Chile afterwards. Decisions, decisions!!

Thanks for the heads up on the dinosaur park.

I really liked the colonial center of Potosi..they use color on the buildings. Not all white like Sucre. Best $1.50 meal at El Encuentro Cafe Restaurant.

I vote to go to Uyuni. I have not done SPdA but understand it is significantly more expensive and you see the backside of the same volcanoes. I don't know that they have a Salar there.

I am sure you will find lots of travelers in Sucre to get opinions on the relative merits of the two.

Mlgb Your opinion of SPdA is matched by that of a very helpful Swiss guy in the tourist information place here. We have decided to head to Tupiza via Potosi for one night spend a few days exploring the Tupiza valley area ( maybe some horse riding in the footsteps of Butch and Sundance!), sort out a tour to the Salar returning to Tupiza before heading on to Salta and from there into Chile. We plan on spending only a couple of days in SPdA just to visit the valley of the moon before heading on to Iquique which I am told is very nice.

BTW tried the Mondongo in the market as suggested - delicious!

And so . . . how was your time in Madidi?

Madidi was simply fantastic, didnt want to leave! I am busy writing it all up and hope to post in the next few days. Thank you glover for posting the link to the story of the Israeli guy a few months ago which inspired our decision to go!

Mlgb, any suggestions for places to stay in Potosi??

I followed a Gecko tour group who I met in Uyuni, their Bolivian guide had booked them into Hostal Cerro Rico Velasco, now on Booking.com. It is uphill from town center, but not too steep. They are now on Booking.com, previously it was only email or telephone.

I recall the breakfast being pretty decent. Luggage storage. An upscale small grocery store between plaza and hotel. We arrived at the end of the "bus ride from hell" journey in the wee wee hours of the morning after a terrific storm (which means snow at high elevations) so I wasn't shopping around. Luckily they had a triple room left and myself and two other "independents" shared it. The hot water was working in the middle of the night which as you know is quite impressive.

http://www.fodors.com/community/sout...-from-hell.cfm

Possibly if you walk in or contact them directly you can get a better rate than on booking.com

http://www.bolivia-online.net/en/pot...potosi-bolivia

MADIDI

We leave Rurrenbaque at 9.00am for the 4 hour journey by boat up the River Beni to Madidi Jungle Ecolodge deep in the Madidi National Park, one of the most untouched and bio diverse places on the planet. First we must cross the Beni river to San Buenaventura to buy our park tickets and from there it is a further hour to the park entrance where we must register before continuing on into the park proper. The entrance to the park is marked by us passing through a gorge through a range of mountains which mark the eastern boundary of the park. In the far distance we can see the foothills of the Andes which mark the western boundary. In between there is nothing but rainforest and river.

We have been fortunate enough to travel in rainforest and wilderness areas in Asia, Africa and Australia, all have been exceptionally beautiful but this really does take the prize as the most unspoilt and pristine area we have yet visited. As we meander up the river, the forest just seems to go on forever. We see very few other boats or people and feel very privileged to be in such isolation, so far from any real impact of man. We are in a large motorised canoe which, because it is the dry season and water levels are low, has to wind its way through the shallow areas. The river varies in width from around 50 metres to over 300 metres and it is very easy to see the flood plain where the river reaches in the rainy season when the level rises by 2 or 3 metre and the width of the river quadruples in places. All along the river there are giant trees semi submerged in the river where they have been washed away in previous season. On virtually everyone of these trees, large and small are perched cormorants waiting to catch fish.

One thing which is immediately noticeable and a bit of a surprise, is how cold it is. The sun is shining but we are wrapped up in fleeces and jacket as it is so cold on the river. The weather seems to fluctuate between very hot (30c) and very cold (10c). Thankfully though, the humidity appears to be very low. Not at all what we were expecting.

The boat is manned by two people, the guy operating the outboard motor and the man at the bows whose job it is to spot the shallow parts and direct the driver using barely perceptible hand signals, to avoid the places where the boat would bottom out. In a lot of places the water is to shallow for the outboard to operate so the guy at the front has to use poles to punt the boat through. In one part the water is just too shallow for us so we have to disembark and walk a while.

Along the way it is incredibly relaxing just to sit and watch the rainforest slip by as we move up river, although there is one bit of excitement as we spot a family of wild pigs swimming across the river. The boatman stops a while to let us watch as the family of three pigs, mummy, daddy and baby pig swim across the fast moving river. It is touch and go for a while but all three eventually make it only for baby pig to go off in an entirely different direction from mum and dad!! How it turned out we will never know!

The trip up the river has been an event in itself but eventually we arrive at our home for the next 5 days which is only marked by a giant tree trunk on the bank which is used as a landing stage. A short walk up the bank and we are greeted by our guide, Raoul who shows us around the lodge which is basically comprised of four buildings, two for bedrooms, one shower block and one for a kitchen dining block. The accommodation is basic but very comfortable and very well run by the San Jose community who run and own the other lodges in the park including the famous ( and expensive !) Chalalan Lodge.

After a very welcome lunch (the food here turns out to be really very good!) we set off with Raoul for a 3 hour walk into the jungle along one of the dozen or so trails which lead out from the lodge. Our first task is to learn to walk quietly so as not to frighten away the animals. Not easy given that the forest floor is covered with leaves, twigs, branches and just about everything else that makes a noise. Gradually, over the next few days we manage to get the hang of it and it becomes a bit of a competition to see who can make the least noise.

Unlike, say Africa where the animals are abundant and are mostly to be found on open plains, spotting the wildlife here is a lot more challenging and we watch and learn as Raoul showed us how to identify the animals usually by sound, sometimes by smell and ultimately by sight.

Sighting the animals, exciting though it is, is not the main reason for coming here. Just being able to walk in one of the few, virtually untouched, areas of rainforest in the world, is, in itself reason enough to come just to marvel at the incredible diversity of vegetation that surrounds us. Over the coming days we will get to walk in many different areas, all of which are a little different. Different types of trees, plants and vines etc. as well as different habitats for the various animals and birds. One area seems to be the domain of howler monkeys, another capuchin monkeys etc.. The one thing they all have in common however, is insects, particularly mosquitoes ( although, nowhere near as may as we had feared). Having contracted malaria once before, I am in no rush to experience it once again and fortunately it is not prevalent in this area, although dengue fever is so we are ultra careful to spray deet copiously over our exposed skin.

As we hike, increasingly quietly through the forest Raoul explains to us a little of his culture and how his community is spread out in settlements throughout the entire park, the furthest being some 9 hours upriver close to the Andean foothills. Communication between the communities is by shortwave radio at set times throughout the day. Some settlements have only got electricity (via generators) in the last year or two. All this adds to the feeling of splendid isolation, no telephone, no Internet, no post! All the supplies for the lodge are brought in by boat along with the guests from Rurrenbaque and all refuse is taken out the same way meaning that the environment is maintained in pristine condition.

Despite having to bring everything in by boat an cooking over a combination of open and gas fires, the food here is the best we have experienced in Bolivia, a country where, in many places, customer satisfaction or service standards are not high priorities. This small, community run lodge could teach the rest of the Bolivian tourism industry a great deal on how to look after guests. Nothing is too much trouble and everyone we come into contact with has a smile on their face.

After a couple of days we head out for a night hike into the jungle ( it reminds us a little of our very first night scuba dive- very spooky!). Before we set of Raoul tells us to tuck our trousers (pants) into our socks so as not to allow any spiders etc. to creep into any places we wouldn't want!! With this in mind we are ultra cautious not to brush against any leaves which, on closer inspection are home to some very large spiders and some enormous ants some 2 cms long! The walk is short and only lasts and hour or so but even so, it would be completely impossible without a guide as even after 50 metres or so it would be very difficult to find our way back to camp as the forest is so dense and completely disorientating.

When we arrived at the camp on our first full day there was just us and three American women, the next day we were joined by a German couple, a Greek couple and two Aussie girls. So for a couple of days only the lodge was 75% full. For our final two days we were on our own (a bit like the final days of "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!") apart from Antonio, the semi-tame Tapir who, having been rescued by the camp staff from the river as a baby, is now a regular visitor to the camp. He usually visits around breakfast time and often creates havoc by running madly around the outdoor cooking area until he is given some bananas. When he is not doing that he like to swim with the staff in the river at sundown.

We have seen lots of animals during our hikes into the rainforest and trips on the river. The monkeys we stalked included Red Howler Monkeys, Brown Capuchins and Saddleback Tamarins, all completely different and all living in completely separate parts of the forest canopy. Raoul was able to find these mostly just by listening to them chatter far away in the forest canopy. Also in the forest we we able to find many wild pigs or "white Lipped Peccaries" to give them their correct name. these are found in herds of up to two hundred, usually by listening for the very loud sound of them crunching a particular type of nut, which at first sounded like a machine gun! On the riverbanks we came across Capybaras and a few pigs swimming as well some Brocket Deer.

Around the camp we often saw Antonio the tapir as well as red squirrels, numerous lizards and lots of birds, butterflies.

This place is a paradise for bird watchers we saw countless different birds including:

Dusky Billed and Amazonian Parakeets
Blue and yellow macaws
Green and red macaws
Serary
Ringed Kingfisher
green Kingfisher
Stink bird
Orinoco goose
Orupendula
Grey black hawk
Snowy egret
Anhinga
Aracari
Guan
Red necked woodpecker
Black, King and Turkey vultures
Tropical king bird
Social flycatcher
Cormorants
Capped and white necked heron
Great tianoli
Swallow tanager
Parakeets

Our guide was able to identify all of these without batting an eyelid and would give us a rundown of the background of each species.

The animals we did not get to see but live in the area included, ocelots, puma and jaguar although we were shown their hideouts in old tree trunks. Armadillos, although we did see many of there burrows as well as evidence of anteaters digging holes all around the lodge in search of their prey.

Throughout our walks we would come across the "highways" created by the armies of leaf cutter ants carrying pieces of leaf 10 or 20 times there size to their nests. These highways were around 4 inches wide and often stretched for a very long way into the forest until they reached their giant nests. We were also shown the giant ants sometimes 2 cms in length and very poisonous with the excruciating pain from the bites lasting up to 9 hours.

Despite the abundance of insects in the forest, I managed to escape without too many bites ( v. unusual for me) Carolyn was not as lucky with around 200 on her legs at the last count!

Tomorrow, even further upriver to Santa Rosa Lake..

Oh this is so great, thanks Crellston - even a bird list! Sounds just like I had imagined. Glad to know there a less expensive alternative to Chalalan too. Sorry to hear about those insects, though. . ..

Antonio sounds great...looking forward to next installments.

what an amazing trip. Thanks for sharing this.

SANTA ROSA LAKE

On our penultimate day we have decided that rather that more hiking, we will take a boat ride a couple of hours further upriver to Santa Rosa lake. Along the way we see yet more beautiful amazon basin vistas along the river. I don't think we could ever get tired of this scenery! Eventually we arrive at our base for getting to the lake a disused lodge owned by a Frenchman who died 10 years ago. This was the first lodge in the region and probably pre dates the national park itself. I can totally see why they decided on this spot, on a hill overlooking the lake as the views are spectacular out across the lake and up the river to the Andes.

We spend an hour or so exploring this forgotten lodge and its grounds which still contain lots of coffee bushes and the drying sheds which are still used to produce a small amount of coffee. Around the grounds are lots of wild fruit trees, orange, mandarin, grapefruit etc. We pick a couple of grapefruit from the tree and they are so juicy and sweet! Never before have I seen so much juice come out of a fruit. Just by cutting it in half the juice was running down our arms! These fruit trees also attract hundreds of butterflies in all shapes and sizes as well as many different varieties of birds we had not seen before.

After a while, we return to a disused hut to eat our picnic out of the sun. The weather has been getting hotter and hotter over the last couple of days and today it is up in the 30s but still low humidity.

After lunch it is a short walk to our dugout canoe on the lake for some piranha fishing. The lake really is beautiful and so very quiet. The only noise was the swish of the paddles in the water and the breeze rustling in the trees at least it was until a flock of blue and green macaws flew over. For such amazingly pretty birds they make the most awful noise!!

We try several fishing spots around the lake but after an hour or two, absolutely not a hint of a fish. We do however see a couple of caimans ( alligators) slinking around. Maybe they have scared off the fish or maybe it is just not our day.. We decide to head back across the lake back to the jetty and a short hike back to the boat to try our luck fishing on the way back down river to the lodge.

We stop a at a couple of The boatman's favourite fishing spots along the way. At the first spot, nothing. At the second I catch a huge ( well huge to me!) stingray about two feet across, honestly! Sadly, or luckily for the fish I suppose, it is not edible so back he goes. The boatman catches two huge catfish, both escape before being landed but not before one has bitten his finger. We move on again this time the boatmen manages to land a big catfish which we take back to the lodge for dinner.

Even though the fishing wasn't a total success, we have had a thoroughly enjoyable day and our now looking forward to barbecued catfish for dinner.

Our last dinner in the lodge was every but as good as anticipated. The weather obliged by being cool and dry with totally clear skies which brought out the stars in force and later a full moon which cast the most incredible shadows across the camp.

The next morning we take a short boat ride up the river for another hike into a different part of the forest after which we return to camp for lunch and then to return to Rurrenbaque with the rest of the staff as they have no more guests after us for a few days. We have enjoyed all the places we have visited on this trip so far, some more than others obviously, but this is the first time we have both been sad to leave a place. Maybe its the people, maybe the place. Probably both. so glad we came to Madidi and that we chose this lodge. I have no doubt that Chalalan would have been more luxurious ( at a price) but I doubt the service and experience could have been any better.

Cmon Crellston I know you are busy planning the rest of your trip but there isn't much on Bolivia here. Your fans want another episode before you forget!

Ok, I want to know how you prepared for this trip! This is amazing. Are you retired? Do you have a 'permanent' home somewhere? I'm very envious!

Susan, prepared? Who said I was ever prepared? I suppose I just sat down and worked out, with the help of people here, a rough itinerary with the intention, not only of travelling but of seeing whether we could find anywhere in SA that we would like to live and maybe start a business ( a guesthouse or similar). I don't use the"R" word as it all started off a few years ago as a career break to do some voluntary work in Africa, I just never went back!
No we don't really have a permanent home as such, although we do pop back to England from time to time.

Mlgb. You really are a hard task master!! It has been a bit of a challenge sorting out where to go next but here is the next installment ( un-edited ). Having just returned from Uyuni to Tupiza I have lots more to write up before heading off to Argentina but am in desperate need of a shower right now...

SUCRE


There are a number of ways to get from Rurrenabaque to our next chosen destination of Sucre, the capital of Bolivia and a UNESCO World Heritage site on the basis of its colonial architecture. Unfortunately all of these involve long and uncomfortable bus journeys. I am all for land travel and always avoid flying where possible partly to reduce my effect on the environment, but mostly because land travel is a far better way to see the country and meet its people. All bus options would have involved journeys of around 24 hours or more so we chickened out and decided to fly.

We having purchased our tickets before going into the jungle, we turned up at the appointed hour a the Amazonzas office in Rurre Main Street to catch the bus to the airport. It took us by surprise when the entire staff of the office shut up shop and jumped in the bus with us. On arrival, they jumped out and hurried to the "terminal" (small shed) to check us in! Thankfully this aircraft's engines started and we were on our way to Sucre via La Paz. The flight takes us from the jungle to one of the highest airports in the world and the flight seems to skim the Andes along the way. Quite spectacular, or at least it would have been but we could barely see out of the windows as they were so scratched!

We had a couple of hours wait in El Alto airport and were a bit concerned about the altitude as we had been down at virtually sea level for a couple of weeks. Surprisingly, we were not affected in the slightest even though the airport is at 4000m above sea level. Maybe it was because we had been a altitude for several months beforehand. Anyway, after sorting out a mix up with our luggage by Amaszonas ( we had checked it through to Sucre but a sixth senses told me to go and wait by the carousel and, sure enough one of our bags turned up there!) after a surprisingly good lunch in the airport and catching up on a few emails, news etc., we jump on the 40 minute hop for an uneventful flight to Sucre. Or so we thought!! Upon landing, about halfway along the runway, everyone's head snaps to the right, there is a sharp intake of breath from every passenger on the plane as we all see the Aerocon plane, a bit bent, at right angles to the runway, pointing downwards by about 30 degrees into a ditch!! And we thought Amaszonas were a rubbish airline! We see in El Correo the next morning that the flight a few hour before our veered off the runway upon landing due either to mechanical failure or pilot error ( either way the poor pilot wasn't having a great day).

Finally we arrive at our hostal for the next week, La Dolce Vita. Run by a Swiss couple , Jacqueline and Oliver, this is a really pleasant surprise at a bargain price. After showing us to our very spacious room on the first floor around a very pleasant courtyard ( with absolutely the best showers in the whole of Bolivia!), Jacqueline gives us a map an provides us with a pretty comprehensive run down on what to see in Sucre and where to eat etc. without a doubt the nicest hosts and the best hostal we have stayed in so far.

Sucre is a very pleasant town with a great vibe to it and we feel instantly at home. Loads of restaurants to choose from, the central market is just around the corner and we have the use of a nice kitchen in the hostal so at least we won't go hungry here.

On the subject of food, we missed going to Cochabamba the gastro capital of the country but this place must run a close second. In addition to shopping in the market and cooking for ourselves we eat out at a variety of restaurants from the very cheap $1.50 Almuerezos in the market to the excellent Nouvelle Cuisine - never before was a restaurant more misnamed. The decor is no great shakes. White plastic outdoor table, grubby tablecloths and an interior that may well have been a converted garage, but the food is exceptional, pretty much all meat, but exceptional meat with obligatory fries and cheesy rice and a great salad buffet. An enormous fillet steak, costillas ( beef ribs) - 9 ribs which must have weighed at leas a kilo, a bottle of very good Bolivian wine all for 100 bolivianos about £10 ($15). I confess we did return more than once.

Apart from the food (did I mention the fantastic chocolate shops all around the city?) Sucre is the sort of place you can just wander around popping into museums and churches or just sit in the main square or one of the parks with an ice cream ( food again!). We visited a number of museum but the one that really stood out was the Museo de Ethnografia and Textiles. The area surrounding Sucre is surrounded by villages which are famous for the best handwoven textiles in South America and this museum really brings to life the beauty and intricacy of those textiles. It inspires us to go and visit one of the villages out in the countryside, but more of that later.....

Another memorable visit was to San Fellipe Convent in the centre of town, not so much for what was inside (no offence to the resident nuns intended) but more for being able to get on to the roof of the building, itself very impressive, arched and domed but you are still able to walk over virtually all of the way around. best of all are the the magnificent views of the city and the cordillera beyond.

MANAGUA CRATER

One of the most popular tours on offer from agencies in the city is to Managua Crater combined with a trip to a "weaving village" in the crater and a 2 hour hike down the Inca Trail the crater. After checking out a number of operators we settle on dealing with Eclipse Travel, seemingly nice people and a reasonable price.

On the night before the tour there are massive thunderstorms and torrential rain but, as agreed we get up to meet the guide as arranged at 6.30pm. He arrives on the dot to tell us that it is not safe to go because of the rain and that he will return at 11.00 and if it is ok then we will go, if not we will postpone till another day.

We meet at the office of the tour operator and it is still looking grim but the owner assures us that it is safe to go as the weather is always different out at the crater. Five set off to the great, still not entirely convinced that it is ok but the guide assures us that it will get better (why we believed this BS, I really don't know as were are not usually that gullible. Anyway, you guessed it, we arrive at the start of the trail and stand around a church, probably built in the 70s, in the the pouring rain and low cloud while our guide tries his best to convince us it is in the slightest bit interesting. He fails miserably, we ask again if it is ok to go on. Of course it is! Off we set in the gloom and ever darkening clouds down the Inca trail.

On the way down the trail I asked why there are lots of areas of scorched grass and exploded trees all over the place and a smell of smoke in the air. Pedro explain that this is due to the thunderstorms last night and this particular mountain being renowned for attracting lighting as it is "magnetic" due to the iron in the ground. Hello Pedro!!!! What about the pouring rain and the rumblings of thunder??? There must have been literally hundreds of lightning strikes last night from the top of the mountain virtually to the bottom?

We are not by any stretch of the imagination "nervous travellers" having travelled to some of the most remote areas in the world and having taken more risks that is perhaps sensible, but I really do object to other people taking risks on our behalf. Another couple had started the trek by saying that "the weather doesn't bother us" etc.. After 20mins, after we had all slipped over on the wet rock and the rain got worse, they changed their viewpoint somewhat.

We eventually made it intact to the bottom, cold and wet but looking forward to lunch and the trip to the said weaving village. First, we had to get there. This involved a trip in a mini bus (did I mention that it had 4, not 5 seats?), so I had to sit on the edge of two seats sandwiched between Carolyn and a Belgian lady, normally I would not have complained but we were travelling up, down and around sharp bends on the worst mud roads I have yet experienced in this country, all the time literally on the edge of two seats! as the rain poured the streams started to flow across the road. Eventually we made it to the "weaving village" in the middle of the crater. The crater was one of the most desolate places we have yet visited dark brown mud as far as the eye could see and the village was just collection of concrete block buildings, rather than the quaint collection of adobe houses we were expecting.

Pedro announced that it was time for "lunch" and suggested we sat down on the floor outside one of these buildings ( in the pouring rain) . He then passed around our "lunch" one hamburger bun in which was one, almost transparent slice of some unknown fluorescent pink processed meat. This was the point at which I lost it! Those who know me well will probably ask why it took so long. I really don't know the answer to that, perhaps I was subconsciously trying to attune myself to the Latin way. Anyway after suggesting to him what he could do with his sandwich I asked him to let us back into the minibus where we could sit out the rest of the tour in the dry.

When the others went of for an hour to wander around the village we sat in the bus with the driver and had our very own Spanish practice with him as we discussed everything from our families to Bolivian politics, his culture and the places we had been in his country. By far the most enjoyable part of the day.

The others returned and we headed back the way we had come to Sucre. The rain was worse, the clouds had come down making visibility around 10m and the streams were now gushing across the road. As we were going up the mountain around the many hairpins the minibus was sliding all over the road coming very, very close to going over the edge into the valley below on more than one occasion. We got stuck several times and the driver and guide had to get out and clear the mud off the tyres. By this time I was getting a tad concerned as were the other passengers judging by the white knuckles gripping the seats etc.

Throughout all this the windscreen was steamed up making it impossible to see out. When. Told the guide to clear the window, "no problema, tranquillo" ( it's not a problem, keep calm) I wont write my response hear for fear of upsetting the moderators)

Eventually, we did make it back to the city where there was a complete power blackout! What's that Lou Reed song? Perfect day...

When we relayed the tale to Jaqueline our host, she volunteered to come with us the following day to the tour operator to explain what had happened and hopefully get a refund. She warned us that the Bolivian way is to deny everything, even the weather, which of course is exactly what happened!

Hairy adventure indeed even by the intrepid Crellston standard - but fascinating reading -- from the comfort of my home . . .

I had white knuckles just reading this, Crellston. Very glad you made it back in safety...and didn't deny it all to us :-)

Such a fascinating report; this installment as the others. Gracias.

Wow, "guide" should be in quotes, eh?

I listened to a lady on the tourist bus to Tarabuco who had been on a trek from Sucre. Late start, bad weather, "guide" got lost, etc.

Bolivia can definitely be a challenge. Some days chicken, some days feathers, as they say.

Hope your Salar tour went better!

What an experience! It's the kind of experience where, hopefully, you can laugh about it later, although it's definitely not funny when you're living through it!

Quite the adventure --