Iguazu

We left Asuncion and made our way across Paraguay to Ciudad Del Este, 'City of the East'. CDE makes up a third of the triumvirate of border towns for Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina which are known for two things... shopping and the mighty Iguazu Falls. Each city has it's own monument and viewpoint where it's possible to see all three countries.

CDE is the Paraguian border and was to be our exit stamp for Paraguay. However for many CDE is a day trip as it also goes by the name 'The Supermarket of South America' due to its low prices and very close proximity to it's more expensive neighbours Brazil and Argentina. More like the Tottenham Court Road of South America... As you approach the border crossing (a 500m long suspension bridge spanning the Rio Paraná) the streets turn into the home of hundreds of hustlers selling mostly electronic goods but also anything else you might consider. Despite the lower prices in CDE, Brazil have a 300% tax rate on goods bought in Paraguay so hustling turns into smuggling very quickly. Motorbike taxi's zip constantly across the bridge ferrying day trippers back and forth as they are rarely stopped by immigration and have by far the quickest queue.

Fortunately electronic goods weren't on our shopping list so we made our way across the border, but not before a visit to one of the seven wonders of the modern world....

The Itaipu Dam is the highest producing hydroelectric dam, and second biggest in the world. A joint venture between Paraguay and Brazil costing over $25 billion USD and taking 14 years to complete, it is a sight to behold. The power harnessed is so great that it supplies 90% of Paraguay and 25% of Brazils electricity demands. Our visit to the dam had us driving along the bottom of the dam, crossing into Brazil and driving along the top of the 200 metre high, and 2,000 metre long, power producing reservoir creating concrete wall.

 

The next day we collected our exit stamps for Paraguay and set off for Puerto Iguazu (Argentina). You have to pass through Brazil for 20 minutes to get there but fortunately you don't need to get off and do Brazilian immigration on a short non-stop bus.

So Iguazu Falls.... another UNESCO world heritage site but this time an entirely natural one. The Argentinian side of the falls is a full day with plenty of different walkways giving you views from below, alongside and above the falls. A stupidly hot day had us go for the view below the falls first so as to cool off directly below them....

The falls themselves are made up of over 250 separate waterfalls which span the horizon for nearly 3km. After traversing the lower walkways we made our way to the upper walkways to admire the views from above.

 

 

 

Saving the best till last we made our way to the Garganta del Diablo, the 'Devils Throat', the climax of the falls and a marked difference to the others. The majority of the falls provide a grandeur of graceful elegance that only fresh water falling from such great heights surrounded by lush green vegitation can do. The Garganta del Diablo however is natures way of saying 'Don't Mess!'. A raw energetic show of machoism that appears to have swallowed up anything that has had the misfortune to be in it's path. The elegance of the white watered falls gives way to an almost yellow gigantic distribution of water providing uplifts and water sprays higher than the falls! A truly awesome sight.

 

 

 

After the exhiliration of the falls, it was time to go off the beaten track with a 7km round trip hike to a lagoon with it's own waterfall where we could experience the delights of the water first hand. The hike had us cutting our way into the jungle and encountering hundreds of overly-friendly butterfly's, several Iguana's and even a Toucan! A short hike through the undergrowth in the blazing heat of the sun, but the reward at the end pays for itself 10 fold.

 

 

 

Back to our hostel where we managed to negotiate 40 pesos (£6) PP for a four bed dorm with ensuite, buffet breakfast, wifi, computers and even a swimming pool, we decided to cash in on this and spend a few days relaxing by the pool!

Mother nature however had other plans as the following day the heavens opened and refused to close! Our first rainy day in two months, so it's not a complaint. In an effort not to be drowned by the rainy season we have set off in search of the sun on the Atlantic coast, next stop Florianopolis and the Isla de Santa Catarina, home to over 40 of Brazils best beaches....

Ciao Chicos

Cross Borders

A frantic few days have seen us take four long buses, take in three countries, two border crossings and a brief flirtation with Argentina...

We left Tupiza with our three Salar companions in search of the Gauchos of Argentina. A short taxi ride down to the border had our driver insisting on picking up every waif and stray. When we more strongly insisted that we had booked the whole taxi (there were 5 of us with 5 large rucksacks in a standard MPV) he went into a childish strop and turned the short taxi ride into a long one!

After a slow but scenic taxi journey we made it safely to the border and with relative ease and some patient queuing made it through to Argentina. Country number three on our South American journey, and one earlier than first anticipated as we choose to go through Argentina, rather than take our chances at the notoriously difficult and corrupt Bolivia-Paraguay border.

Less than two hours into our Argentinian adventure and our coach was hauled over to the side of the road at the first Policia check point. It seems our coach had won the lottery and jackpot prize was a thorough search of everyone and everything! After waiting patiently on the coach at the side of the road watching the Policia strip down a VW golf to it's bear mettle it was our turn... hauled off the bus and made to collect all our luggage it was single file time waiting for the contents of our bags to be emptied out, inspected and in some cases laughed at. Dirty socks in tow and of course safely back on the bus (nothing to hide here officer) we continued our journey south to the city of Salta.

After the delights of Peru and Bolivia, Salta was a welcome change of pace. A true Latin American city which would be just at home inbetween Madrid and Barcelona than the Andes and the Atlantic. Large department stores, clean streets, wine bars, steak houses serving 'parradillas' (barbecued slabs of meat), dining Al Fresco and large central plazas. The only unwelcome delight is the price.... not only is Argentina substantially more expensive than it's Incan descendant counterparts, it is also substantially more expensive than last year, and the year before that! A true case of Inflation Inflation Inflation has led to average increased costs of 50% in two years, with accommodation up at the same rate and transportation up over 100%!

A pleasant enough city but spiralling costs and a dwindling budget had us scrambling for Paraguay! An almost day of rest had us leaving Salta the following evening on a night bus to Ascunsion, capital of Paraguay (via a three hour stopover at Resistencia bus depot).

Border crossing number two in 48 hours, and after a short slightly antagonising wait as customs held on to our passports (we have prior painful memories - see Copacabana fisherman) we were safely into country number four, and possibly to be our shortest entry and exit stamps.

Asuncion. A suprising city that felt more US than South American. Big cars, HUGE shopping centres and department stores, a one way grid system and lines of yellow taxis. This is no New York but after eating rice and potatoes with every meal for two months even Paraguay feels quite westernised. A return to lower altitudes had us breathing easy again and taking in a city in a year long celebration of it's bicentenary, 200 years of Independence. A couple of days without a bus was a welcome treat and the 32c heat meant a couple of days of taking it easy.

Our second night had us experience a true South American Capital observing it's national sport with a little more grace than the English do. The evening had TVs popping up at every street corner, taxi rank, hair dressers, restaurant and bar. Groups of people everywhere huddled together often around tiny 14 inch TV screesn to support their national football team take on bitter rivals Chile. An unfortunate score line for the Paraguayans but a great way for us to see the way a country of such Latin passion support their team, from huddled groups of taxi drivers to silenced scores of women at the hair dressers.

Next stop Iguazu Falls....

A&G

So Salty

Our voyage through Bolivia took us further south to a town called Tupiza. To quote the Lonely Planet... "if ever there's a place where you want to throw tour leg over a horse, brandish spurs and say 'ride em cowboy' this is it". Tupiza is as a Wild West town should be with a long stretched out dusty main drag of a street with a single lane rail track running parallel.

Tupiza was to be our base for our Southwest tour of Bolivia and four day three night expedition into the Salar de Uyuni, the largest salt flats on the planet.

Day 1
We departed with La Torre tours (which we can highly recommend) in a group of 5 plus our driver and guide Pedro, and cook Aaydi. Our fellow tourers included a a couple of French ski instructors and a young English teacher from Bangkok. With an age group of 26-30 we had a good group... Although the day before we were told we were going with an Australian couple and a solo male called Sebastian. Not knowing the group till the day seems to be the norm for most agencies in South America!

We made ourselves comfortable in the jeep which was to more or less be our home for the next 4 days. We set off through true wild west territories with sprawling dusty red mountains and plenty of cacti. After several hours of driving (a few inca bano stops on route) we stopped for lunch in some old ruins. A first chance to test out Aaydi's cooking, in which she did herself proud! After lunch we pushed on hard and decided not to sleep at the first rest point (4pm) but to keep going for another four hours. It was the right decision but it took some masterful driving from Pedro through the desert hills driving into the sunset to get us there. Arriving at first basecamp was a pleasant experience and a welcome chance to stretch the legs. Aaydi again excelled herself with dinner but after a long day it was a long wait for dinner! Settling down for the night we slept in standard 5 bed dorm with decent enough accommodation (Bolivian bathrooms that include toilet paper are on the nice side).

Day 2
A change of scenery. From the off it was clear Day 2 was to be changeable, the dry rock gives way to water (and even some spikey grass) with extraordinary effect. The resulting landscape is one that is dotted with stunning laguna's that provide a home for thousands of flamingos.

The lagoons are sprung from natural mineral reserves so some of the more famous take on an a stunning but almost eerie colour. The most outstanding being the reflections in Laguna Blanca, the glow of Laguna Verde and the awe-inspiring reds of Laguna Colarada.

The action packed second day also gave us a chance to test the waters of the thermal hot springs whilst reaching out highest highs yet, home to the Geyser Basin. At 5,100m above sea level the Geysers are bubbling and steaming at the same time and provide an alarming heat that can only be tolerated for a few seconds if you are brave enough to put your hand in! The landscape is almost lunar with craters containing bubbling rock that you would do well to stay clear of.

The second evening had us cracking open the rum and banter over a few games of cards and dice.

Day 3
More lagoons and plenty of climbing. We were stopping every 30 minutes or so to admire either a sprawling lagoon or naturally shaped novelty rock formation. The highlights of which being the rock shaped like a tree (and impossibly standing), the clearest and stillest laguna's imaginable, and being joined by a pair of Bolivian rabbit-like-creatures for lunch.

The evening of Day 3 has us arriving at the edge of the Salar and our not so basic accommodation... A Salt Hotel! Ok more like a salt hostel, but still a big step up. All the walls, floors, beds, tables, chairs.... in fact anything that could be made out of salt was. A great experience heightened only by the excess of alcohol as we enjoyed several bottles of wine and the rest of the rum on our last night together.

Day 4
Early start.... 4.30am.... shouldn't of finished the rum...! Departing the salt hotel at 5am pre-breakfast had us cruising along the Salar in the moonlight. 5.30am a bit more awake and taking in the most amazing sunrise from the Salar. The salt flats rest at 3,650m above sea level and cover over 12,000 sq km, at which the height of the plains varies by only one metre. It's a surreal experience thats difficult to describe.... imagine being an ant in the middle of a massive piece of white paper...

In the middle of the Salar is Isla Incahuasi, a small 'island' rising from the Salar and home to thousands of cactus. Many stretch to over 10m tall and several have been around for nearly a thousand years. Our chance for breakfast and a look around whilst all the Bolivian drivers played an impromptu game of football on the salar.

After breakfast was what we'd all been waiting for, novelty perspective photos on the Salar! Cue A LOT of 'back, back a bit, a bit more, a little bit more, no too much, forward, stop'. After a few hours of messing around, and with flat batteries in the cameras it was time to finish our four day tour with a view of how the salt is used by the economy, extracting, processing, etc.

An awesome trip worth every penny, and a must do for anyone who visits Bolivia. La Torre Tours and starting from Tupiza (as oppose to the tourist town of Uyuni) is a must. We we're one step ahead and felt as if we had the entire southwest to ourselves at times.

A quick thanks to Adams brother Paul for sponsoring the trip with his three month late birthday present ;)

Ciao
A&G

Sucre & Potosi - South Central Bolivia

Two very different cities both blessed with UNESCO world heritage status, and both with a wealth of attractions on offer....

Sucre
A 12 hour overnight bus ride from La Paz had us arriving fresh and rosy faced in Sucre just after sunrise.  Sucre is the site of the signing of Bolivia´s independence from Spain and as such was renamed after the general who led the cause, Mr Sucre.  Sucre itslef is home to one of the worlds oldest universities and it shows today with a young population and plent of cheap eateries.

Sucre gave us the chance to catch up with two amigos we did the Inca Trail with last month.  And what better way to catch up than with some over-sized beers and some traditional Bolivian dancing.  We learnt the history and culture of Bolivia and local customs in how to woo (lads stamp your feet) via the expressionist art form of dance.  We even had the fortune t experience first hand the dancing on stage at the end!

The following day was ´Dia Del Muertos´ (or National Celebrate the Dead Day).  So what better way to escape the mourning than an excursion out of town to see the dinsosaur steps.  A short jeep ride and a longer hike up had us arrive at some million odd year old dinosaur footprints.  No T-Rex prints but approximately 400 others measuring over a metre in length.  Quite an amazing sight to behold, and what with South America lacking Europes tight regulations you can actually touch and feel them yourselves.

After a long hike it was time to refuel with a spot of unch, as this was included in our tour we left it to our guide who assured us we would have a traditional Bolivian lunch.  What with it being National Death Day we arrived at our guides ´friends´ house which was hosting a wake for the father of the household who died nearly two years ago.  No i am all celebrating life and death, but you could easily of been mistaken into believing that the guy died that very week.... we arrived in a large open room where one wall contained a shrine built of flowers and photos with several locals around celebrating his life!  Our turn to mourn the guy we didn´t know, and celebate his life with a varierty of home made liquers and self brewed alcoholic beverages.  Needless to say it was an awkward experience, made worse not only by the fact they sat us in the middle but also that there was a very very drunk local youth who was intent  on being the best of friends, however could only communicate in terms of football players names ´Lumpard... Von Persay... Stefan Jirrard´.  A charming fellow i´m sure but very persistent.  When our guide informed us that we didn´t have to eat and drink absolutely everything we were given it was time to go but we must take the food away with us if we couldn´t eat it all there.  Our cue to leave but not until we had all individually paid our respects to the grieving widow.

Potosi
A short three and a half hour bus ride had us climbing 1.5km in altitude to the worlds highest city, Potosi.  Situated at 4,100m above sea level the city of Potosi is home to the Cerro Rico mountain.  The Cerro Rico is/was the worlds richest silver mountain, and largely funded the Spanish expanse in South America.  The mountain is still mined today, but after 500 years of extensive exploitation is turning into a mountainous game of jenga.

What better way to experience the history of Potosi than to delve right in.  We took a day trip into the mines to better understand and appreciate what conditions the miners work in.

We started with a trip to the warehouse to get kitted out in overalls, wellies, hard hat and head torch.  Then off to the refinery to view some of the output aand process, think more wooden handles and sieves than industrial plant.  Our final stop before the mountain had us visiting the Miners Market and picking up a few gifts for the miners, soft drinks and coca leaves.  Aswell as trying a shot of the miners favourite tipple, 96 percent alcohol, Miners Vodka!

So into the mines we went, after getting about 200m into the mine we stopped so our guide could tell us about ´Tio´, the underground devil the miners honour and worship to keep them safe.  As we sat on th cold rock 200m from fresh air we felt the mountain rumble and the rocks above and below us tremble!  If we wern´t scared then we definitely were when our guide said ´that was a little too close´.  Apparently they´re supposed to give you warning before using dynamite inside the mines!  Our two hours in the mines consisted of some very low whilst squelching through the damp tunnels and traversing four different levels.  This by far was the most daunting challenge going up and down some very rickety, off balanced, slippery wooden ladders (some with missing rungs) in the dark.  After descending our firstour first level we could smell the freshly detonated dynamite but were kindly led a different way further into the mines.  More scrambling and climbing led us to a true Indiana Jones scene where we were required to crosss a 10ft wooden plank which had a near bottomless black pit running on both sides of it.  Just shy of two hours in the mines was plenty enough to experience the difficulties the miners go through and why they honour an undergrond devil to keep them safe!

A final note on the miners... they do no t get paid anything, but work as part of a cooperative taking a share of what they can extract from the mountain.  Despite the pre-medieval conditions, lack of safety and distinct possibility of death from cave-ins (or within years from lung disease) the lure of the mines is strong as successful miners can expect to earn significantly more than the average Bolivian.

On a lighter note to end the blog... we went to the cinema in Potosi, but as we sat comfortably eating our popcorn waiting for the film to start we were kindly asked if we´d like to see something else instead.... it seems that Hollywood films shown in English with Spanish subtitles are not too popular in the worlds highest city!

A&G

La Paz - A City of Ups and Downs

So La Paz... 'The Peace' ... the highest capital city in the world ...

After a relatively smooth trip from the sunny Copacabana we arrived at the dizzying heights of La Paz. A short walk to the hostel we'd booked had us greeted with 'I'm sorry, I know we confirmed your reservation but we have no rooms for you' en Espanol of course. Just when you think your down... 'however we have a double room with ensuite and all at the hotel next door, where you are welcome to stay for your entire trip at the same price'... cha-ching!

So all good, am feeling pretty chuffed with ourselves, until you get to the reception desk of the hotel open your bag and find... no passports. BUGGER!

After an hour or so of realising there's not much we can do about it that evening, what better way to relieve your stress than with food. A walk down to the Star Of India, home of the world's hottest curry (Polly, Robyn I'm sure I remember you guys talking about it, and I think Joe got the tshirt?).

The following morning and the stark reality that we really do need our passports, so where are they? A good racking of the brain reveals that we left them in the Tour Peru office at Copacabana, probably, well most likely, quite possibly, hopefully!

Trying to track down Tour Peru in Copacabana is about as easy as finding that proverbial needle in a haystack. From experience there, the agency is more or less a square booth in the wall. It's open from 9am-9pm but is unmanned for 11 and half of those hours. For the half hour they're open every day is bring your kids and pets to work day! However with a lot of support and muchos gracias from our hotel they managed to contact Tour Peru in Copacabana for us....

.... '$100 USD for safe return of the passports'. The corrupt and thieving gentleman at Tour Peru said 'they need to pay me because they need their passports'. Kind of true but not exactly keen to part with our hard earned cash to re-purchase our own passports. After several 'discussions' between our hotel and the corrupt gentleman in Copacabana (he spoke no English), the story changed to 'a fisherman found the passports under a boat and it's him that wants the money as a reward'... Lying, thieving, corrupt bastard.

Time to kick some ass.... 7.30am the next morning and the first bus back to Copacabana please. Four hours later and many a raised voice the passports come out of the draw.... 'Yoink' straight out of their hand and into the bag. And the matter of the compensation for the fisherman... 'What fisherman? You lying, thieving corrupt BASTARD!'

Four hours later and back in La Paz with passports in tow! And so a nervy couple of days in La Paz had us looking at where the British/French Embassies were, the possibility of emergency travel documents, and 'did we actually leave the passports in Copacabana?!'

However all's well that ends well. A note on La Paz, a cool city to behold, the buildings appear to cling to the side of the mountains and the omminously tall 'Illimani' snowcapped mountain (6450m) looms ever-present on the horizon.

A city of ups and downs? Yes, it's a rarity to find a street or 'calle' that doesn't have you tackling a sharp incline or decline. A fun city however that offers good food (big sandwiches), good variety and great value for money.  Streetside markets are omnipresent up and down the roads and contribute a lot of colour and noise to an already vibrant city.

Ciao for now
A&G