Let me begin by saying I’ve avoided this blog posting the past few days that I have actually have a) time and b) an internet connection and c) a charged laptop since so much has happened in the several weeks since I have posted that I cannot possibly begin to imagine catching everyone up on the adventures that have occurred.
Quick rundown that is going to leave out 99.9% of all details: to begin, La Paz, Bolivia was crazy in itself. I was meeting a friend from Germany there, she wound up getting taxi kidnapped at the bus terminal and had her credit card stolen and was forced to give up her PIN number then dumped in the middle of the street at night. Long story short, we dealt with the police reports, partied at the bar to celebrate her final arrival, then peaced out of La Paz and headed south to to Uyuni, Bolivia, for a four day jeep excursion of the world’s largest salt flat. I do not need to mention that Bolivia does not actually have roads, so that all-night bus ride was the bumpiest, most freezing cold (I was in my mummy bag on the bus) ride I have ever taken.
So, in Uyuni, Bolivia we packed six of us and a driver/cook (cook is relative, three of us later had the worst food poisoning of our lives) into a jeep and started out on what looks like a glacier but is actually a salt flat. People are startled by the photos and have made comments about me wearing sweaters and down jackets...day one of the tour was bearable, night two was so far below zero that I was contemplating what I would do when I got gangrene on my toes from frost bite in my bed/sleeping bag. In itself, although quite third world and untouched by much other than tourists, Bolivia has an amazingly beautiful and diverse landscape. We went up into the mountains, saw the salt flats, deserts, mountains, active volcanoes, geysers, lagoons of all neon colors (due to chemicals like sulfur, borax, etc.) that were all full of flamingos...nothing like wearing your down coat on your way to the highest point in Bolivia and watching hundreds of flamingos chill out in a sulfur lagoon. Day three: worst food poisoning of my life, and let me tell you, being stuck in a bumpy off-road jeep with six other people and no bathrooms in sight for hours and hours, I may have prayed for a quick death for a minute or two. My companions probably wanted to roll me out of the jeep and leave me for dead, so a special high-five to them for dealing with smelly me.
Julia (German friend, also a physiotherapist, met in Cusco) and I literally rolled out of the jeep and hopped a two hour bus ride at the border of Bolivia to cross into San Pedro de Atacama, Chile, for a three day weekend celebration of Chile’s Independence Day. Situated in one of the driest deserts in the world, dust flew everywhere, but the small city is absolutely beautiful, friendly, and won bonus points from me for having draught beer for the first time that I’ve seen in over a month, as well as the amazing food I had every single meal. Julia and I rigged ourselves some Chilean flag t-shirts and had the opportunity to watch traditional Chilean dancing as well as other cultural activities. Besides the fact that the three ATM’s and banks in town happened to be completely empty of cash (we had to go bribe a gas station attendant to charge us for gas and give us the cash), I loved Chile and can’t wait to go back.
Three days after arriving in Chile, we hit the bus again for an eight hour...oh wait, this is South America...I mean, eventually a fifteen hour bus ride to head to Salta, Argentina. Luckily for the most part I have been on decent buses, so I can pop my ipod in and attempt a one-eyed sleep. Salta, Argentina was a relaxing place to be- I met some more amazing people at the hostel, laughed until I cried, convinced a fire station to let me put on a fire hat and sit in their 50 year old fire truck, ate the best empanadas I have ever had, rode a gondola up a mountain (then walked down in flip flops- what was I thinking?), then hitched an eighteen hour bus ride to South America’s promised land of wine: Mendoza.
Since I am currently in Mendoza, I will write part II tomorrow and give Mendoza and my time here the time it deserves...
Meanwhile, I have figured out how to convert in my head currency in four different countries, lost weight in Bolivia due to a parasite then gained it all back and more in wine and steak in Argentina, have met some of the most amazing people from around the world, learned slang in Australian and Irish, have had people throw music from their countries onto my laptop, got told that I am “fairly cultured” for an American, got spit at more than once for being an America, got to buy a five year visa to Bolivia because I am an American (you see where this is going), learned a whole slew of Spanish only to get to Argentina and realize I don’t understand a word of their dialect, worn the same pants seventeen times before washing them, have read two books, lost a camera charger (and a pair of pajama pants, amongst other things), ran into a friend full speed on a bicycle (shamefully before I had even had any wine!), learned or watched traditional dancing in four countries, ate everything I could get my hands on as far as street food or local cuisine, stayed up so late playing guitar and talking molecular biology with a friend that my only cue to go to bed was that the hostel starting serving breakfast, explained the gait cycle to a group of people that didn’t really care but I insisted that I was “studying,” screamed in my sleep on a bus, took about 200 photos (that I would upload but the internet is epic here), haven’t watched a single minute of tv....I could go on and on, but all you really need to know is that I am HAVING THE TIME OF MY LIFE.
(And I still have the full intentions and desire to return home next year, so Mom and Dad, you can stop worrying!)
Thanks for keeping up with me and my journeys!
