Playing with boys

What is it with Bolivia and the lack of female travellers?

Two weeks in to my Bolivian adenture and it´s been boy´s all the way. Of course I´m not complaining! There has been the odd female traveller, however they are never solo and never hanging around too long? So, the boy´s and I it has been!

It all started back in Copacabana, my first stop in Bolivia and just over the Peruvian border. After a rocky start with my food poisoning episode, a couple of days in this sleepy lakeside town was just what the doctor ordered. Blissful afternoons lazing on the shore of the worlds highest navigable lake, Lake Titicaca. Clear blue skies, sun forever shining, temperatures in the high 20´s and the deep blue sparkling lake had me back to my old self in no time. I took a boat ride across the lake to visit the lovely Isla del Sol and do some hiking. It was here I met Darren, quite the English gentleman and incredibly funny. He reminded me alot of a great English friend of mine, Paul (aka Fluff!). We then met Michael, an older American from LA. He was very LA! Retired music producer, recording studio owner and author of three books. He may have been very LA, but was also incredibly bright, eccentric, funny and generous. He had hired his own boat and personal tour guide for a few days. He invited us to join him and we ended up having a fantastic couple of day´s on the island and back in Copa.

Next stop, La Paz. The worlds highest capital city. Well substitute capital. But what a city! When you catch your first glimpse, you can´t help but let out a ¨WOW¨. It´s quite an extraordinary and unique sight. Sitting in a canyon surrounded by incredible rock formations, green, bare and snowcapped mountains, with thousands of buildings and houses built from the bottom of the canyon up. I spent my first couple of days just wandering this unique city, taking it all in. I also joined in on a city tour and visited the Moon Valley. I am not exactly sure what it was I was expecting from La Paz, but it´s nothing I could have ever imagined. I was drawn to it instantly, and have enjoyed my time here ever since.

After a couple of days playing tourist, I decided it was time for some adrenaline filled activity and signed up to mountain bike down Death Road, the worlds most dangerous road. And yes, it was just me and the boys! It appears no girls were up for the task on this particular day? 68km´s long, starting at 4700m, finishing at 1200m with the most stunning & dramatic scenery along the way. Death Road is all dirt, sheer drops of 100´s of metres or more and only wide enough for one way traffic, however traffic does go both ways! There are crosses planted all the way down death road where bikes, vehicles and their passengers have toppled over the edge, falling to their death. Statistics say there are approximately 100 deaths per year on this stretch of road? A recent tragedy was only 2mths back when a bus with 39 passengers perished after going over the edge in the early morning hours. The bus still lies at the base of the cliff where you can see it´s blue roof way, way down from the edge of the road. Biking is by far the safest way to travel the road. You do pick up speeds of around 60km´s per hour and take some hair raising bends, but as long as you listen to your guide and stop for the passing buses and trucks, you should be ok?

The bike ride ended in the small town of Coroica, but only half the adventure complete. A couple of hours rest, a swim, shower, beer and lunch, it was time to jump in our support vehicle for the first time that day and drive back up Death Road for the return to La Paz. This was by far more frightening, particularly with the enormous trucks and buses driving in the opposite direction! As you watch these buses and trucks attempting to pull over on a slightly wider section of the road to allow you to pass, the shivers run straight up your spine as they manouvre about right on the cliff´s edge. Even worse when the mist sets in and the visibility poor, you constantly dread an oncoming truck not seeing your minibus in time on one of the many deathly bends. Quite terrifying knowing the statistics!

Once safely returned to La Paz, it was the boys and I out on the town for some well deserved drinks and endless banter of our fantastic adrenaline filled day, planning what activity would be next on the agenda...

I decided I might like to get away from the high altitude for a few days, seek out the hotter weather and head to the jungle. Two days later I was boarding an 18 seater plane where the door would not shut, you had to crouch right down upon entry given the very low roof and then grab the first available seat as the flight is often overbooked! Everyone had a clear view of the pilot and out the front window, therefore my panic set in immediately. I couldn´t quite believe I was about to put myself through yet another flight on a small aircraft? Even more terrifying was when we hit a storm where the turbulence was the worst I have ever experienced. Most passengers were being bumped around so much our heads would hit the roof. White knuckled and about to vomit, we finally landed at Rurrenabaque airport which consists of a grass runway and a simple shed. Extreme heat and humidity our welcome.

I had a day and night to kill in the tiny, relaxed town of Rurrenabaque before heading off to the jungle. I actually ran into 3 English lads and 1 Scotsman who I met and have been constantly running into since Nasca. They are great fun and certainly love to party. So again it was me and the boys and off we went for a night out at the Moskkito Bar. It was the biggest night I have had since leaving Australia! We started at 5pm and finished about 3am I am lead to believe? Not a great idea when I had an 8.30am departure the following morning. Especially when the day starts with a 3hour 4WD trip along bumpy dirt road in the sweltering heat. It wasn´t pretty I can assure you. I was not a well girl!

Our jungle group consisted of an American, Canadian, Frenchman, Dutchman, Englishman and me. All boys yet again. And all under the age of 25! They were all fantastic and any reservations I initially had soon disappeared. We stayed in a basic lodge, had a great guide, great cook and a great time. We spotted all types of birdlife, aligators, monkeys, pink dolphins just to name a few. We went out on morning and evening boat rides, checking out the wildlife, listening to the sounds of the jungle or just to star gaze from our boat. We went on a 4hour hike in search of Anacondas! We did find a baby...about 2 years old apparently. We also came across an amazing looking Green Mamba. You have an hour to get to a hospital if this deadly snake manages to take a bite! Lazy evenings were spent slothed in hammocks chatting away until the late hours. And, we even managed to squeeze in some jewellery making using string, nuts and small black seeds from some type of small fruit. Our guide also made me a special little ¨nut ring¨. The special gift for the special girl!

Once we were back in Rurrenabaque it was one final evening together, all agreeing our time was ending too soon. Although, we had had enough of the jungle given we were covered in mosquito bites from head to toe! No amount of repellant or long sleeved clothing could keep those little critters away. They were definately the only downside to the trip. Anyway, as we all said our goodbyes I really was a little sad it had come to an end. Playing with the boys has definately been a lot of fun. Still a couple of weeks to go in this crazy country though, so who knows what adventures lie ahead?

A penny for my thoughts?

The downside of travelling alone...

You wake up alone in your hotel room. You feel like someone has sliced open your gut and tied your insides into knots. The better part of the next 36 hours is spent hunched over the toilet bowl. When not hunched over the porcelein, you´re back in bed, desperately hoping for a few minutes sleep to avoid thinking of the pain. You ran out of water hours ago, now knowing you have to find the strength to go and purchase more as dehydration is kicking in. You somehow find the energy to dress and make your way down the hotel stairs and to the closest store which is all of 3minutes away. You wish someone was with you so they could perform what feels like such a difficult task. Some comforting words even, to make you feel a little better. Your back in your room within minutes, yet feel like you have ran a half marathon. Slumped back on the bed fully clothed, you doze off again only to wake to darkness and the unopened bottle of water by your side. You continue to drift in and out of sleep, hearing the muffled voices of hotel guests in the courtyard, wishing you were on the next flight home to your creature comforts and the familiar faces of family and friends...

4200m, 45km´s, 4 days...

...that would be the Inca trail for those who may be wondering!

What a fabulous trip! The highlight of Peru for me. It was absolutely brilliant.

The adventure started back on November 8th with 11 other travellers from various parts of the world. Those being four Argentinians, two Americans, one German, one Dutch, one Hungarian and three Australians, myself included. There were also 13 amazing porters and 2 wonderful guides. Most of the group were couples bar a middle aged German hippie and two young American guys. Everyone was really nice, but the American boys were up there as my favourites along with the forever entertaining and crazy Dutchman, Martin. People either loved or hated Martin. He had a BIG personality. He was definatlely my most favourite person in the group as he made the four days that little more entertaining. There was never a dull moment with the crazy Dutchman about!

Given it´s the start of the rainy season, we did have drizzle a few mornings and heavier rain in the evenings, but the days were great. For the most part we were pretty lucky with the weather all considering. The days were always a good trekking temperature too...never too hot! The nights a bit chilly, particularly the second night when we were at the highest altitude. I forgot how cold it can be sleeping in a tent. It´s been a while! The trail itself was spectacular and not too difficult at all. Day one was a breeze, day two a bit of a killer going up, up, up with the altitude (nothing a few coca leaves didn´t fix), day three the most difficult for me as it was mostly downhill, rocky and steep with lots of deep slippery steps. A killer on the knees! And day four a breeze with only a couple of hours hiking to the final destination, Machu Picchu. We hiked over three very high passes, through rainforest, cloudforest, mist, rain and sunshine. Variety was something that certainly was not lacking over the four days.

As for the porters...these guys are incredible! Seeing is believing. They practicaly run up and along the trail at least three times the speed of anyone else. And all while carrying on their backs the groups tents, stoves, food and most peoples packs and sleeping gear. I have to say I was quite proud of myself carrying my own pack and sleeping gear. Only three of us opted to carry our personal belongings...all part of the challenge? Anyway, we would arrive at our campsites each day with the tents already up, including a kitchen tent and a dining tent complete with table and camping stools. We were provided with snacks each day and usually a 2 or 3 course meal at lunch and dinner. Breakfast was a feast in itself. The food was fantastic for a camping trip. The chef was a genious with no two meals being alike. To top it off, we were even brought a cup of tea to our tents each morning as part of our wakeup call! Couldn´t really get much better while "roughing it".

As mentioned, day 4 we arrived at the magical Machu Picchu. We were up at 4am in order to reach to the Sungate around sunrise. The Sungate is where you witness that famous Machu Picchu view which is used on just about every piece of advertising for the site. Unfortunatley for us, we couldn't see a thing! Just a mass of mist and cloud cover surrounded us. I actually thought it added to the mystery of the place. We waited about half an hour to see if the cloud would lift, but with no change in sight we decided to make our way down into the famous Inca City.

Machu Picchu...what can I say? Nothing that will do it the slightest bit of justice. It´s a beautiful and mystical place that awed me on every level. There is an energy that allows you to forget the worries of the world, or even forget that the rest of the world exists, and you just kind of ¨be¨.

One of many theories as to why this amazing city was only discovered in the early 1900´s is that the city was deliberately deserted not long after the Conquistadors arrived. This was in order to keep it from the Spanish, and given they were destroying all the other sacred sites, this was a pretty smart idea! Regardless of the various theories, about 8o percent of this Inca city is still intact, just leaving your imagination to fill in the missing pieces...

Cañon Del Colca

An extremely odd and most unlikable Canadian man was staying at my hostel way back when in Trujillo. He was telling a few of us that it is a proven medical fact that any exposure to high altitude shrinks your brain. Hmmmm??? Well, given recent events in my travels he just may have been right...

I arrived in Arequipa last Thursday, a small colonial city about 10hours south of Cusco. Arequipa is lovely little place, nestled in a valley surrounded by towering volcano's and mountains. After a few days exploring the city, the odd temple, church and convent, I decided it was time to get active again and go hike the Cañon Del Colca. The Colca Canyon is the second highest canyon in the world at 3200m. I guess the decision to hike this canyon was the first sign my brain may in fact be shrinking?

Saturday morning, 1.00AM. I was met at the hostel by my canyon trekking guide, Alex. (Yes, your read right...1.00AM. Second sign my brain must be shrinking) As we walked a block or two dodging the drunks heading home, or more than likely on to their next bar, we finally stopped a cab to take us to the bus station. We boarded the 1.30am departing bus which left at 2am and broke down at 2.20am! By 2.35am we were on another bus and on our way. The bus ride was about a 5 hour journey with probably 65% being dirt and rocky road. Even on the roads that were paved, our speed demon bus driver must have had a 100% success rate when it came to aiming for and driving right over the many potholes that crossed our path along the way. Needless to say, I did not manage to get ANY sleep at all. Alex on the other hand was next to me sleeping like a baby much to my annoyance and envy. At least he shared his blanket with me, for my 3 layers of clothing were just not doing the job of keeping me warm!

We arrived in a tiny town called Chivay around 7am where we stopped for half an hour to have some brekky. By this time I was just about ready for bed! Instead, we hopped on another bus for the half hour drive to La Cruz del Condor. It was here I had my first view of the canyon I was soon to hike, and for the 3rd time that morning I truly believed my brain was shrinking and at an incredibly rapid rate at that! We picked up one other trekker here who would join Alex and I for the 2 day adventure. Sarah was from Manchester and at the end of her 10 months travels, most of which were in Australia and New Zealand. Once she joined us we had one final, but short bus ride before arriving at the starting point of our trek. With no time to waste, we were on our way.

Two and half hours later we arrived in a tiny village and had our first and only stop for the day to have some lunch. Although we hadn't been trekking long, it was hard going on the old knees as it was all down hill, relatively steep and very rocky. It was only just on midday at this point and already incredibly hot. Being so hot and not one to eat straight after or during any physical activity, the Alpaca that was served up for lunch, although tasty was barely touched. Instead I downed a luke warm lemonade and two bottles of water. Another hour passed and we were off again with much of the same type of trekking for the remainder of the day. It was so very hot, and so very steep, but you would often forget as you admired the amazing scenery that constantly surrounded you. We also had two condors flying right above us at one point. They are huge and extraordinary looking creatures!

By 4pm we had arrived at what was called The Oasis. This was where we would have dinner and spend the night in a tiny bamboo hut. It was all very quaint. The nearby river and waterfalls, a pool, no power, just candle light. There were three other small groups of trekkers staying at the Oasis, so we all dined together comparing our day's experiences. Everyone was in bed by 9pm after the long exhausting day we had all encountered. Plus we had to be up at 2.30am the following morning to commence day 2 of trekking. (Yet another confimation of my brain shrinkage condition) Unfortunately I was to suffer a bout of insomnia much to my horror. I think I was soooo overtired that I just could not sleep? So when 2.30AM came around......grrrrr!!!

As we set off in the dark with only the moon and our small torches for light, I felt remarkably well? I was enjoying it being so dark, still and quiet. And you could not see the monster of a canyon we were now climbing out of! Day 1 we had started at 3200m and hiked down to 1000m. About 15km's overall. Day 2 was only around 4km's of trekking, however ALL up hill and steep, rocky terrain. The first 2 1/2 hours were quite ok. I was walking at a good pace and to some degree, feeling better than what I did on the downhill the day before. As the first light hit the canyon and surrounding mountains, everything looked absolutely spectacular. Photo's just can't capture the beauty of it all. To sit there and take it all in, watching everything slowly appear before you was yet another breathtaking, magical moment.

Before long disaster struck. I hit a wall. A huge wall. The only way I can think to describe how I felt would be like comparing myself to a car that has ran out of petrol. It just won't go. I just couldn't move? I was suddenly so mentally and physically exhausted that I felt numb? I have never experienced such a feeling? It was awful. I felt sick. I felt dizzy. I was wondering how the hell I was going to make it the rest of the way? Mind you, there was only 30minutes of hiking to go. The top was SO close. I had climbed SO far. I felt distraught. Alex was ahead of me and turned back to see where I had gotten to. He said I looked terrible and thought I must have had a fall and given myself a scare. He quickly realised that was not the case. Just as he was looking slightly worried himself, an old man and his two mules were coming down from the top of the canyon. Alex stopped the man and instructed I ride the mule to the top. I suddenly felt so traumatised that I was not going to hike to the end, tears were welling up in my eyes as I mounted the feisty mule. I felt like such a child, but I was so tired I just couldn't stop those ridiculous tears rolling down my face. Alex tried to reassure me this was the best option given my current state, but the tears still flowed. He jumped on the other mule and we were at the top of the canyon in 7 lousy minutes. That is how close I was to finishing. There was no sense of accomplishment like you usually feel after completing something so challenging. No dillusional second wind you think you have while on that accomplishment high. I just felt like I could drop dead and sleep for a week. Devastated.

We were back in Chivay at 6.30am for breakfast. A private minibus picked us up around 8.30am. We had a leisurely trip back to Arequipa with 7 other visitors to the canyon. They had not trekked though. We were the only smelly, exhausted three on the minibus. We had a few photo stops on the way and some lunch. We were back in Arequipa late afternoon. It beat the public bus ride. I am still suffering from insomnia? Still incredibly tired and still not entirely sure I am grateful that the old man and his mules appeared when they did? If they hadn't, I would have had to finish the hike. I guess i'm lucky they did considering how I felt though? Well I had never ridden a mule, so I should try and look at the upside of the new experience maybe? Hmmmm.....nahhhh! Just not the same unfortunately and I won´t be convinced otherwise!