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South American Adventure
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

South American Adventure

This epic eight-month overlanding trip through South America has been a long time in the planning! We will be visiting Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Exciting times! 😊 Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅
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ΠŸΠΎΠ΄ΠΏΠΈΡΠ°Ρ‚ΡŒΡΡΠžΠ±Π·ΠΎΡ€ΠžΠ±Π·ΠΎΡ€ΠšΠ°Π»Π΅Π½Π΄Π°Ρ€ΡŒΠšΠ°Π»Π΅Π½Π΄Π°Ρ€ΡŒΠ€ΠΎΡ‚ΠΎΠ³Ρ€Π°Ρ„ΠΈΠΈΠ€ΠΎΡ‚ΠΎΠ³Ρ€Π°Ρ„ΠΈΠΈΠŸΠΎΠ΄Π΅Π»ΠΈΡ‚ΡŒΡΡΠŸΠΎΠ΄Π΅Π»ΠΈΡ‚ΡŒΡΡΠšΠΎΡ€Π·ΠΈΠ½Π°
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  • South American Adventure

    Lunch with a view

    13 дСкабря 2024 Π³., ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Ρƒ ☁️ 13 Β°C

    Although the climb was strenuous, once we reached the restaurant, we were rewarded with spectacular views across Lake Titicaca to snow-capped mountains in Bolivia.  We ordered very welcome cold drinks and admired the scenery while we waited for those who had done the longer walk to arrive.

    Once they did, our hosts served us a delicious lunch.  We had local bread with spicy salsa as an appetiser, followed by a tasty quinoa and vegetable soup.  For main course, we had rainbow trout caught in the lake with chips, rice, and vegetables in vinaigrette.  It was all very good.

    After lunch, a local girl demonstrated weaving for us.  The skill needed is incredible.  I am in awe of the textiles they produce!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Return to Puno

    13 дСкабря 2024 Π³., ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Ρƒ ☁️ 17 Β°C

    We walked back down the hill to our boat, marvelling at the elderly local ladies walking up the steep incline with really heavy loads on their backs!  We paused to buy bracelets from a blind man who was knitting something intricate on 6 small needles!  He was charging just 2 soles (about 40p) each for the bracelets!  Freddie told us that, traditionally, women weave and men knit.

    Back on the boat, we headed for Puno, calling at the main island of Uros on the way to drop off a couple of people who were spending the night there.  You can rent a very basic cabin for about £25 per person, including breakfast. 

    In Puno, we walked up to where the minibus was waiting for us, past lots of garish pedalos!  We were soon dropped off back at our hotel.  Mark went straight to the room as he was in a lot of pain.  I went in search of bread to have with our remaining cheese and something to drink.  The altitude was really affecting me, and we're going even higher tomorrow!!

    Back at the hotel, there was a message from Nikki telling us about the online customs form we needed to fill in to get into Bolivia tomorrow.  We struggled to get a strong enough wifi signal, but we managed eventually.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Leaving Peru

    14 дСкабря 2024 Π³., ΠŸΠ΅Ρ€Ρƒ ☁️ 5 Β°C

    We had another early start - 6am breakfast and 7am departure.  I think for the first time on this trip, the alarm actually went off before I was up!  Many people arrived at breaking with fresh items to eat up as we are not allowed to take them across the border.  So, our usual breakfast was supplemented with cream cheese, red pepper, brown bread, apples, and oranges!

    Solenne and I were ready early, so we went for a short walk to take photos of the early morning activity in the area.  The traditional dress worn by the ladies here is more Bolivian than Peruvian with fuller skirts and bowler hats or boaters.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Welcome to Bolivia πŸ‡§πŸ‡΄

    14 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 17 Β°C

    We arrived at the Peru/Bolivia border at about 10.30am.  The procedure to get through was quite straightforward, but it still took until 1pm (Bolivia is one hour ahead of Peru) to get all of us and the truck stamped into a new country.  As soon as we were clear of the border, we stopped to change money with a guy at the side of the road who was giving a better rate against the dollar than the official one!

    Immediately afterwards, we got held up in a queue of trucks just as we were passing a 'Welcome to Bolivia' sign.  It was another 45 minutes before we were clear and driving along the banks of Lake Titicaca once more, this time in Bolivia rather than Peru. 

    We pulled in at the Tiwanaku archaeological site at 3pm.  Ritchie's intention had been to get us there much earlier to give us time to visit the site and have lunch.  In the event, however, we only had an hour, and all the restaurants in the vicinity were closed!  So, we bought crisps, Kit-Kats, and ice creams - a healthy lunch!  The archaeological site is supposed to be one of the most significant in Bolivia, but it didn’t seem worth buying a ticket and rushing around it in under an hour!

    At 4pm, we continued on the road to La Paz.  We drove through very sparsely populated countryside with dramatic snow-capped peaks as a backdrop.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    El Alto

    14 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 14 Β°C

    At around 5pm, we reached El Alto, a district of La Paz which is almost a city in its own right.

    We got stuck in rush hour traffic, but there was plenty to keep us entertained as we admired the 'cholets' on the way.  These are fancy facades put on to ordinary buildings to show off the owner's wealth. They were completely incongruous amongst all the unfinished red brick buildings.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    Leaving the truck and taking a bus

    14 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 14 Β°C

    It took us over an hour to reach the yard where we were leaving the truck.  Ritchie had to manoeuvre backwards through a very tight entrance way, but he did it with aplomb!  We then transferred our luggage and squeezed ourselves into a bus that was barely big enough for all of us!

    The bus ride into central La Paz took an age!  The traffic was horrendous!

    When we arrived, we got checked in, dumped our bags, and then I went out to buy some food for tomorrow.  Mark was in a lot of pain after such a long day, mainly sitting on the truck, so he stayed in the room.  I had to go shopping, because there are judicial elections tomorrow, and everything will be closed!  Bolivia has something called 'acto de buen gobierno', which translates to act of good government. As part of this, the sale of alcohol is prohibited for the 24 hours before the election and on election day itself.  This is to ensure citizens have a clear mind before voting.  On election day itself, no businesses are allowed to open.  There is no public transport, either.

    I managed to buy some wine, water, Coke Zero, fruit, cheese empanadas, and crisps, so we won't starve!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Exploring La Paz on a quiet Sunday

    15 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 10 Β°C

    Breakfast wasn’t until 8.30am, so there was no rush this morning. With nothing open, we sat around chatting. Mark decided to spend the day in the hotel as he was still in a lot of pain. I joined Chris, Mark, Derk, Trudi, Steph, and Marina on a walk around the city.

    La Paz sits at an altitude of 4000 metres and is the highest capital city in the world.

    We walked down past the witches market, went inside the Basilica of St Francis, crossed the main road and went up to the central plaza, and returned along umbrella street. There were a few small shops and cafés open, but generally, the city was deserted. There were no cars and very few people. It was really bizarre to find a city that is usually so busy be so quiet!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Visiting Iglesia de San Francisco

    15 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 14 Β°C

    The hewed stone basilica of San Francisco was founded in 1548 by Fray Francisco de los Angeles. The original structure collapsed in 1610 due to heavy snowfall. It was rebuilt between 1743 and 1772 using stone quarried at nearby Viacha.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Coffee

    15 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 18 Β°C

    Before returning to the hotel, we had coffee and cakes in the Café del Mundo.

    Back at the hotel, we spent the afternoon watching our two favourite Christmas movies - Die Hard and Love Actually!  At 7pm, the hotel served us a buffet dinner because nowhere else was open.  It was very good!Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Walking tour and cable cars

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 15 Β°C

    We were up for 8am breakfast.  A few of us had booked a walking tour to include rides on 5 of the 11 state of the art cable car lines in La Paz.

    We organised our laundry and caught up with some posts before meeting the others in the hotel lobby at 10.30am.  We walked down to the church of San Francisco, where we met our guide, Valeria.  She proved to be an excellent guide!  She was born and bred in La Paz and is an anthropologist.  She loves being a tour guide, but, with 1000 guides in the city and fewer tourists since Covid, she doesn't get enough work.  She has to work three jobs just to make ends meet!

    Our first stop was at the church itself, where Valeria pointed out all of the indigenous imagery and symbolism in the stone carving on the exterior.  I didn't notice any of this when I visited yesterday.  She told us how the Spanish built the church in 1750 to show their power over the locals.  They employed indigenous people to do the stonework.  These artisans included carvings of naked women giving birth to flowers, a symbol of Mother Earth (Pachamama).  These figures still offend the Spanish and the Catholic church today!  There is an ongoing campaign to have them removed.

    From the church, we walked up to the Witches Market, where Valeria explained all about the traditions and beliefs of her culture.  It was rather disconcerting to see dead llama foetuses and baby llamas on display, but these are still used today to bring good fortune and wealth to an individual.  When people build a new house or business, they bury a llama foetus in the foundations to ensure the success and prosperity of the building!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Umbrella Street and San Pedro prison

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 16 Β°C

    We walked along Umbrella Street, which was so much busier than yesterday, to get to the infamous San Pedro prison.  This unique institution flouts international law by being located slap bang in the middle of the city.  There have been calls to close it down for years, but that is not likely to happen anytime soon.  

    The prison is the only one in La Paz for convicted males.  There are two other female prisons in the city.  San Pedro is remarkable for many reasons, not least because it is self-governing.  It is run by the prisoners themselves.  There are no police officers of prison wardens within the jail.  The few officers posted outside are corrupt and open to bribes.  There are women and children living in San Pedro, the families of male prisoners, who don't have the money to survive outside while their men are incarcerated.  Within the jail, everything is controlled by money.  The government doesn't fund anything.  Prisoners have to buy or rent their own cell, provide their own food, and support themselves in every way.  Convicts who can't afford accommodation end up surviving on the streets within the prison.  It is like a town inside the walls with restaurants, shops, tailors, carpenters, doctors, pharmacists, and so much more.

    It is said that the majority of Bolivian cocaine is manufactured inside San Pedro prison!

    Shockingly, Coca-Cola sponsor many things within San Pedro.  There was a Coca-Cola lorry outside while we were there, delivering supplies.  The company pay for the kits worn by the football and other sports teams that compete inside the prison.

    It was fascinating to hear about the workings of San Pedro.  I am now reading Marching Powder by Rusty Young, a first hand account of life within the prison.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Riding the cable cars of La Paz

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 17 Β°C

    From San Pedro, we walked up to the purple line of the cable car, and then switched to the silver line.  La Paz is built on seven hills surrounding a valley.  The cable car is a fantastic way to get around the city, affording spectacular views from every line.  It's a very modern, efficient system, but, surprisingly, you can only pay with cash!  We were grateful that we didn’t have to navigate for ourselves and buy our own tickets - we simply followed Valeria's lead!Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    El Alto Witches Market

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 16 Β°C

    We disembarked the silver line in El Alto.  Valeria wanted to show us a traditional witches market to compare it with the more touristy one we had already seen.  Here, the ladies are more like healers than fortune tellers.  People come to them with their problems and ailments and they prescribe treatments and cures.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    More cable cars

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 18 Β°C

    We took some time to photograph the stunning views of La Paz from El Alto before returning to the cable car station and taking the red line down through the Chualluma district. The project to splash Chualluma with colour lasted between March and July of 2019, making it one of Bolivia’s hottest and newest attractions. Overseeing the project was Knorke Leaf, who served as the creative director, concept designer, as well as the urban artist who painted it. The fact that Ms. Knorke Leaf is a Bolivian herself, adds a huge amount of significance and meaning to the incredible project.

    Like Comuna 13 in Medellin or Maboneng in Johannesburg, Chualluma transformed a struggling neighbourhood into a beautiful one that tells the story of its people.

    The cable car then took us over La Paz cemetery.  When people die, their families can only lease a space in the cemetary for a maximum of five years.  After this time, the body must be removed and either cremated or reburied in a private graveyard.  If the body is cremated, the family can buy or rent a glass-fronted space in the cemetary walls for the ashes.  They affix plaques and mementoes of the deceased and place flowers behind the glass door.

    The red line ends at what used to be La Paz's central railway station.  Bolivia's railway network was bought by British Rail in the mid-1990s, but they couldn’t make it pay.  They offered to sell it back to the Bolivian government, but they declined.  So, the tracks and most of the rolling stock was sold, and La Paz (Bolivia) was left without a public transport system.  This remained the case until the cable car was opened.    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Pure nostalgia

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия ☁️ 17 Β°C

    Denise and I wandered into one of the little shops on Calle Jaen. It turned out to be a tiny museum devoted to old packaging. The displays brought back so many memories for both of us!

    At the bottom of Calle Jaen, we popped into Mamani Mamani gallery. The work was so colourful!Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
  • South American Adventure

    The end of our tour

    16 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия β›… 18 Β°C

    We walked down past the national theatre to the main square, where our tour ended. Valeria had been a brilliant guide and we tipped her well.

    After the tour, we went to a local restaurant for a late lunch. On the way back to the hotel, we bought snacks for the truck tomorrow. In the hotel, we watched The Best Marigold Hotel, one of our favourite films.Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄
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    Leaving La Paz

    17 дСкабря 2024 Π³., Боливия β›… 5 Β°C

    We were up in plenty of time for a 7am breakfast and 8am departure.  Seven of the group had decided to catch the night bus from La Paz to Sucre tonight, rather than have to wild camp.  We were doing our journey into central La Paz in reverse, so we boarded the bus.  Initially, we were going against the traffic, so we made good progress in leaving the city and heading back to El Alto.  However, when we reached El Alto, for some inexplicable reason, our driver drove straight through the middle of a very busy market.  Inevitably, we got stuck!!  For a very long time, we were going nowhere!  It was chaos!  We couldn’t take photos because neither of us was sitting by a window on a packed bus.

    We finally got back on the truck and on our way to Sucre at around 11am!  With fewer of us on the truck, Mark and I were able to have a seat each for the first time in a long time!  Within 45 minutes, however, we had broken down!  The drive shaft had sheared off, and we were leaking diesel!  We were still in the outskirts of La Paz!

    We had broken down on the main road, so there were shops and restaurants around to keep us going while Ritchie, Nikki, Sam, and Dave (who only joined the truck today!) did a repair.  It took until 4.15pm to get us back on the road!  

    It was a long, straight road with few opportunities for wild camping.  We stopped for bush toilet at 6.40pm, and Nikki told us that we were heading to a hotel in Oruro 50km further on.  So, no wild camping for us tonight!

    We arrived at the Oruro Inn at about 8pm.  It was basic but quite comfortable.  We even had a Christmas tree in our room!  Some people ventured out to find food.  We had a drop of surprisingly good Bolivian port and were in bed by 9pm!    Π§ΠΈΡ‚Π°Ρ‚ΡŒ Π΄Π°Π»Π΅Π΅

    ΠŸΠΎΡΠΌΠΎΡ‚Ρ€Π΅Ρ‚ΡŒ ΠΏΠ΅Ρ€Π΅Π²ΠΎΠ΄