*warning: this will be long. set aside approximately 7 minutes and grab some popcorn.
Since most of our friends from DU are rendezvousing around Europe meeting up with one another we decided it was our turn to meet up with some familiar faces. That happens to be a little more difficult in South America. Logan and I have friends studying in Cusco, Peru (Hannah and Alex) and they were going to be in Bolivia for their spring break so obviously we joined them. Rob knew that Logan and I are pretty cool people and wanted to come on an adventure so he tagged along and I'm sure glad he did. For under $250 on LAN airlines we had flights booked for a 9 day trip flying in and out of La Paz, Bolivia. I had been sick the prior week taking medicine for a bad head cold (this part is import).
Thursday October 3: Bus ride from Vina to Santiago at 10pm for $5USD, then a taxi ride for $2/person
Friday October 4: Leave Santiago for Iquique, Chile 5:20am after hanging out for a few hours in the airport doing cartwheels, playing old maid, Rob sleeping. Arrive in Iquique at 7:30 and have a layover until 4pm. There is NOTHING in the airport except white walls and metal chairs. We did find a wheelchair to have races with and a tv to watch some Piers Morgan. No wifi, no heat, expensive food....no bueno. We finally boarded our plane and thought it was funny that we never got our passports checked but figured whatever. Then a lovely flight attendant came up to Logan pointed and said "international police". So we talked with the lady and she said he needed to talk to the police in the airport, but didn't think Rob and I needed to. We explained that we should probably all get off the plane and figure it out so we talked to the customs patrol in the airport who blatantly had watched us walk past them before and they stamped our passports and we got back on the plane as everyone looked at the Americans. I was miserable on the flight as my head was about to explode from the pressure and my cold.
We landed in 14,000 ft. La Paz and headed through customs. Americans have to pay $135USD to enter the country. The money needs to be in American dollars and needs to be new and crisp. Logan found this out the hard way as the customs guy wasn't going to accept one of his $20 bills. We were like "well what are you going to do if you don't accept this, I promise it can still buy you whatever you need." He finally took it. I had found forms online to fill out for visas in Bolivia and we used those, but they barely looked at them. Moral of the story is carry nice US bills.
We stayed at the Wild Rover Hostel ($7USD/night) and met up with Hannah and Alex. Much welcomed reunion. We all hung out and I talked to Hannah and met her friends and then started feeling awful. I found the boys in their natural habitat....the bar! I went up to Logan, gave him a big hug and just started crying. I guess my face was completely pale and my lips were blue so we decided I should probably go to bed. This was the first impression people got of me and in a bar none the less. I threw up and just coughed all night. Day 1 wrapped up and I was miserable.
 |
| La Paz |
Saturday October 5: We walked around La Paz and had lunch at a mall stand for under $2USD each. We did some shopping and found many things like dead and small llamas and goats, a Hangloose belt buckle for Logan, and placemats for Hannah's apartment. We went on a walking tour of the city with Red Cap Walking tours. Best free tour I've ever had. The guides knew all the little quirks about the city and told us all about the people. Like why do the women wear little top hats...... because the Europeans brought them for the men hundreds of years ago but they didn't fit their heads so they figured the women would want them! That night we stayed at the hostel resuming our positions of boys at the bar and Erin in bed.
Sunday October 6: I think I stayed in bed till 3pm while everyone else figured out our plans. We then went to the fighting Cholitas match. This is the most bizarre thing I've seen in person. We were front row with hundreds of other people watching Bolivian women in big skirts wrestle men in tight Spiderman costumes. At one point a lady had one guy tied up in a plastic bag and was throwing water bottles at him. The audience chimes in while throwing popcorn and soda at the wrestlers. This is a weekly event for the locals and boy do they love it. Logan and Alex bought masks so maybe they'll practice and be back, in the ring next time!
 |
| Cholitas wrestling |
Monday October 7: DEATH ROAD. We woke up and left the hostel at 7:30 and drove with our tour guides up to a lake just over 15,000 feet to start our descent on the world's deadliest road. Our tour company (Overdose) had great equipment with full clothing and good mountain bikes. I was feeling absolutely awful and hadn't eaten much in 4 days, but my stubborn self wasn't going to let this opportunity go. Later I found out my friends all talked behind my back saying "who's going to tell her she can't do it? she looks awful" but being the good friends that they are they let me come along and made sure I made it. The road is about 40miles long, with about 13,000 feet in altitude dropped. There have been almost 20 people killed on it in the last 15 years with the most recent death being an Englishman last year. The road averages 10 feet wide with a 2000 foot cliff on your left. You ride through rivers and under waterfalls watching as you pass roadside graves along the way. Cars still drive up and down the road so you are constantly listening for on coming traffic. Rob, Alex, Logan and Hannah were cruising as I was leisurely behind. You can look up videos on youtube for buses falling off death road if you want to see what we were dealing with. For $65USD we had a whole day of biking, lunch, snacks and transportation. I never felt REALLY unsafe on it. It seemed pretty casual, but it doesn't look that way in pictures. We had a guide in front and behind us the whole time too.
Since we don't have spicy food in Chile Rob and Logan were on the hunt for it in Bolivia. They heard about a place with really hot curry so they went on a little man date with our 2 new Danish friends and Alex. I guess the food wasn't even that good and they ended up just drinking a lot of milk and eating a lot of rice. Andreas (danish kid) did conquer the challenge and got a t-shirt out of it. The others just had miserable stomachs. Hannah and Alex went to the salt flats for the rest of their break while we stayed at the hostel.
 |
| overlooking a 2000ft drop off |
Tuesday October 8: Woke up early to catch our $7USD bus to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. We thought we just have one casual bus ride and arrive 4 hours later, but oh no. We switched buses twice and since they didn't assign us seats to begin with we were shoved to the rear of the bus, ya know that row that everyone dreads sitting in because the seats don't recline and there's no leg room? That was us. Me and my 2 friends who are 6 feet tall. I slept most of the way and was pretty delirious. We ferried across part of the lake on a little boat while our bus was safely escorted across on a wooden platform. After finding a hotel (Hotel Mirador) to stay at in Copacabana we hopped on a ferry to Isla del Sol. The hostel was $5.75USD/night and included breakfast with a lake view! I slept on the ferry and on a bench on the island as the boys hiked the island and were even lucky enough to take pictures of llamas which only ended up costing 30 cents. Funny how they can turn anything into an attraction! When we got back to the hotel I decided I should probably get a doctor. It was like ordering room service. 10 minutes after the front desk called the doctor a young Bolivian man and women walked in my room. They took my temperature and asked how I was feeling. Good practice for my spanish. Logan was gone for a few minutes and when we came back he got to talk to the doctors because I was delirious and couldn't comprehend much. I didn't even spell my home address correctly on one form! They gave me a shot and some pills and an oxygen machine. All night I got to sleep with tubes up my noise and had a machine next to me that sounded like a dirt bike engine. Poor Logan got to deal with it all and had to go to the ATM to get more money to pay for the doc. Rob got to sleep with the snoring Danish kids in another room.
 |
| Bolivian Doctor |
Wednesday October 9: Mr. Doc came back at 7am to collect his $180USD and his oxygen machine. He told us that I was safe to travel to Peru and I needed to keep taking my pills. I basically had severe altitude sickness combined with the flu and a cough. That's a really bad combination that I hope no one ever has. I was feeling a little better and relieved to have the tubes out of my nose. Gosh I hope when I'm old I don't need oxygen. The boys said I had a little color back in my face. After 3 buses we made it to Cusco, Peru. In total our $14 bus rides took about 11 hours. There are at least a gazillion speed bumps in Peru and 99% of them are unnecessary out in the middle of the country side. There are so many little houses that populate the Peruvian countryside and I can't help but wonder what the inhabitants do all do. What continues to amaze me is the fact the every home or shack in South America has at least one tv AND has dish or cable. I don't even have cable in the states and these people living in unfinished houses with tin roofs have cable. We checked into our Eco-Packers hostel and got some local Peruvian food. A complete meal of soup, drink, chicken and rice, and jello was $3USD. right on budget!
Thursday October 10: At 11am we decided it was time to trek to Machu Picchu. I knew it was an adventure to get there, but I didn't think it was THAT far. I mean people come to Cusco to go to Machu Picchu right? We told our hostel owner that we were ready to go and asked for directions. He laughed and told us it was too late. He said we should wait till the following day. Oh no buddy, we are going today, don't underestimate 3 adventurers! I scribbled down some directions, we each bought a snickers bar and set out. We took one taxi to Quibamba terminal in Cusco where some lady helped us out of the taxi and into a van. Not sure if we were doing what we were supposed to, but figured we'd be going somewhere. It was a 4.5 hour van ride. Rob made a new Peruvian friend who decided that his shoulder was a comfy pillow. The road was beautiful, but incredibly winding. The van stopped so we got out in Santa Maria where a guy asked us where we needed a ride to. We got in his hatchback with 2 other people (shoved one in the trunk) and made our way. He told us we should stay an extra night with him because there was going to be a big party, bummer we couldn't make it. He stopped in Santa Theresa and we got out where another guy asked us if we needed a ride. Well we did, so we hopped in his car and drove another 40 minutes or so. This road was pretty scary and should actually be called the deadliest road. There was actually an accident on it the next day that killed 51 people who were coming back from the big party.
We were safe though and it was gorgeous. We got dropped off at the train tracks at Hydroelectrica and wished a safe journey. In total it cost about $15USD/person for all our rides. I was amazed at how willing people were to help us every step of the way. We started our supposed 2 hour walk on the train tracks at dusk. Our walk ended up taking about 3 hours because it was slower in the dark and we took our time. It was a pretty magical thing to walk through the valley of Machu Picchu with a half moon and no other light. Might not have been the safest thing, but hey we're in our 20s and ready to adventure. We watched as the clouds would roll in and out and see the shadows of the steep mountains. Rob almost lost his beloved Colorado Rockies hat that he's had since 8th grade and turned around for a 15 minute sprint to find it alone on the tracks. Feuf! Logan and I just pondered life (or at least I did while we sat in silence) while Rob was gone. We enjoyed those snickers bars and I can assure you that a snickers has never tasted so good. If you get a chance to go to MP I recommend doing what we did one day because it was such an adventure and so magical. We were so happy when we finally saw the lights of Aguas calientes (city at the base of Machu Picchu). We arrived at our hostel around 9pm and went in search of some dinner. After getting burgers we settled into bed bracing ourselves for our 4am wake up. The boys were relieved that I finally had color in my face and was finally talking! I was back to part of society.
Friday October 11: 4:10am wake up. We all got dressed and ate our breakfast of bread super pumped for the day. We walked through the city buying our bus tickets from aguas calientes to MP ($18USD/person), entrance ticket $24USD/person with a student ISIC card (must have the card), and train ticket back to Cusco ($80USD/person). The morning reminded me of Black Friday shopping with everyone out in the warm clothes holding their coffee as they wait in line, except no one was fighting for the latest and greatest toys. After boarding a tour bus we made the 25 minute ascent to MP. We found a little guide, Jose, at the entrance to the park who accompanied us for about 2 hours. We ended up entering the park around 6:30am and watched the clouds move in and out. I definitely recommend getting a guide. It was Rob's idea and Logan and I were skeptical, but it was informative and interesting. It was good to practice our spanish too. Jose came at a pretty penny of $12USD/person. The ruins of the ancient city are stunning. They were such smart people thinking of everything from when the best harvest time was to building structures able to withstand earthquakes. They thought of every single detail. We hiked the mountain "Machu Picchu" and got a better look at the ruins. The boys tried to bring some summit beers but the entrance worker thought otherwise as she heard them clanging in the backpack as Rob bouldered up the mountain after misplacing his ticket. We hiked about 2.5 hours gaining incredible views with every step. Words will not do MP justice, so please visit it for yourself or look at lots of pictures. It was amazing though.
We took a train, because we decided that the train track walk and all the taxi rides was too exhausting and long. We were all tired and smelt awful after not showering for a few days and hiking, but hey we just hiked Machu Picchu! The train was a nice passenger train through the valley complete with snacks. We got dropped off in some little tourist city and then look a $7USD/person van ride back to Cusco. This time it was only 2.5 hours. I fell asleep again as Rob joked that I was asleep twice as much as I was awake on the trip.
That night Alex met up with us and showed us the night life. Oh what a nightlife scene there was. It's known for being a party city. We went to a few different bars and there was an absurd amount of 50 year plus people out and on drugs. It was bizarre! There are loads of tourists in Cusco so we didn't stick out too much. People were on the street just selling drugs, which we don't see here in Chile so that was interesting. I again was annoyed with the amount of cat calls and guys that tried grabbing me, but welcome to South America. After a bed time of 4:30am were were exhausted!
Saturday October 12: Hannah made it back to Cusco so she and Alex played tour guides. We went to some Alpaca factories and wandered through fields of llamas. We went to a few markets with uncooked meat hanging from the ceiling and the brightest color flower stalls. We tried a fruit that had dark, sweet seeds similar to a pomegranate but citrus tasting. We went to a few flea markets and enjoyed trying on panchos and headbands. Cusco is a very neat city with a mix or Spanish and Incan architecture. It's very touristy in parts, but beautiful and clean. I have over 100 bug bites on my legs and as I rubbed cream on them locals walking across the street stopped dead in the tracks and pointed at me. That was a funny experience having heads literally turn as they walk past me, and not look in a good way. I ate dinner with Hannah and her cute host family, and Logan went with Alex. We left Rob to drink at the hostel. The Peruvian, and Bolivian, people speak so clearly and slowly so it was great to actually have fluent conversations. At 10pm we left from the main bus terminal on a 11 hour ride direct to La Paz for $33USD/person. We had fully reclined seats which was very welcomed. I slept for awhile except for when the temperature dropped below freezing inside. When you cross the border here you walk with your passport through a series of offices from both countries. The peruvians asked if we had any drugs and made one guy we were with roll tobacco cigarettes for all the employees.
Sunday October 13: Arrived in La Paz around noon and left our backpacks at the Wild Rover Hostel in bag security. We shopped in the local markets after lunch. Lunch consisted of Coke and meat+rice+veggies for each of us and was $4USD for the 3 combined!!! We each got fresh, 32 ounce smoothies from the juice ladies for a dollar each. If you're on a budget go to Bolivia! We bought some last minute souvenirs and journeyed to the airport. You have to pay a $25USD/person exit tax on top of the visa fee we had already paid just to leave. That was a blow at the end of the trip. But that meant getting money from the ATM which left extra money to buy us some pringles and chocolate covered almonds. We took our 2 flights and made it to Santiago around 11pm. Instead of sleeping in the airport until morning and taking a bus to Viña we got a taxi. Nice little shuttle home and I was asleep by 2am.
One of the greatest adventures I've ever had. I was miserable for part of it, but still enjoyed it. It was odd feeling incredibly awful, but yet alive and present where I was. I didn't really talk much for the first 3 days and just walked behind everyone. It gave me a good chance to reflect and take it all in. I'm incredibly thankful to everyone who helped me while I was sick especially Logan. It's really nice knowing I have good friends who will never tell me I can't do something, but will do everything possible to keep me happy and safe. I never realized how sick I was, but after hearing from people afterwards about my appearance and mannerisms I guess it was bad. I loved going with no plans and figuring things out along the way. I recommend this sort of travel if you're confident and you are traveling with competent companions. Rob and Logan were perfect for that, figuring things out along the way and always being upbeat. We've got friendship bracelets from Bolivia as little reminders of epic travels. Congratulations on finishing this novel you just read! Thanks for sharing in our journey. Now it's time for you to create your own journey today!!!
 |
| market in La Paz |
