Traveling the world

Christmas is over and it has been quite a different one from what I’ve had before.
Yesterday we started our visit in Potosi by visiting the silver mines that has made this town.

Contrary to other mines I’ve visited this one is special in the sense that it’s still a working mine.

The day started when we got picked up at the hotel, we then got equipped with protecting clothes and helmets before we went to the miners market.
When I heard about the miners market I thought it was a place for buying mining related souvenirs, but this time it was what it sounds like, a street where the miners buy their equipment before going to work.

We went to a shop and had a look and taste. A lot of the miners drink very hard liquor, that means 96% proof alcohol. I got to taste some and it didn’t actually taste as bad as you would think, but out did burn.
At the market we bought some stuff as gifts for whatever miners we would meet in the mines.
Two kind of gifts was brought. Some bought coca leaves, and some bought dynamite. Two sticks of dynamite, a stick of ammonium nitrate and a fuse with a blasting cap for 20 bolivianos, no questions asked.
Guess things are a bit different than at home.

Then we went on to the mines. At the entrance we got headlamps and were divided into two groups. The activity in the mines was slow since Christmas was around the corner, but we meet a few miners. The first couple we meet obviously had a bad day. The miners mine was over two km into the mountain and they had walked in there to do some blasting only to realize after placing the explosives that they forgot to bring anything to light the fuse. So they were forced to pack up the explosives and go back home empty handed.

A bit further in we meet a 16 years old kid that was collecting rock samples, drilling the rock with a old fashion drill bit and a small sledge hammer, just like in the old time.

The mining business is hard work, but out also pays of for a lot of people. Miners in Bolivia have on average the highest income in Bolivia and can earn over 10000 bolivianos a week. 3.5 % is paid in tax to the government and 10% goes to the cooperative that the miners are part of. The rest goes to the miner, but he would have to use a lot of that on equipment and the cost of transporting the ore from his mining site to a refinery that extrudes the silver and zink from the rock.

After visiting the mines we had our Christmas celebration, everyone who wanted to bepart if it bought a small 10 bolivianos present and Lina acted as Santa and handed our presents. After that we had a nice diner at the hotel and a good party.

The day today had been a slow day, sleeping in until late and then just relaxing. Some of the group we to visit some hot springs, but I think the majority was just relaxing at the hotel or tried to find some food.

Finding open restaurants the last two days seems to have been our biggest problem but we have managed.

Tomorrow we are leaving to visit the salt desert.

We have now had two days in La Paz and are now travelling toward Potosi, worlds highest city, where we’ll celebrate Christmas.

Right now we have left La Paz behind and are currently waiting in queue to get some diesel, not the easiest task it seem. We have tried four gas stations so far with not much luck.

It’s been an interesting ride so far, at the checkpoint outside La Paz the bus overheated and we got a boiling radiator.

Time to recap my time in La Paz.

The first day was spent riding the road of death. We were picked up from the hotel at seven and rode the buses to our starting point at 4200 m. There we got bikes and got a bit of time to test it before we started the downhill. The first part of the ride was on asphalt so we were able go fast. At our first stop I realized that I had no back break, but I managed to stop safely and a bit of tightening solved the problem. All in all I was lucky and got a good bike. Even if it was stated that the bikes was in perfect condition most lacked the ability to change gear, not a big issue since we went mostly downhill, and there was some bikes with bad breaks.

After riding a while on the road we had a break, got some snack and the bikes were loaded on the buses. As one of the bikes was lifted on to the bus the back wheel feel off, safe…

We rode the buses for a while since it was uphill and «dangerous». When we stopped it started to rain and there was heavy fog, but we were at the top of the death road and ready to go. We all said that we would take it slow, but ended up doing it at mad speed. Didn’t think much of the madness until we travelled up again with the bus a few hours later. Then it had cleared up and we could see how step it really was.

We had two people falling of their bikes and a few flat tires but except for a few bruises nobody got hurt. So all in all the day was a success and everyone was happy when we were back at the hotel around eight.

Yesterday I spend just relaxing in town. I went to the witches market, got some presents to bring home. Went to see El Choco, the prison and had lunch in Mira Flores.

Marco tried to arrange a visit to El Choco but this time it wasn’t possible. I’m not sure I would visit anyway, but I guess we’ll never know.

Time for another update. I´m now in Bolivia staying in Copacabana, the original.

The last three days has been spent either on or by Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.

Three days ago we came from Cusco to Puno, where we had one night. In the evening we went into the centre of Puno and came upon some kind of celebration. A parade through the main street with music and the occasional firework.

Yesterday we started the day by being picked up by “limousine”, rickshaws, and pedaled the short trip to the harbour where we boarded boats heading for the floating island of the Uros people. The islands are built by the floating roots of reed and covered with reed to make a platform on where houses are built. We were greeted by a family that told os about the life on the lake and how the islands were built, and then we went on a short ride on a reed boat.

Felt a bit Thor Heyerdahl there for a moment. On one of the islands there were dancing and music and we later found out that the presidents wife was there for some ceremony.

We found that out when we came back to the mainland and was greeted with police blocking the street and a motorcade coming to the harbour.

Back at the hotel we got lunch and then packed our buses for the trip toward Bolivia. The trip to the border was uneventfull and with minimal delay we were able to get checked out of Peru and into Bolivia. From the border to Copacabana was only a 20 minutes ride and we were able to get settled early.

Last night we decided to have a little drink before going for dinner. I guess you can say it got to be a bit more than a little and it was a very happy bunch of people that had their first dinner in Bolivia.

Today I went to the island of the sun, and island in Lake Titicaca that is supposed to be the origin of the Inca people.

The island is not to far from Copacobana, but with a bout doing 6 knots it takes a while, almost two hours. On the way out there the rain was pouring but just before we got to shore it cleared up and we had wonderful sunny weather for our hike across the island.

Our first stop was the Sacred Rock, and then a labyrinth-like building called Chicana. After that we started our trek from the northern part og the island and to the south. We used about three hours on the walk including a quick lunch half way through.

The walk took us over the highest point of the island which is about 200 m above the lake. Bringing us to 4068 m above sea level. Strange to thing that this is almost as high as Dead woman´s pass on the Inca trail.

And the trail we followed could also be considered an Inca trail, it has certainly been used by Incas.

On the slow crawl back to Copacabana we enjoyed the view from the top of the boat, clouds came in but we haven´t seen any rain .. yet.

After four days in heavy clouds and rain walking the Inca trail it’s very nice to be back in Cusco and a dry bed.

First day
We left early on Monday starting our with a few hours drive to Qorihuayrachina / Km. 88 where we met our  guides and porters. We got checked in and started our hike. The first part was easy going and we missed most of the rain, we even got a bit of sun.
After lunch the going was a bit tougher and we got a little taste of how the terrain would be on day two.
The views were great and we ended up at Wayallabamba where we had dinner and our first camp at  3100 m.

Day two – climbing Dead  Woman Pass
Day two is the most strenuous part of the Inca trail. It’s a 9 km walk ascending 1100 m from our camp at 3100 m to the top at 4200 m. And then down steep steps to out camp Paqaymayu at 3500 m
The views going up is great but not far from the top the rain came and even I came to the to there wasn’t much to see. Walking down was a bit easier than going up but some of the steps are rather lathe and where there are no steps you got a rocky round that I felt was unpleasant under feet. We walked the whole route without any lunch stop and a got lunch at the last camp. I did this part in about 8 hours and was quite empty when I arrived. I ate a little, rested a bit in my tent and then we sat around talking until dinner at seven. We got the briefing for day three and then we went to bed. That night was the coldest on the trek and we woke to rain in the air and fresh snow on the mountain tops.

Day three – Cultural day.
The third day was also a long walking day, but by now i’ve got a bit more user to the surface and the going was easy. Our first so was at Runkurakay a fortress overlooking the valley where we spent the night. We got some guidance by our guides but it was raining so we didn’t spend much time there. The going to the first pass that day was steep like the day before but much shorter. Our second stop for the day was the Inca town Sayaqmarka, a well preserved Inca town. The rain held back for a while and we got some more information. Then we went to Chaquiqocha where we had lunch.
After lunch we started on the last eight km for the day. This was a really nice walk and if it wasn’t for the fog we would have a great view. The last two hours was mostly stairs, and the rain was pouring for most of the time. Now and then it would clear and we got some great views.

Our last camp was at Winay Wayna. Here we had dinner, a five soles hot shower and a small ceremony where we handed out tip to our porters who has been with us these days. Then we went to bed.

Day four – Machu Picchu
The last day started with a wakeup call at 0300, we had a quick breakfast and then went to the last checkpoint in the dark. There we had to wait got one and a half hour until 0530 when the gates opened and we were of to the Sun Gate, in the rain. This was a six km walk and the terrain was good. At the Sun Gate we got our first site of Machu Picchu. It was a bit foggy and my camera lens got foggy. Got only a few images from there.

In Machu Picchu we got a guided tour and then had a lot of time on our selves. We walked around for a while but it never really cleared up.

We went down to Machu Picchu Town where we had dinner and waited for the train to Cusco

Our train left at 1845 and since a occupied a whole carriage it turned into a disco south people dancing in the isle and drinking beer. Even managed to get the staff in the carriage to join in. The train took about two hours and then we got on to buses for the last leg. I was back here around eleven at night, had a quick shower and slept like a baby.