High altitude, silver and photo opportunities in Salar de Uyuni

The south west part of Bolivia is arid, high (all above 3000ms) and full of fantastic photo opportunities for the "selfie generation".  Potosi is a strange place at 4060 ms - not my favourite town, but then maybe the high altitude was getting to me.  The Spaniards discovered great quantities of silver here.  A fascinating tour of the local mint had us all believing for a moment that the Potosi mint was the first place to supply a global market but there was a lot of wishful thinking involved.  It was interesting nonetheless to see how minting coins has evolved over the years from being drawn by mules and hammered by slaves, to a Leonardo de Vinci screw device which didn't look much better, to the early steam generators.

Above is a view of the silver mountain through an arch in Potosi.  The arch was part of a general divide across the whole town that separated the indigenous workers from the Spanish.  Not much silver left now but it is still being mined.  The locals are mainly Christian, but incorporate the mountain as well as Paccamama into their worshipping.  This was a painting in the mint.  There were many similar versions with the virgin's cloak the shape of the mountain.

I hate to say this, but I did find the whole place rather grey!  The pollution from gasoline was prominent too ... I'm pretty sure the thin air made this seem a lot worse.  Most of us by now were experiencing some form of altitude sickness so not our happiest days!  Our visit to Potosi had not got off to a good start either ... on the journey there our local bus overheated.  The drivers then tried to cool it by using water from a nearby water source .... !

We did all however enjoy the photo opportunities on the salt flats.  We travelled by 4 wheeled drive for two days over desolate desert type land, staying in remote lodges/home stays made of salt.  The first day was on the salt flats .... 10,000 sq kms of them ... 160 kms long ... of a dried out lake at 4000 ms altitude.  When the sun was out it was hot, but the wind was pretty fearsome and the nights freezing.  The salt flats provided endless photo opportunities for anyone wanting to play with perspective.  These weren't the best but you should be able to find me there somewhere!

Alll of us on a Pringles can, and below, the death road survivors diving into a Havana hat.

The second day was through lunar type landscape.  We saw lakes of every colour, geysers, hot springs, smoking volcanoes and lots of flamingos.  

Our travels finished by a tedious crossing into Chile ... at the tiniest of immigration centres in the middle of nowhere.

I wasn't sad to say goodbye to the high altitudes of this part of Bolivia.  We travelled through a point at 4800 ms on the final day ... I don't think any of us really felt quite right.

"Take me somewhere new please"

Hello to Bolivia, Bolivar and Sucre

A new country, a new guide, and my interest in things historical has been renewed.  What a difference a guide makes!  I have been in Bolivia now for 6 days and the contrast is striking.  Definitely less in your face tourism, the air is fresher due to lower altitude and less pollution from cars, the cities are better planned and protesting workers are organised and well behaved.  The streets are nearly as clean and the setting in the Andean mountains is just as breathtaking. Little evidence of police presence in the cities although there were a number of stops on the journey here where the bus was checked for drugs.  So far we have visited the two capitals ... La Paz and Sucre (the old capital, now only the judicial capital). .... Sucre reminds me of Arequippa in Peru.

La Paz

In Sucre, farmers are protesting because the government won't give them a central market place to sell their Christmas wares, and the bus drivers are all striking because they want the council to allow ticket prices to go up from the equivalent of 15p to 20p!  Firecrackers are going off all over the place (that is nothing unusual in South America) and workers are marching all day round the centre of town; everyone seems to be supporting them.  Wonder if it even made the news in UK?  The central square is certainly a hub of activity.

In all the cities I visited in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, two names stand out: Simon Bolivar and Antonio Jose de Sucre.  I have become accustomed to the central square in each capital city honouring the first person to rebel against parliament and Spanish rule in the 19th century (they are not that prominent in revolutionary history as they were quickly disposed of by the ruling elite) but I couldn't quite understand why Bolivar and Sucre have streets named after them in every town as well as having their own statues in most.  It's obvious really (if only I had watched the dvd a thoughtful colleague gave me back in July!).  They were the leaders of the revolution from Colombia down to Bolivia and as such have a strong presence in all 4 countries as well as in their home country, Venezuala.  I was amused however that Bolivar ended up a bit of a tyrant - autocratic and unloved - too long in power.  Now where have I heard that one before?  Wonder what happened to Sucre?

Off to the museums to try and gain a better understanding.

Part of death road

Ps not sure I want to own up to this but I did cycle down "death road" .... It really wasn't that scary.  Just be prepared to use the brakes!  Recommended.

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Reflections on Peru

Cusco

Machu Picchu was clearly the highlight of my travels in Peru that started so dismally back on the grey coast 3 weeks earlier.  Our base for the trek was Cusco, another typical Peruvian city surrounded by the Andes, with local areas and a colonial centre, but it was probably a bit too touristy for me ... well, what would you think if the suggested night spot was called "Paddy's Bar"?  It did seem to be a bit of a party town.  Some great examples though of Inca temple building with granite ... no mortar, and sloping inwards to withstand earthquakes.

The other two towns we visited either side of the trek ... Ollantayumbo and Machu Picchu town .... could be mistaken for Alpine towns .... enjoyable with the exhilaration of high altitude, but definitely focused on tourists with prices to match. Arequippa remains my favourite city in Peru.

Our travels in Peru finished with a visit to Lake Titicaca, a massive lake set at 3800ms above sea level, 180 kms long and 280 ms at its deepest point.  We visited a floating island community of around 20 inhabitants and were shown how their islands are made and maintained; huge chunks of peat are strapped together and covered with reeds in a criss-cross pattern, a new layer being added every fortnight.

We also stayed with families in another rural community for a night.  This home stay was much more comfortable than expected ... basic, but with en suites and prettily decorated rooms .... Peruvian rugs can really help make a room look warm and homely.  We had lots of fun, took presents, were dressed up again much to our distress ...

... played volleyball and tried failingly to converse in Quechan, but I couldn't help feeling that it was all a bit staged. But then isn't tourism a good way for a country to develop? 

Personally I would have preferred to visit this area when the inhabitants of the floating islands and our home stays did not want you to buy their "home-made alpaca" goods (that were definitely not alpaca and most likely came from China) and when fishing was the basis of their income.  Nonetheless, they were alll charming folk and, as in the jungle in Ecuador, even the youngsters seemed to genuinely enjoy our company and maintain the type of graciousness that is not apparent in most developed countries today.  Interesting to note that the teenagers wore traditional dress for the game of volleyball, which by the way they were remarkably good at, but went off to school in western clothing .... leggings and the like!  

The two youngest children at my home stay.

As we left Puno, our base at Lake Titicaca, and drove round the to the Bolivian side on our journey to La Paz, I did wonder whether or not I would have preferred to visit the lake and its islands from the southern, Bolivian end.  Speaking to other tourists later on in my travels, the answer to this was probably yes; tourism is not so advanced in Bolivia, but for how long?

Lake Titicaca 

As we crossed the border, one question niggled.  Why had I learned so little about Peru?  A disappointing tour guide certainly did not help.  He was a previous Inca trail guide, great at logistics and carrying my bags, but he knew precious little about politics, economics and culture.  This is probably a reflection of the poor education in this country and the fact that I had been spoilt by superbly well educated guides in Cuba, Galapagos and Ecuador.  I found myself looking up the facts on Wikipedia!  

Peru has had a good couple of decades but is now floundering.  I couldn't really get a straight answer regarding the popularity of the current administration but it seems to have done quite well.  A lot of trade agreements have been made (yes, including with China) and roads are improving.  Education and healthcare are apparently behind in development terms but a social security system has recently been introduced.  Looking around there were not many beggars, the streets were clean despite the many dogs (almost all families have one), and most of the rural areas I saw seem to be working on building schools.  The infrastructure in the cities was good too.  All was marred though by the lasting effects of an archaic taxation law where taxes do not have to be paid on unfinished buildings.  Virtually every business or home had unfinished construction somewhere .... most notable in the housing areas where many many houses still had a floor to complete.  

Peru has a lot of minerals although surprisingly no-one mentioned oil which was so important in Ecuador, a country with similar geography.  Fishing is big in the arid/"grey" coastal areas, and silver is pretty big too.  The Peruvians even believe their silver is superior to British sterling silver - who would believe that!

That's about all I can tell you for the moment.  Tourism is obviously on the up.  Read Wikipedia if you want to know more!  

My fellow travellers in Peru

Bolivia here I come!

Machu Picchu

I did it!

Machu Picchu was always the central focus of my South American trip and it did not disappoint.  I had imagined 4 days of glorious sunshine, cold evenings and some wonderful views.  On the weather front only our 4th and final day was glorious sunshine, but we counted ourselves really lucky to be able to go through the sun gate at 6.30 in the morning with the sun behind us.  We were all a bit surprised at how far MP was in the distance ... not much more than a blob but magical none-the-less.  We ate our breakfast there and soaked up the magnificent Andes views for over one hour before embarking on the 1 1/2 hour walk down to the main site.  Incredible to think that the Incas could only access the site 5-600 years ago by walking the same route.  Euphoric.  

View from sun gate day 4.  

No one really knows why MP was first built as all records have been lost.  Popular opinion is that it was some kind of summer home for royalty and the like as well as for a few peasants who lived there year round.  There is evidence of a home for the king and the main priest, although we were insistent that it was a high priestess!  The Inca temple's main focus of worship is the mountains; the infamous sun gate is the point on the horizon at which the sun rises on the winter solstice.  The summer solstice occurs over Mount Veronica, an ice capped volcano much respected by the locals.  During the torrential rain of our 3rd day, our wonderful level headed (and female) guide prayed to Veronica for sunshine for our final morning.  What can I say!

View of Veronica from my tent day 1 ... The photos from MP on day 4 did not really show how majestic she was.

The Incas, like many civilisations before them, integrated local customs into their own.  Pacchumama, or Mother Earth, seems to be a constant in this area dating from pre-Incan times. Mount Veronica represents Pacchumama. She overseas all that belongs to the earth.  There are also three zones regularly worshipped as evidenced by the different parts of most temples here and elsewhere: upper, represented by a condor; middle represented by a puma; and lower represented by a snake.  Pacchumama presided over the middle and lower earths as well as everything female or to do with harvests and fertility.  That the puma never inhabited this area illustrates he integration of beliefs across the whole of the Andes/Incan area.

This is the part of the temple worshipping the condor ..... See if you can work it out.  Thank you to Mira for the photo as guess who managed to leave her camera behind!

As for the walk, Day 1 was supposed to be "training" .... the views were fantastic, the legendary porters were amazing, and our evening meal of guacamole, soup and chicken with rice was out of this world.  Our guide, Tina, was excellent too.  We really did feel as though we were embarking on an adventure with the best team ever!

1 guide, two cooks, 10 porters and 6 travellers!

Me and my 5 fellow travellers .... all around 30 years old .... It's thanks to them all that this was such an enjoyable trip for me.  

Day 2 was "challenge day" and dead woman's pass going up 1200ms to 4200ms and back down again, mostly steps.  We got into camp early and were all pretty proud of ourselves believing the hardest bit was over.  Little did we know!

Cloudy at the top.

Day 3 was supposed to be "incredible day" going through 3 different ecosystems, fantastic views and visiting some inca ruins ...  All I saw was rain and steps, more steps, and more steps ... the others faired a little better but we were all a bit down at the end of the day ... having  to go out after lunch in wet clothes with aching knees nearly finished me off.  

Thank goodness for walking sticks.

Here is a photo of the last evening after we said thank you and goodbye to our wonderful team.  Dishevelle, still damp but looking positive.  

Day 4 was indeed a "magical day" with sunshine as we had been promised.  Starting with a 3.45 am wake-up call with cup of coca tea, we set out at 4.30am and positively raced the 6k trek to the sun gate.  We seemed to enjoy the day more and more as it went along.  

There was one wobbly moment though ... Caught so well in this photo c/o Mira of Sarah and I clearly wondering what we were doing!

Thank you to Tina, Sarah, Ngaire, Andrew, Kirby and Mira for their company, card games (caca something or other!) and for supporting me through this. 

The pisco sours in the restaurant in MP town at the end of the day never tasted so good!

Falling in love with Peru.

Nazca is an interesting place.  I had never heard of the Nazca lines before this trip.  No-one really knows how or why these drawings and tracks were created in the desert by different tribes between 500 BC and 500 AD but it is fun coming up with theories.  The most popular one seems to be that they were associated with some kind of ritual by different communities or tribes. They cover an area over 80 km and have only survived through the years because it is so dry.  Certainly worth looking up if visiting this area.  Close by is a large area of sand dunes reserved for sand based activities.  Driving at break neck pace in a buggy across and over these dunes was an experience.  I loved it!  Sand boarding, or in my case lying down on a sand board, was fun too but it was really hard work climbing back up the sand dunes.  We also visited an area 4 km long where ancient graveyards had been discovered.  All looted of course.

Our journey took us on to Arequipa, my favourite Peruvian city so far.  Particularly enjoyable was the extravagance of the monastery.  This was the perfect place for my retirement home/commune!  During the 1500s the daughters of wealthy families were married off with handsome dowries, whereas second daughters were expected to become nuns.  The prioress hand picked her nuns from these wealthy families and also invited the daughters of Indian chieftains.  The "nuns" lived a life of relative luxury within the walls with their own homes, servants and well kept communal areas.  Each house had its own kitchen and dining room and apparently lots of entertaining was the order of the day until the Pope intervened in 1870 and ordered reforms to be made.  Nowadays 22 nuns reside in a small section of the mini city, which was a wonderful place to walk around.  A hiatus of coolness and calm.

Arequipa was also the base for a trip up to the Colca Canyon where the scenery became even more breathtaking.  This is an area of the llama and the alpaca.  The families in this part of Peru live simple lives based on agriculture and what they can glean from tourists through selling hand made goods, posing with alpacas for photos and selling maca based drinks made from the fruit of a cactus; it is supposed to make men virile and women fertile!  Another drink marketed in this area is mate de coca, a tea based on coca leaves.  We had a luxury version that included a potent mint based leaf and a third herb I can't remember the name of along with the coca leaves.  This drink was a remedy for everything from altitude sickness to headaches and upset stomachs.

The main focus of this trip up the canyon was to see Condors.  We did see three youngsters and a couple of adults from the distance, but there was no real sense of the size of these birds which can have a wing span of 3 metres and live for 70 years or more.

Life in the Andes is tough.  Most communities now have a local school with, perhaps, only one or two teachers who cover all age groups.  Our guide told us that most families now try to move to the cities or send their children to boarding school when they get to secondary school age.  Interesting that he commented on the problems rural children face when they get to senior school:  they are keen to learn but there are many problems from the city children who are more interested in having fun!

This canyon journey was all part of the acclimatisation process in preparing us for Macchu Pinchu.  We reached a height of 4800m and slept at 3500m.  No-one slept that well and as for walking up hills, you just felt hopelessly unfit!  We were taught how to chew coca leaves properly, a messy process, but it does seem to have a positive effect.  It was good however to get back to Arequipa at a lower altitude; it was beginning to feel like home!

 

 

From Ecuador to Peru.

Ecuador really impressed.  Especially the colonial city centres, the Andes, and the food.  Most eating places, even the tourist restaurants, offer a really good value menu of the day including soup usually served with popcorn, either fish, pork or chicken fillet with a rice and bean mixture and some salad, followed by a small desert.  Price from £2 - £4.  The mohitos were pretty good too.  The scenery was amazing and the many greens of the Amazon jungle and the Andes added to an overreaching sense of the country being a rich one, much richer than I had thought.  My favourite city and the last one I visited in Ecuador was Cuenca.  Maybe I was getting used to Ecuadorean cities with colonial centres, lots of policeman and bustling markets, but this one did feel a bit special.  I understand Americans are increasingly coming here when they retire; there are a number of tax advantages involved, the air is good, and the cost of living is cheap.  Perhaps the extra money they bring into the city helps.  A fast running river splitting the old town from the new town was certainly well maintained with grassy areas either side. This type of planning was not really that obvious elsewhere.

This all contrasted rather starkly with what was to follow as We travelled down the Peruvian coastline from Mencora through Lima and on to Nazca.  Everything was grey!  To be fair, Peru started with two wonderful days on the beach close to a fishing village.  The beach went on for miles, the sunset was orange and stunning, and it was a great place to relax.  But the sand was grey!  Pisco sours on the other hand are definitely not dull!

It was no surprise then that the main industry after fishing in this area is cement.  The one company based here supplies all of Peru, half of Ecuador and a good proportion of Argentina too.  Its factory dominated the landscape, and yes, it was very grey!  

En route we visited some interesting pre-Incan ruins from the China and Moche periods.  So much has been damaged over the years from earthquakes that it is surprising to find anything in its original state. Most of what we saw had been restored such as the mud city at Chan Chan, but none-the-less it was really interesting to see how advanced these earlier civilisations had been.  In particular the way in which they channelled water from the Andes in the 9 dry months of the year was impressive.  Currently being uncovered by archaeologists is the Huaco del Sol, a temple dating back to BC times.  Each new dynasty brought with it another layer over the previous one; in places there is evidence of 7 layers.  Unfortunately much has been lost from all these sites to looting.