Slowly going mad in La Paz

Driving to La Paz is one of those things that I will never get tired off. Our bus from Copacobana turned out to be completely dedicated to tourists. The first leg of the journey lasted about 2 hours. After the initial bad road people were finally dozing off and falling asleep. Suddenly, the bus was stopped, everyone was woken up and told to get off the bus. Obviously confusion followed. As our guide (the same one who offered us his crappy boat earlier on that day!) explained to everyone on board, we had to get off in order to cross the lake. ¨Ok....thats fine, just drive around?!¨ Apparently the bus doesnt go around the lake but straight over it. As we were settling down on our boat that would take us to the other side of Lake Titicaca we watched as our bus, with all of our gear was driven onto a ferry. To call it a ferry is a stretch. More like planks strewn together, held by seaweed and driven by a single boat engine. Never thought I’d see a bus lolling like that. Slowly but surely it waddled its way to the beach, while all of us stood around trying to understand what just happened. 

Its hard to describe whether La Paz is a beautiful city. Its massive, sprawling, polluted and homogenous, however the drive to it is absolutely spectacular. As you come around the final hill, the entire city opens up in front of you. It looks like an enormous crater that spawned a massive city like an alien infestation. Most certainly one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. 

We stayed in a hostel just around the corner from the bus terminal, called the Adventure Brew Hostel. As per its namesake, its a brewery first and a hostel second. A dorm room costs around $4 a night which includes an all you can eat pancake breakfast and a free mug of beer at night. With 3 different beers on tap, our dinners never lacked drinking variety. They do have a kitchen that others can use, but it usually involves getting around the mess left behind by the chef. Our stay at the hostel slowly blew out to 10 days. It wasnt because La Paz was an incredible place or that we really loved our hostel. Part of it was the fact that we got sick a few times, the other part was that we were working on graduate school applications. The computer lady around the corner from the hostel probably thought that we were the strangest travelers ever. She was our silent and judging companion. We spent at least 4 to 6 hours a day for a week straight, on the computers, drinking juice and eating cheap set lunches. Those cheap set lunches were amazing at first. For 80 cents its possible to buy a large soup to be followed by an even larger plate of rice, potatoes and some form of meat. However, we quickly became bored of it. While cheap, variation was practically nonexistent. Variety costs about $4. We ran across an Israeli restaurant on Llampu st, that served amazing hummus and pasta dishes, with entre, salad, drinks and desert thrown in. 

Its possible to find pretty much anything that one needs in La Paz. From pharmaceuticals that would otherwise require a prescription, to electronics for dirt cheap prices. Parts of La Paz become massive sprawling markets that eat up the streets for 7 or 8 blocks. Its a travelers paradise with cheap crafts and woven items. The same hats that we paid $4 for in Ecuador (after haggling really hard) we found for $2.50 here, as the base price. But more than that, La Paz offers unique cultural events that simply have to be explored. One such event is called Cholitas Wrestling. We had decided last minute to go and check it out. After walking into the main office and chatting to the lady (who acted and sounded exactly like Joe's Acting Agent from Friends), we were running across the city to the waiting bus that was on its way to the arena. The event itself was hilarious. For 3 hours we watched several characters battle it out. Props included chairs, corrugated iron sheets, chains, a tourist's bottle of water and our bag of bananas which ended up all around the arena bust mostly on the victims face. It was allot of fun, its definitely something that we would recommend to everyone! While another interesting thing is the road safety campaign established in the city. On certain days the city is flooded with Zebras. Unfortunately not the real thing, but these guys while directing traffic, dance and flaunt to cheer up the rather somber Bolivians. Its part of an initiative to educate drivers about giving way and to teach pedestrians about respecting road rules.

After spending too long in La Paz we decided that it was time to get out and experience the jungle. We shopped around and discovered that the majority of travel agencies booked through just a handful of tour providers. Anna and I couldnt decide on which of the tours we wanted to see. The jungle offered amazing trees, plants and bird life while the Pampas were all about crocodiles and snakes. But at the same time there are soo many agencies, all offering pretty much the same thing. One thing we did learn while in La Paz is that one should book from La Paz because its cheaper. A minimum price has been established for tours in Rurrenabaque of 900B per person by the Tourist Ministry. We settled on Fluvial Tours, not because it was the cheapest, but because it had a solid reputation. After finding their main office, it was a simple matter to get a further discount and book both of the tours for 1150 Bolivianos. To the jungle ahoi!

Welcome to the cheapest country in South America!

While it would have been amazing to visit the Peruvian side of Laka Titicaca, we decided that 5 weeks in Peru was too much. Instead we decided to visit the Bolivian side of Lake Titicaca which was supposed to be less touristy and offer other unique things to explore. 

As usual, the border crossing was fairly entertaining and mostly confusing. Before we left for Machu Picchu we had reserved our bus ticket to Copacobana simply because we received a good deal. So when we got to the terminal we were really excited about our cheap tickets and the fact that we were going to a new country. Upon walking into the terminal we realized that the company that had sold us the tickets wasnt actually open. We decided to wait half an hour to see if our bus would come on time, but when it didnt show we obviously became pretty concerned. We decided to ask other bus companies to see what was happening with our bus and as it turned out, our bus wasnt even scheduled for that day. No biggie though, some quick words and scouring to opposite side of the terminal saw us receiving a new ticket with another bus company. Apparently this happens all the time and when it does, other bus companies pick up the passengers and just get the fare from the original company. We were promised the usual; a direct semi-cama to Copacobana. However as usual, it didnt happen that way. Half way through the journey those that were heading to Copacobana were made to get out of the bus, collect all their bags and relocate them into the waiting van. This van then took us to the border, where we had to walk between the Peruvian check point and the Bolivian check point and then catch another mini bus to the actual city.

Copacobana and Isla del Sol

This turned out to be a pretty cool little city. It was very touristy but it still felt like a nice place to hang out. We stayed at Hostal Emperador, even though the rival hostel across the road was far nicer. We wanted a kitchen simply because Thanks Giving day demanded that a proper meal be made. Right off the bat we noticed how different the Bolivians were to the rest of the countries that we have been to. Not only are they generally shorter, they wear more layers and more colorful clothes. As usually happens we had arrived on a festival day. While seating in the main plaza enjoying our 30 cent ice creams (identical ones cost $2 just over the border) we witnessed a procession of dancing ladies and suited up men, trotting and swinging to the beats provided by the band. Same day we decided to get some lunch at the local market. We found a really old, sweet looking old lady who served a devilishly large amount of food to everyone. A bowl of soup and a massive plate of rice, potatoes and a meat stew that could have easily fed 4 people was 10 Bolivianos or $1.20.

The following day we got up early to catch our boat to the northern side of the island. The boat ride was beautiful, from blue water as far as the eye can see to the islands all around us. It is hard to believe that people still live on these islands. They are pretty much barren except for a few eucalyptus trees. These days the population supports itself through tourism. Upon arriving at the northern part of the island, we had to buy a ticket to visit all of the northern archeological sites. These included a sacrificial table, a good luck wall and a small settlement constructed out of rocks. While these were pretty cool, it was the actual hike to the southern end of the island that was the real highlight. The views of the surrounding lands were absolutely astonishing. The perfectly blue water contrasted so well with the grey landscape around it.

The southern part of the island turned out to be super built up, with lots of hostels and pizzerias (apparently the most pizzaries in the world, per capita). We stayed at a place called Temple of the Sun, a cool little place with amazing views of the lake. We payed 25 bolivianos ($3.50) each, while the hostel across the road, charged 90 per person with the same views simply because it was newer. I dont think we've ever had a more scenic dinner and sunset. Our breakfast was just as cool. While chomping down on our bread and drinking tea a band of Alpacas passed by us on their way to their breakfast. Since we were there during the low season, it felt like we had the entire island to ourselves. I can only imgaine how packed it would be during the high season. Its a place that everyone should visit. Its actually possible  to camp on the beach, for free as far as we know. It does get really cold but a quick walk and a hot cup of coco will cure anything or so the locals claim.

Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu

Last time we updated the blog, we were only a week behind. Since then its been a month and soo much has happened.

  

The main plaza

We left Arequipa late at night, with our hostel lady coming outside the hostel to ensure that the taxi that had arrived was indeed the one she called. She thoroughly quizzed the guy and organized our fare...just another one of the reasons why we really liked the hostel. 

Arriving early in the morning to Cusco, we were treated to a beautiful sunny day. We were dropped off at the main plaza, where we sat around trying to orientate yourself. In the space of 10 minutes we were approached by 5 people offering us different types of hostels. And in those 10 minutes we realized just how many foreigners there were, a big shock from the northern part of Peru. We were initially going to stay at Ecopackers, a highly recommended hostel in Cusco. Upon arrival we noticed that the people working there actually weren’t very nice and the price for a dorm room was an extortionate 29 soles a night. Apparently if you book online at hostelworld, the price is 18 soles, for reasons that we couldn’t understand. Instead we walked down the street and stayed at Pariwana. Its a really good hostel with a not so fully loaded kitchen but a really nice simple breakfast, computer, tv and dorm areas. 

 After dumping all of our bags and having some breakfast we spent the entire morning running between tour agencies trying to get an idea of prices. The first tour agency quoted us $170 Huayni Picchu thrown in for free. From there we checked out a few Lonely Planet agencies only to find sky high prices for the exact same itinerary (prices in the order of $500). Needless to say we booked with the first company. They also helped us to organize our ISI cards which cut the price of the tour by $20. The lady working at the office just couldnt care less :) It would have been amazing to do the Inca Trail, but we didnt book 3 months ahead and we didnt want to pay $500 ish for the 4 days. Interestingly, we just found out that its actually possible to book the Inca Trail days before starting the tour. A couple had flown into Cusco from the US, and booked a tour 3 days before it started for around $350! So it can be done!! 

We were due to leave for the trek on the 18th, right after my birthday! On the 17th, Anna and I cooked up a storm. Birthdays are designed for guilt free splurges, so we made Beef stew with cumin. The smell of that concoction cooking in the hostel for 2 hours drew many, many hungry backpackers. We had made so much beef stew that we were eating it for 2 days after on our trek. 

The Salkantay Trek 

We got up at 4am on the 18th having organized ourselves the night before. While waiting for the bus at reception we met a couple from the US who were also going to do the Salkantay but on their own. They had the maps and all the written instructions, the camping gear and all the food that they would need. Looking back at it now, it would have been amazing to do it our self. The amazing thing is that they hadnt spent much time at Cusco prior to setting out, altitude sickness can be a killer, but they faired just fine on the trek. We were picked up at 5am, loaded up onto a bus and drove to our hiking point, 3 hours away from Cusco. It was at the rendezvous point that we met our group and our guide, the 20 year old, pouting machine called Henry. 

The appeal of the Salkantay trek is that one gets to see Salkantay, passing right under its grandeur. Unfortunately our trek was marred with lots of rain and very little sunshine. When we reached the appex of our climb, the best place to view the mountain, we still couldnt see it. However approaching the mountain we could quite clearly hear the avalanches tumbling down the mountain, a scary roaring sound that filled the valley. The trek goes through a number of terrains, from mountain passes, rivers to jungle treks. On our 3rd day, after 9 hours of hiking, the guides decided to play a game of soccer. Since noone was up for it and they needed more players I decided to jump in and have a bit of a kick. Needless to say at that altitude, playing in my hiking boots and ¨rain pants¨ after the grueling hike, my legs did not want to move and my lungs pretty much gave out. Still, it was a beautiful place to play soccer, surrounded by lush mountains.

The next day was our final push towards Aguas Calientes, a place with a warm bed and a hot shower. That day we hiked along the rail tracks, with deep, beautiful jungles to our left, a large and fast moving river to our right and huge mountains with ruins above it. It felt like something out of an Indiana Jones movie, it was completely surreal and totally made up for the fact that it rained the entire time on the trek. 

 Arriving in Aguas Calientes felt like stepping through a portal into Aspen or Winter Park. The place felt like an expensive skiing lodge with lots of rich and smartly dressed people everywhere. We were the contrast walking in after 4 days of hiking, dirty, soaked to the bone, grim. The hot shower that night felt like the best thing in the world. Unfortunately the luxury period didnt last very long with a 4am wake up call the next morning. We hiked out in the dark, rain pouring down because our guide said that we needed to be there as early as possible. Well, we were one of the first groups to arrive only to find that our guide was nowhere to be seen. The gates didnt open until 6am anyway and our guide arrived at 630am, on the bus. 

View from the top of Huyani Picchu 

That morning, after getting up so early and getting totally saturated, the last thing we wanted was a guided tour of the place. Our water proof jackets just couldnt handle the sheer volume of water dumped on us minutely. So standing in the rain listening to historical facts was the furthest thing from our minds. Fortunately, as soon as the tour finished and we had breakfast, the clouds opened up and the sun came out. From 10am onwards it was an absolutely spectacular day. Hiking up Huyani Picchu to view the city was one of the highlights for sure. We had one of our best lunches up there, seating on the ledge, preparing avocado filled sandwiches while human specs moved below us. Apparently when viewing Machu Picchu from this vantage point its supposed to resemble a condor!! 

From there we hiked down and up to the Sun Gate. Viewing Machu Picchu from this point made us realize just how cool it would have been to do the Inca trail and come up over the Sun Gate to the majestic city in front of you. After 12 hours of hiking in and around Machu Picchu we went back to Aguas Calientes and caught the backpacker train back to Cusco. The train ride was amazing and the little snacks onboard were a nice little perk. 

In all, our Machu Picchu experience was pretty good. We learned that going with the cheapest company was not necessarily the best decision. In order to save on costs they cut the amount of food that was served on the trek. They also use second rate guides and generally mislead their customers about what they can expect on the trek. What we learned is that two factors contribute to a good tour, one is the guide and the other is the group members. Our recommendation would be to go with a tour that costs around $230+ and asking for recommendations from those coming back from the trek.