Jazzy-B´s South American Adventures

I arrived in Salta Argentina two days ago and it has been so much fun already. The bus ride from San Pedro de Atacama was so luxurious and a really nice change from the buses of Bolivia. Not only were there aisles free from the obstruction of excess passengers, there were actually EXTRA seats...who would have thunk it. There was a minor issue with the bus situation in that I almost missed it. I was checking out of my hostel, ten minutes before the bus was to leave, and the receptionist informed me that part of my fee had to be paid with cash (for the laundry services). This wouldn't have been a problem if I'd had cash or the one cash machine in the town was working, but neither of these things were true. So I was extremely close to missing my bus when a guy from the hostel that I'd been friendly with offered to lend me the cash I needed and told me I could re-pay him in the states (he's from California). I don't remember his name anymore but I was so thankful to him! It made me realize that although I am travelling alone and 'self-dependent' so to speak, I am not because I constantly find myself depending on the kindness, goodness, and friendliness of others during my time here. So I made my bus and arrived to Salta earlier than expected (I love it when that happens, and I was really glad this time because I was so hungry...a 14 hour bus ride with only cookies and a fruit cup for a meal). I hadn't decided on a hostel, but once I de-boarded at the bus terminal, there were loads of people promoting great hostel deals. I went with the one that offered free wi-fi, hot showers, and warm beds...the simple pleasures of life. Once I arrived to the hostel I settled in and got something to eat, then I called it a night.

The next day I had no plans, just to walk around the city and see the beautiful sights that Salta boasted. I went to the Plaza de Indepedencia and sat in the sun reading for a long time (I've just about finished The Fountainhead and have been frantically searching for bookstores that sell books in English that I actually want to read...no such luck yet). I also went to a big long road of shops that sold a large variety of things (clothes, electronics, foot long hot dogs with mayonese...anything you can think of). I ended up getting a small set of speakers and another sim card for my cell phone. It was during my exploration of the city that I noticed I was receiving more attention than usual, calls of Morena and uneccessary 'Hola's, but I didn't know what to think of it, so I forgot about it. That night I decided to attend the asado (bbq) that my hostel held. I thought it would be a good chance to know the people who were staying at my hostel and be social. The food was the bomb.com, I stuffed myself to capacity. I also realized that I was the only person staying at the hostel who didn't speak really good spanish. I tried my best to keep up, but spent most of the time just listening. It seemed to me that my spanish was improving at one point but I'm so unaccustomed to the Argentinian accent (mainly the double-LL pronounced like a -jio like in dijian mustard, or -sho depending on who you´re speaking with), it was like learning a new language. We ate and drank for about four or five hours, and then we decided to go out to a bar. At the dinner table, one Argentinian guy from Cordoba informed me that, 'Here in Argentina we love the Morena women...' he explained a little bit more, but I'll spare the details, it just put the days events into better perspective for me. The bar was really chill (there was a live band playing great reggae music) and I ran into two people that I'd met previously at other hostels throughout my travels: one girl from San Pedro de Atacama, and one guy from La Paz. It was good to see the girl because we had plans to meet up maybe in Salta, but definately in Buenos Aires...the guy not so much because he was a little weird acting; but it just goes to show how small the world is. After speaking with some of my hostel mates, we decided to take a day trip the next day to Cafayate.

Today was the day of the road trip. We got a late start because I slept until noon, but there was no time limit so it was all good. Marco, the guy that I went on the road trip with, bought a car in Salta a few days before (on a whim) and so we were on our way. It was so beautiful and I got to practice my spanish more because Marco, a native of Mar del Plata Argentina and a professional surfer, did not speak any English. It was really hard...really really hard, but we managed with the help of extensive hand gestures and a very simple vocabulary. It was a really laid back and chill day. I had a great time and took so many pictures of the mountains.



We made a lot of stops on the way and I got some souvenirs.



When we finally made it back to Salta, we ordered pizzas, drank wine, and hung out at the hostel with two girls from Spain and another Argentinian guy from Ushuaia. I plan to go to bed now and depart for Mendoza tomorrow. I will have a chance to do some wine tasting there (which I didn't have the time to do in Cafayate) and maybe some shopping for leather goods. I look forward to arriving there because I think the landscape will be a pleasant reminder of the wine country in Arezzo. More updates to come.

I have left Sucre and am now in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile after a three day journey to the salt flats of southern Bolivia. Well as you can tell from the entry's title, it was cold, but it was so much more than that. I was dreading leaving lovely Sucre to venture into freezing Uyuni but I figured that I should because I couldn't visit Bolivia without seeing the salt flats and the other attractions that accompany the tour, so to the bus station I went. Once I arrived at the terminal de bus (after paying the appropriate amount of money to get there this time), I was informed that there was not a bus going directly to Uyuni that day; I would have to stay an extra night in Sucre and catch the bus to Uyuni tomorrow morning, or I could catch a bus to Potosi that day and then catch a bus to Uyuni from there. I chose the latter...bad idea!

First off, there was another debacle at the bus station. After buying the ticket to Potosi, I had about two hours to wait until the bus's departure. Once the bus's departure time began to approach, I went to check my bag and then wait for the bus at the appropriate gate told to me by the women from whom I bought my ticket. The bus arrived and I saw the men putting the bags onto the bus...but I didn't see my bag. I thought maybe they were still waiting for it. So I went to hand my bus ticket to the woman collecting the tickets and she informed me that this was the incorrect bus, it was not going to Potosi it was going to Cochabamba. At the time I freaked out because I did not know where to go to catch my bus, and it was nearing the time of its departure; I didn't mind too much if I missed the bus, but I didn't want my baggage to have been checked and have the bus leave without me. So I frantically asked about ten people where to go to catch the bus to Potosi and they all gave me ten different answers. There was one boy who said the bus was only running late and not to worry...but I was. One man who saw that I was about to lose it, took me back upstairs to where I bought the ticket and told them to let me know when the bus had arrived and to show me what it looked like. I had calmed down by this time because I saw that my baggage was still sitting where I had left it. After about fifteen more minutes the bus arrived and I boarded feeling calm after the unnecessary rousing, but not too excited about finding myself on another Bolivian bus ride. After five hours of minimal personal space and funky smells I arrived to Potosi. It was a major disappoinment after the splendor of Sucre but I only had to find a room for the night and then catch the bus to Uyuni the following morning.
The bus ride to Uyuni was fairly uneventful except for the fact that there were people standing in the aisle this time as oppsed to sleeping...I prefered the sleeping. After arriving in Uyuni and exiting the bus, I was immediately approached by a woman asking if I wanted to join a tour of three people leaving for the salt flats the following morning. Included in the fee were all of my meals for the next three days, my hostel stay that night and the following two nights, and my bus ticket to San Pedro de Atacama. I immediately agreed and thought things were looking up for me, she even gave me a student discount! The next day I left for the Salar de Uyuni with five others: two guys from Canada, two girls from England, and a boy from Holland. The first stop was the graveyard of a train that once ran through Uyuni. The trains were rusted and looked magnificient against the bright blue sky...it was deserted just as the rest of the town of Uyuni seemed to be. After leaving here we were on our way to the Salar. Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat at 10,582 km² (4,085 square miles). It is located near the crest of the Andes, 3,650 meters high. Some 40,000 years ago, the area was part of Lake Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. When the lake dried, it left behind two modern lakes, Poopó Lake and Uru Uru Lake, and two major salt deserts, Salar de Coipasa and the larger Uyuni. Salar de Uyuni is estimated to contain 10 billion tons of salt, of which less than 25,000 tons is extracted annually. Every November, Salar de Uyuni is also the breeding grounds for three species of South American flamingos: the Chilean, James's and Andean flamingos. Also, Salar de Uyuni holds half of the world's reserves of lithium, a metal which is used in high energy density lithium batteries (wikipedia).
After a full day of the salt flats, beautiful mountains, cactuses, blue skies, and amazing viewpoints we ended up at our accomodations for the night: a hotel made of salt. It kept us really warm for the night and is just a really cool concept. I had a really good time that night with my tour-mates playing cards and listening to music...until I got sick. The food tasted great but must not have been very fresh because I ended up throwing up everything I ate...it was horrible and I felt sick not just that night but the following day also...so much so that I was unable to enjoy the tour and basically slept the entire time. I'm told that we went to several colorful lakes like laguna Cañapa, Hedionda, Honda, Shiarkota and Ramaditas. Some had flamingos, mostly white, which I was able to wake up for a short time to see. That night we slept in very cold weather at Laguna Colorada (Red Lagoon), a shallow salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia, close to the Chilean border. The lake contains borax islands, whose white color contrasts nicely with the reddish color of its waters, which is caused by red sediments and pigmentation of some algae. James's Flamingos abound in the area and it is also possible to find Andean and Chilean flamingos, but in a minor quantity.

It wasn't as cold as I thought it would be that night (I had heard horror stories of fifteen below...celsius) and I was able to bear it until the morning. On our last day we had to wake up at 5:00 in the morning. It was bittersweet: bitter because it was unbelievably cold, sweet because I was able to see more stars in the sky than I have ever seen before. Che buena! The day was very short, we were able to see the Sol de Mañana geysers, a hot spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by steam; geysers are generally associated with volcanic areas and as the water boils. The resultant pressure forces a superheated column of steam and water to the surface through the geyser's internal plumbing; the formation of geysers specifically requires the combination of three geologic conditions that are usually found in volcanic terrain: intense heat, water, and a plumbing system. We also saw the sun rise, and swam in the hot springs all before our final sight of la Laguna Verde (Green Lagoon), a salt lake in the southwest of the altiplano of Bolivia on the Chilean border at the foot of the volcano Licancabur. Its colour is caused by sediments, containing copper minerals. It is elevated some 4,300 m (14,000 ft) above sea level.

It was all great and the perfect amount of time because I was ready to move on to San Pedro de Atacama. Now I am here and enjoying myself and the weather. It is in the dessert so it's very warm during the day and extremely cold at night. My only plan for my time here is to relax and sight see in this tiny town.





It caters totally to tourists and everything is very expensive so I will not be here for a very long time. My next move will be to Salta, Argentina. I can't wait to get there because I always hear such great things about Argentina. I will update once I arrive!

I arrived in Sucre yesterday after a twelve hour bus ride and what a treat it's been! The journey here was a bit rough because my spanish was truly put to the test. As I was about to board the bus, there was a woman standing at la puerta requesting what I thought was my bus ticket but turned out to be some sort of bus tax required of all passengers. I figured it out eventually but only after I nearly took the recepit saying the tax had been paid without actually paying and then I left my actual bus ticket at the counter after paying the tax; it was not as bad as it could have been and only slightly embarrassing. Once I actually got on the bus, I was so relieved and surprised because there was so much space and the seat next to me was vacant; so I was finally able to rest...for all of fifteen minutes. Soon thereafter we made a stop and about ten more people got on the bus, filling the bus to what I thought was it's full capacity, but in Bolivia it just means all the seats are taken. Over the next thirty minutes we made three more stops, picking up one or two people along the way. After the last stop, that's when the bus was at it's full capacity, by anyone's terms. It was one of the most uncomfortable bus rides ever. There were people sleeping in the aisles and there was a woman basically taking a nap in my lap for the entire ten hours. But I made it unscathed!!

Once I arrived to Sucre, I found a taxi and asked him to take me to the hostel that Rose from La Paz recommended. I didn't realize it at the time, but I got taken advantage of BIG time on that taxi fare; he charged me ten bolivianos for a four bolivianos taxi ride. The hostel was very nice-quaint, friendly, and clean-all that you can ask from in a hostel. On my first day I did quite a bit considering that I was so exhausted from the previous night's partying and the subsequent bus ride. I walked to the main plaza and got a chip for my phone, then returned to the hostel for a nice HOT shower (I am always really excited to find a shower that gets really warm and has strong water pressure). After the shower, I went to eat in a restaraunt recommended by the hostel recptionist. It was a great day, the sun was shining and the weather was hot.

I immediately liked the feel of Sucre. It had a very relaxed and friendly feel...much different from the chaos of La Paz. It also had very nice buildings-white washed and many with gold emblems. After my meal and a brief exploration of a few of the city's museums (I went to three museums: Museo de Santa Teresa, Museo de Etnografia y Folklore, and Casa Municipal de Cultura). Afterwards I returned to the hostel and slept. The plan was to take a two or three hour nap, but of course that didn't happen. I ended up sleeping from 6:30pm until 10:30 am...I was very well rested!

Today, I hung out with two girls that I met from my hostel: Claire and Cait. They are very friendly girls from England. We went to el Castillo de La Glorieta, a castle fifteen minutes outside of Sucre. It was built at the end of the 19th century by the Prince of La Glorieta, Francisco Argandona, and his wife Clotilda. Now it is used as a military school. It was a cool building but quite eclectic. It uses features of many styles of architecture such as: Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo classicists and Mudejar. Afterwards we hiked to the top of the city to the Mirador (viewpoint where you can see the entire city) and watched the sun set. It was magical and breathtaking all at onc, especially at dusk when the lights of the city first came on. The sky was an orangish, reddish, purplish, pinkish color (pictures here!)

I also had my first salteña- a pastry filled with beef, pork or chicken mixed in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce, and sometimes also containing peas, potatoes and other ingredients (wikipedia) ...delicious isn't even the word...let's just say I'm hooked. Tonight I will go out with a few of the people from the hostel to see what the party life in Sucre is like; it should be a good time. I plan to relax tomorrow and soaking up more of the sun and mellownes of the city before heading south to Uyuni on Saturday to see the salt flats. I will update once I return!

Hello everyone! It´s been a while since my last entry and so much has happened since then. We returned from the Salkantay trek (a five day trek to Machu Picchu) on June 3 and it was a great experience. The trek was very well organized and since there were only two of us, we had the guide, chef, and horsemen all to ourselves. The hike really kicked my ass; in addition to that, the camping, which is always a romantic notion in my mind, got kind of old after two days. On the first day, we hiked up a mountain for about four hours and arrived to our campsite just as night was falling. The site was in an open valley enclosed by mountains, some of them snow capped; it was breathtaking (due largely to the scenery, but also to the altitude and the hike) and the stars and moon were shining more brightly than I have seen in a while. It was really hard to sleep that night because the temperature dropped to about twenty degrees. We tried our best to keep warm but it was no use. It was the first time ( and last!) I've been outside for an extended period of time in wthat type of weather; I had on four layers of clothing and still couldn't feel my fingers or toes.

After the first night things continually improved, especially the weather. We went from mountainous terrain to jungles, it was really cool to see the gradual change in scenery, feel the change in temperature, and notice different wildlife throughout the hike. We ended our camping experience at hot springs in Santa Teresa which was really cool because we got to camp there and were the only people doing so; that night we were the last ones out of the water and the first ones in the water the following morning. It was basically three huge pools of water with temperatures ranging from hot, medium, and cold; the cold pool was very cold and had a waterfall spilling into it (my favorite was obviously the hot pool). Once we arrived to Machu Picchu the next day it was a little anti-climactic, especially after the hike coupled with the physical exhaustion (the hike was 48 km total), but beautiful and awe inspiring nonetheless. It was a beautiful day and we were surrounded by lots of llamas and marvelous, ancient structures. Overall, it was an amazing experience and was more spiritual and revealing than I imagined it would be. There was a lot of time to think, talk with Caitlin, think some more, and listen to good music all while surrounded by the beauty of Pachamama (mother earth).

After our return from Machu Picchu it was our plan to explore Cusco a little more until our departure on Saturday, then head to Puno and Arequipa; however, this plan quickly crumbled due to the bus strike held by the indigenous people of the Amazon in Peru. The strike was a result of the Peruvian government selling the natural resources (mostly water) to private investors outside of the country. This move by the government caused many of the impoverished and struggling people of the jungle to become even further displaced; as a result they decided to protest the mistreatment of the government by blocking the main highways that lead to Puno and Arequipa 'indefinativo', crippling one of the city´s most lucrative sources of income: tourism. So we waited...and waited....and waited, each day hoping to hear news that the people and the government had come to some sort of agreement and the strike had ended; but we had no such luck. With each day I was becoming more and more frustrated. While I enjoyed Cusco and its beautiful plazas, I was more than ready to move on to the next city on our itinerary. After four days of waiting, we decided we needed to come up with another plan muy rapido. We searched for cheap tickets to Chile and Bolivia (a country which was never even a part of the original plan because of the visa required for Americans to enter the country). On Tuesday, we found a decent price on a ticket to La Paz and bought them as quckly as possible. With our new found planned we felt reinvigorated and ready to see a little bit more of Cusco before we left. We got manicures and pedicures and also went horse back riding near the mountains and ancient ruins surrounding Cusco; it was incredible and a great activity to do on our last day in the city. That night, we went out to a really chill bar that played great music (choice reggae and classic rock) and you could buy bottles of rum there for a small amount of money. We had lots of fun and got to party with some really nice and chill Peruvians.

The next day we were off to La Paz! Once we arrived, we checked into our hostal and took looooong (but definately needed) naps. After awakening from my slumber, I went to the bar of the hostal and found Caitlin hanging out. After a while, we ended up making friends with a trio of travellers: Rose (from Amsterdam), Lewis ( from London), and Richard (from London). They were all really great people and I ended up spending my entire six day stay in La Paz with them. That night we all went out to the Hard Rock Cafe in La Paz. It was nothing special, but I had a fun time dancing to the reggaeton and eating the french fries. The next day, Caitlin and I explored the Plaza de Estudiantes area of La Paz a little bit. The city is very nice: when the sun is shining the city really sparkles and the buildings are such as splendid mix of new architecture coupled with old; I really enjoyed walking around the city, although it was a bit of a challenge with the large inclines found throughout. That night I did not go out because I was feeling tired from the previous night and wanted to rest. With renewed vigor, I did a walking tour of La Paz the next day with Rose, Richard, and Lewis. We went to the Witch´s Market (where there are llama fetuses for sale) and the Black Market (where any stolen good you can imagine is up for grabs) among many other places. I got a FAULTY USB at the black market (it was working perfectly well at first, but then stoppped after a short while ) and a few other little odd items. We also signed up to go biking down the most dangerous road in the world called the DEATH ROAD *gasp*. That night we did not go out because we had to rest up for our early bike ride the next morning.

Now I know the death road sounds really dangerous, but here are the facts: The North Yungas Road is a 66 km road leading from La Paz to Coroico, 56 km (35 miles) northeast of La Paz in the Yungas region of Bolivia. It is legendary for its extreme danger and in 1995 the Inter-American Development Bank christened it as the "world's most dangerous road". One estimate is that 200-300 travelers were killed yearly along the road. Because of the extreme dropoffs of at least 600 meters (1,969 ft), single-lane width — most of the road no wider than 3.2 meters (10.5 ft) — and lack of guard rails, the road is extremely dangerous. Further still, rain and fog can make visibility precarious, and the road surface muddy, and can loosen rocks from the hillsides above. The danger of the road ironically made it a popular tourist destination starting in the 1990s, drawing some 25,000 thrillseekers. Mountain biking enthusiasts, in particular, have made it a favorite destination for downhill biking, since there is a 64 kilometers (40 mi) stretch of continuous downhill riding. There are now several tour operators catering to this activity, providing information, guides, transportation, and equipment. At least 13 of these cyclists died on the ride since 1998...So I guess it is pretty dangerous, but only if you go really fast. When I first began the trip, I went extremely fast and stayed toward the front of the ten person pack; however, after falling three times , I eventually slowed down and stayed toward the back of the ten person pack. I know have a trail of really nasty bruises running from my thigh to my shin (on both legs!), in addition to a t-shirt, reminding me that I survived "The Most Dangerous Road in the World!" It was great fun! Of course we had to celebrate that night, so we went to some nameless club to commemorate our experience. We danced until the sun rose and then off to bed for the day...

The next day, I finally planned the rest of my trip (YAY!) and went to the mall in La Paz. I got a great pair of courdaroy pants (very warm in the frigid temperatures) and got my first empañada of South America (che ricca!). After this I decided to rest for a while because I was feeling very ill and slightly feverish. This rest lasted from 7 p.m. until 1:00 am...but I was ready to party once I awoke! We went to the most bizzare club that I´ve ever been to, but I enjoyed myself more at this club than any of others in La Paz. We stayed there until 9:30 that morning then returned to the hostal to sleep for a while. Now I up from my nap and have decided to update you all on what has been going on with me for the past two weeks. I plan to walk around the city a little more with the travelling trio before I head to the bus station to catch my bus to Sucre, a town twelve hours south of La Paz. Once I arrive there I will stay for about three days. I have enjoyed my time in La Paz and can´t wait to see what a southern, warmer city of Bolivia has to offer. I will let you know once I arrive...

After leaving Trujillo we had to make our way to Cusco. We took the ten hour bus ride back to Lima (this time I was not able to sleep through much of the ride because it was not as comfortable as our ride to Trujillo, but the mountainous scenery was very beautiful). We arrived to Lima airport around 10:30 that night and we had a flight to Cusco to cacth...at 5:40 a.m. The night at the airport wasn´t as bad as I imagined it would be. It was a tad chilly and the chairs weren´t the most comfortable, but I was able to sleep for a few hours. The actual flight to Cusco was very short, about an hour.

Once we arrived to the hostel we could immediately feel the effects of being in a city that is 3395 m above sea level. I felt light headed and became short of breath whenever I exerted any type of physical energy. It was also a lot colder than Trujillo, which I should have expected but was still surprised by. On the first day we ate, rested, then visited the Plaza de Armas. It is very beautiful...actually this entire city is gorgeous. It is is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. The city is built on a rolling valley and you are able to see houses in the distance and a sign that reads ´Viva la Peru´. It is especially breathtaking at night when everything is lit. The city is full of tourists which is a big change from Trujillo and this aspectof the city has its pros and cons. The pros are that the accomodations are much more comfortable and as you are walking through the streets you hear a variety of languages ranging from dutch, german, french, spanish, hebrew, and of course, the old faithful english. The cons are that things are much more expensive than they were in Trujillo and you can´t walk fiftey feet without a vender attempting to aggressively sell you something, but I think I may soon take advantage of the twenty sole, one hour massage I have been offered about thirty times; it is a good deal and it will be so relaxing.

Side note: I have taken quite a few pictures while I have been here, but have been unable to unload them on to the computers here and onto my jump drive because I shot them in camera RAW. Help! I welcome any and all advice on ways to fix this problem so that I am able to share more of my pictures with you all.

Today is our second day in Cusco and will be our last before we take a five day hiking trek to Machu Picchu. We had our orientation for the trek today and our guide told us that we would have the opportunity to swim in two hot water springs...TWO! I don´t know if you can tell, but I am very excited. I welcome this chance to spend an extended period of time in nature for reflection, amazing scenery, excercise, and many photos, not to mention seeing the ´Lost City of the Incas.´

We were able to see the oldest wall in Peru today. It was built by the Incans and the pieces of stone were cut so precisely that the wall was erected without using mortor to hold the stones together. We also had an amazing Mexican meal...it was so tasty and reminded me of being back in Houston, eating Mexican food on late nights. After the trek we will return to Cusco to explore the city more and see all of the great things that it has to offer. So now I must go and get some rest. We are leaving for our trek tomorrow at 6:00 am and I want to be refreshed for our full day of hiking. Until my return...