Bolivia

JOURNEYS IN BOLIVIA

As may be glaringly apparent, I have a special affinity for primates. They take up thousands of images in my somewhat vast photo library and I have lost count of how many hours I've spent behind the camera looking for that perfect shot and then taking a couple hundred more, just in case. Penguins are a close second, but more on that later. So - without further ado, shall we start with Bolivia and the spider monkey that took over the hut's only patio chair? 


Senda Verde, located a couple of hours north of La Paz, was a small rescue center with a wonderfully dedicated staff tasked with the job of caring for injured primates, some of which were former victims of illegal trafficking.




Getting a little too close :)


 Feeding time for the white howler monkey

Young red howler monkey


































After several days at Senda Verde, the journey went south to Uyuni de Salar, Bolivia's pristine salt flats. It took four days to circumnavigate the Salar, which span an area of 4,086 square miles and were formed as a result of transformations between several prehistoric lakes. Today, the flats are covered by some six feet of salt crust. 

We had many stops along the way, courtesy of our driver, and some wonderful overnight stays in various hostels. Days were hot and nights were freezing cold.

                                              Rusty old trail engine at the start of the trip



 
                                   Lunch on the salt flat with our Italian travel mates

                                        Getting up close and personal with the salt...

First night at Hostal Tunupa where the wind almost blew us over as we 
walked from the hostel to the commissary!


    Isla Incahuasi in the middle of the salt flats - good place for lunch and some fine trails.





                          One of the local inhabitants posing for the photographer.


                                                 The Salt Hotel, made entirely of salt blocks.
 
                                                 Loading up for the next leg of the ride.
 

Next stop, Laguna Blanca followed by Laguna Verde. These large mineral-rich lakes are home to several species of migratory flamingos.


                                                 Andean flamingos


At Laguna Verde, mineral suspensions of arsenic and other minerals give color to the lake waters that vary from deep blue to turquoise and green.  

And on to the last stop on this unique journey - the steamy geothermal plains of Sol de la Manana characterized by intense volcanic activity and a field of sulphur springs. This entire 10 square kilometer area in the south-eastern corner of Salar de Uyuni is full of mud lakes and steam pools with boiling mud. There are several holes on the plain, some of which emit pressurized steam in columns up to 150 feet high. 

                     One of our Italian travel companions jumping through a steam vent.



    Some of the steaming mud pools that make up a large area of the Sol de la Manana.

                                           Sun setting over Sol de la Manana.

Tempting but we skipped this one...





But not this one after many days on the road... cow part soup.




After a long drive from the salt flats back to La Paz, we took a local bus to the ferry terminal in Copacabana and then hired a small boat to take us across to Isla del Sol on the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca. At the time of this writing, there was no official shuttle ferry - we simply went to the dock, found someone willing to take us, and then negotiated a price, which seemed to be the same no matter how many people were on board. 

                                      Leaving Copacabana behind

Isla del Sol was a beautiful island with very few tourists and seemed to be mostly utilized as a get away for locals. There were several hostels with clean and basic rooms. We stayed at Inca Pacha, which had a nice garden full of flowers and overlooking the church and ocean beyond. One of the days I climbed the central hill - it's a fairly small island and getting to the top only took an hour or so - where the main and only real cobblestone street had a number of hostels and a few restaurants. I met a few other backpackers but this was definitely, gratefully not a crowded tourist hub.


The view from the top of the island was amazing. There was a trail running the other side, mostly used by the local farmers as a access route to their terraced fields. It was a pretty steep descent in some places but generally well used and I was excited to see an abundance of agaves and puyas along the trail. It was utter bliss to hear the sudden but unmistakable whirring of wings heralding the arrival of the world's largest hummingbird, appropriately named the Giant Hummingbird (patagona gigas), as it swooped in to feast off the chartreuse flowers of the puya.




                                              Keeping a wary eye on the paparazzi...


                                             Isla del Sol's less inhabited side.

      Sunset from one of the small restaurants with Peru and Puno in the distance.

                                                      Lighting over Puno.
 
 
    Farmers on their way to the ferry to sell their vegetables at the market in Copacabana.

                                          Our gracious host at Inca Pacha.

                       Donkeys, sheep and llamas abound on Isla del Sol.



After four days on this beautiful and relaxing island, it was back to the mainland and on to the last stop. Although the plan was to do a three day mountain hike after returning from Lake Titicaca, the weather turned devious and we opted instead for a couple of quite days in serene Sorata at a nice little ecolodge. The food was fabulous and the place was surrounded by beautiful gardens. There were quite a few good hikes in the area as well. It was a good way to spend the rest of our time before returning to busy La Paz.





La Paz at its finest. 

I like this city despite its reputation as being a little rough around the edges, mainly in El Alto where you probably don’t want to walk around after dark. A lot of the old colonial buildings of the downtown area remain well kept and the city definitely has a vibe of being up-and-coming in terms of some really good places to eat, drink and see local art. The coffee is, not surprisingly, excellent – as is the hot chocolate for obvious reasons and, unlike in Ecuador, it is not accompanied by a slice of queso fresca. There is good street food to be had at all the random markets around town, as well as fresh veggies and fruit.  The Museo Costumbrista Juan de Vargas has a good selection of folk costumes and woven textiles and a nice little museum shop.




The dehydrated llama fetuses is a little curious to see at first but popular for use in local ceremonies.




Empanada con queso, a favorite for lunch!

 Public transport.







And so it’s farewell to Bolivia. I highly recommend anyone to come here – it’s stunningly beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food is excellent. What else could one ask for?



The itinerary and where we stayed:

La Paz – Estrella Andina Guesthouse and Hostal Isidoro

Coroico – Senda Verde Animal Sanctuary

Uyuni –Piedra Blance Backpackers Hostel and 4 day tour with Uyuni Tours Travel Company

Isla del Sol – Inca Pacha Hostal

Sorata – Altai Oasis Eco Lodge

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