Movie Reviews from Sucre, Bolivia

Today (April 15) was a really lazy day. We (Anand, Melissa & I) decide to retreat from the world upon discovering that the local cinema in Sucre had 2 films playing in English – what a treat! I haven't been to the cinema in 4 months – since I left Ireland.

First film was Legion de Angeles (Legion in English). I can't remember the name of the actor but it was the guy who played Silas the monk in The DaVinci Code. Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black (the boy from the TV series American Gothic), and Kate **(can't remember her surname, the actress who plays McDreamy's wife in Grey's Anatomy) were in it too. It was awful. Basically the plot is that God has lost faith in humanity and orders the angel Michael to kill an unborn baby who will be the next Messiah. But Michael still believes in humanity and disobeys God in order to allow the baby to be born and save mankind. Lots of machine guns, zombies and really terrible script follow. Dont ever see this movie if you can help it.

Second film was Sherlock Holmes, the new one with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law. Entertaining but I'm not sure if I'm fully comfortable with the slick and eccentric Holmes, he got a bit annoying after the first few chuckles. But I thought Jude Law was really good in it. I liked his chemistry with RDJ.

After we stumbled out of the cinema, me full of popcorn & coca-cola, we made our way to one of the tour agencies to book a mountain bike tour for tomorrow (time to do some exercise again) and then collected our laundry (very domesticated). Came back to our hostel, made dinner and sat down to watch our third film of the day: Motorcycle Diaries. Despite my previous reservations, I really enjoyed this film. I think it showed a very positive picture of the young Guevara and attempted to explain how & where from his beliefs were formed. Worth seeing.

Decisions, decisions in Bolivia

April 15 - So I'm sitting in my hostel in Bolivia (La Dolce Vita, very very nice) with an upset stomach (not sure from what – could have been the street food at lunch yesterday or the 2 pints of local beer last night – both of which were v tasty at the time) and I have some decisions to make. My original plan was to stay in Sucre until my new credit card arrived from Ireland (the expiry date on my current one is the end of March) but I get the feeling that I might get a bit bored with that or else spend an absolute fortune on trips and tours while waiting for the card to turn up – it could take up to another whole week before it arrives. My options are looking like this:

Option 1 - Hang out in Sucre for another week: As stated above, this could potentially involve an outlay of quite a bit of cash, and I would need to change hostels as my current one is not available this weekend.

Option 2 – Volunteer at Inti Wara Yassi: Inti Wara Yassi is a wild animal refuge where volunteers work for a minimum of 2 weeks. It would mean missing out on Northern Bolivia entirely.

Option 3 – Go North in Bolivia: Go to La Paz, Coroica and the Amazon basin. This would mean not visiting Southern Bolivia at all. Flying out of La Paz to Brazil (expensive) or overlanding back across Bolivia and Brazil (time consuming) when I want to rest before going to Curitiba.

Decisions, decisions! I think it will be decided for me by emailing Inti Wara Yassi to see if they have space for me in the next 2 weeks.

Update: I checked the Inti Wara Yassi website today and I think it will take a bit more planning on my part to get there. Plus I think I may want to stay longer J once I am there. Maybe I will have to come back to it after Brazil...

Update 2: I'm taking the bus to Sucre and am planning to chance 'El Tren de la Muerte'.

Bolivian Buscapades

A nightmare bus journey last night. But it all started out so well. We (Anand, Melissa, Davide, Alessandra, Andrea & I) were desperate to get out of the dive that is Uyuni (see previous entry on the Salt flats). On a recommendation from our salt flat tour driver we used the Emperador bus company. Big mistake. The first half of the journey was fine, we had the back seat of the bus to ourselves and Andrea was sitting near. Sleep was a bit difficult because the driver was blaring traditional Bolivian music but we each managed a bit. The bus laid over in Potosi for an hour before we had to change to another bus. This was where the fun began...

After loading our bags into the luggage compartment and as soon as entering the bus, it became pretty evident that we were not going to have our assigned seating. The bus was already almost full and there were single seats available here & there but not enough for the 6 of us. When we went out to talk to the driver about it, he showed us the list of passengers, brushed us off and said that there were 19 free seats on the bus! It turned out that half the extra passengers on the bus did not have reservations as we did, but the driver & the child-like conductor didn't/couldn't do anything about it. So 3 of us had to stand for the entire 4 hour journey from Potossi to Sucre. Anand sat on the floor for part of it, Andrea & I switched seats every half hour or so, and Davide stood the whole time. I don't know how he did it. Arriving in Sucre, we were almost delirious from lack of sleep. We are staying at different hostels, so Anand, Melissa & I left to our hostel, and Alessandra, Andrea & Davide went into the office to have words with the company. It seemed that the a bunch of other passengers were in there complaining as well. We haven't seen the others yet to hear how it went but I'm sure it will be interesting...

Chile to Bolivia via the Salar de Uyuni

We (Anand, Melissa & I) hung out in San Pedro de Atacama for a few days talking to the different tour operators and eventually settled on Estrella del Sur for our 3 day 4x4 tour to get from Chile to Bolivia and visit the salt flats. We chose Estrella because they don't use any of the salt hotels (not environmentally friendly) and the guy in the office was more informative about what we should take/eat/drink and what food would be available on the trip. We made a good decision, the food on the trip far exceeded my expectations and we had comfortable, pretty new jeeps – with good suspension J.

Despite all that, I still got really sick because of the altitude and couldn't stop throwing up the first night and second morning. The first day we visited a bunch of different coloured lagoons, the last of which I didn't get to because I was already really ill by the time we reached our first refugio. I didn't sleep much that first night – despite taking drugs (which I threw up again anyway), my head & heart were pounding, and everytime I looked at the clock, only 10 mins or so had passed. I was near hysterical in the morning when I didn't feel any better – I was beginning to think it would never go away.

Our driver Simone gave me a pill he had stashed away and later in the day I took some Dramamine (sea/motion sickness pills) I had left over from Antarctica, and we were descending from 4100m to 3600m. By the time we reached our refugio that night, I just had a small headache, my appetite had returned and I didn't feel like I was going to die anymore J. The same for Melissa – we were both able to eat with the group that night.

Day 3 saw us up at 5am to get to the salt flats for sunrise. We spent the morning driving through the salt flats and taking the usual touristy/cheesy photos – great fun! We reached Uyuni around midday and went to visit the train graveyard. Unfortunately the trains are not the only thing left to rot in the desert outside of Uyuni, the place is full of rubbish and plastic bags. It looks like a dumping ground.

Uyuni is a strange, dusty little town, and the 6 of us in our jeep had no wish to stay there any length of time, so after tipping our driver we headed down the street to book a bus to Sucre for that night.

Argentine Inca Trails on Horseback - Salta

"We reach campsite after a day riding in the wilderness. We will never forget our new friends and horses. At the campfire, dinner gets ready while we listen to the local ancient tales. The evening star comes out as the night shows up. It is the first of the million stars that lighten the sky of the southern hemisphere. Long conversations recreate the incredible day gone by. This is how our nights are..........This is how our riding vacations are." – Pioneros brochure

Day 1 – Yungas forest. Night in Refugio in Lerma valley.

The day started off hot & humid in Salta city. After breakfast, we packed up & drove 2 hours into the mountains to meet our horses. Upon exiting the van, the noise of the forest was deafening. Had lunch, met our horses, saddled up & took off into the mountains. Temp was warm but no longer horribly humid. Beautiful scenery, red earth, crossing streams, cacti larger than trees sticking up out of the brush further up on the valley walls. The sounds of birds, insects & our guide hacking through the forest in front of us with a machete (also on horseback). Saw Pata del Agua (sp?) birds, strange looking creatures, perched on top of the cacti, with long hooked beaks & a strange, deep cry.

Later in the day, as we climbed higher and higher in the valley, we needed to dismount & hike ahead of the horses, and then the vaqueros drove the horses along the trail to meet us. The trail was too steep at that point for us to ride through. While waiting on the opposite side for the horses, we heard the ominous sound of thunder. Sure enough, about 20 mins later, large, fat drops started to fall. Everyone suited up for rain. I decided to take the advice of the guide from the Torres del Paine talk, accept the fact that I was going to get wet, & keep my Gore-Tex dry for when I would need it later when we stopped moving. The downpour was so heavy that the Gore-Tex would have been useless anyway. After 20 mins, the rain seemed to ease up & while my riding trousers were soaked through; my multiple top layers were only damp underneath my fleece. "That's grand" – I thought to myself – "I'll get the chance to dry off a bit now". But it wasn't to be, a clap of thunder & a flash of lightening a few minutes later & the rain came down heavier than ever. Again, as in Mendoza, I was amazed by the horses; they paid no attention to the thunder & lightening crashing around us for the next hour. I got soaked through to my underwear but it was the stuff (my) horse riding dreams are made of! The smell of the forest in the rain was mouth-watering – so sweet – like honeysuckle. Crashing through a forest on horseback, trying to beat the rain – it was the most fun I've had since Antarctica – and reminded me that the white continent is not the only beautiful/fun place on earth.

Tonight we are staying at a Refugio (with flushing toilet – heaven!), using our saddle blankets as mattresses & sleeping bags. The storm has finally stopped & the sounds of the forest have returned. I am warm & dry again thanks to a change of clothes & 2 "Irish" coffees – courtesy of one of the other riders on the trip (thanks for the whiskey Oscar!). Everyone's wet clothes are hanging on a makeshift clothes line stretched along the main room of the Refugio & I am crossing my fingers & toes that my clothes are dry in the morning – at present my boots make squelching noises when I walk in them & my riding trousers & fleece are so wet that they are dripping onto the floor – even after I have wrung them out. Please, please, please let them be dry in the morning.

Day 2 – Crossing from Lerma valley to Calchaqui valley. Night at Refugio in Amblayo village.

My first thought/action this morning was to reach out & feel my sheepskin saddle blankets to see if they were dry. Relief! – Almost dry, merely damp. I got up quickly to check my clothes, no such luck there; the riding trousers were still soaking. The sun was coming up over the mountains, so I took all my stuff outside & hung them on fences/trees/window sills – wherever they could get the most sunlight. Over the next 2 hours while we had breakfast, packed up & the horses were saddled, I kept rearranging my clothes according to the sun. When it was time to go, my clothes, to my great surprise & relief were dry enough to wear.

This morning's riding was difficult going for the horses. We were climbing out of the valley & after yesterday's rain – the red dust was now slippery red mud. By the time we stopped for lunch, my horse looked exhausted. We stopped for an hour or so for lunch & the horses were able to catch their breath. The scenery at the top of the valley was amazing & I had a really great view when nature called! J

After lunch, the going was much easier, apart from one hairy moment over rocks where we were instructed to just let the horse choose his/her own path, do nothing but hold on! My horse decided to hop from rock to rock (or at least that was how it felt). When we passed, our guide smiled at me & told me to take a moment to get my soul back into my body – I must have looked terrifiedJ. After that, the trail was a gentle downhill slope into the next valley. The scenery was so beautiful. After climbing out of yesterday's narrow & forested valley, from the mountains we crossed, you can see (what appears to be) endless similar forested valleys, it looked like a rolling green carpet. There were condors flying overhead & the only sounds apart from the horses, was the occasional bellow of cattle grazing on the mountain pastures.

Upon descending into the next valley, which is flat, u-shaped & desert-like, we stopped for a group photo opportunity in front of some ENORMOUS cacti and then headed for our Refugio. If I was pleased with last night's Refugio because it had a flushing toilet then tonight I am in heaven! J We have beds, electricity, flushing toilet & even hot water for a shower. I joked that the rest of our group were spoiled & would not be able for all the camping on the Mendoza ride (see previous post – Ceiling of the Andes).

I am clean & sleepy after showering. The only thing that is keeping me up is curiosity over dinner. Last night we had empanadas, which, while tasty, I do not consider them overly nutritious. I remember reading as part of the trip literature that one of the nights we would be having roasted goat for dinner. We passed goats (live ones) as we arrived into the village. I am partly curious; partly horrified....I wait & will see.

Update: I don't like goat.

Day 3 – Amblayo village. Calchaqui valley.

An easy day. After breakfast we explored the village of Amblayo – on foot. Amblayo is where our current Refugio is located & has a total of 40 inhabitants. After visiting the local telephone booth (I kid you not) and the church, which has a really old painting, we were invited into the local school where the students were practising for the April 2^nd commemorations (Islas Malvinas Day). The children referred to us as "las turistas" which made me laugh as I was the only true tourist there.

After lunch, we rode out into the valley, to a dry river bed, which because it was sandy, was perfect for some fast riding. And because we were staying at the same Refugio for 2 nights, we hadn't needed to pack & make the horses carry our saddlebags. As my horse was carrying about 10kgs less, I felt much better & less guilty about galloping. I can't describe the sense of freedom – only to say that I felt truly free & totally happy during those gallops up & down the river bed. Nada mas J. I was also chuffed when told I rode like a gaucho not like a European – but maybe that was just flattery J. On the way back from the riverbed, we posed for photos on top of some large rocks which we had to ride up onto.

Update: Until tonight, I had been disappointed with the food on this trip compared to the Mendoza trip...but tonight we had the most delicious milanesa – the best I've had (milanesa wise) since arriving in Argentina. The meat was tender, the bread coating crisp, fresh & clearly just out of the pan, not pre-made, frozen, defrosted & reheated, like I've had plenty of before.

Day 4 – Riding out of Calchaqui valley. Night at Refugio at Cafayate Creek

A long day of riding. We were called at 7.30am this morning & started riding out of the valley by 9am. As we approached the end of the valley, the landscape began to change gradually and we saw guanacos grazing low down on the hillsides nearby. Out of the valley, we descended into a beautiful red canyon, which one of my fellow riders proudly proclaimed was more beautiful than the Grand Canyon.

We were descending gradually further & further down, with the canyon becoming narrower & narrower. Near the bottom we met a small river and the canyon ground became quite rocky. As at the beginning of the week, we needed to dismount the horses, go part of the way on foot, and wait for the horses to make their own way down (see video). Once back on horseback, we made our way up into the mountains again, and reached our Refugio near Cafayate Creek.

Day 5 – Riding out of Cafayate Creek & back to civilisation

I couldn't get over how isolated the last Refugio we were staying at was. What really brought it home to me was the old lady who lived there with her 2 sons. The Refugio was a mud hut (as the one on the first night had been) but there was no running water here, no electricity, and the dogs there were so thin you could see all their ribs and hip bones sticking out. There was a mad rooster who kept crowing all evening and of course woke us up at daylight. I asked our guide how the old lady survived up there with no running water even, and she told me that one of her sons lived in a "nearby" town and would bring supplies in to his mother every now & then, when he could. The only way in & out of this place was on horseback – a good four hour ride to the nearest road, again down gravelly mountain sides, where we had to walk in front of the horses and they would come down after us. I didn't expect to find this isolation and such a basic way of living and if I'm honest, it scared & shocked me a little. It could be a beautiful but harsh way of life, and certainly took some of the romantic sheen off of living in the mountains, and was a reality check for me. On that last day I was very glad to get to our meeting point & take the bus back to the hostel in Salta where hot running water awaited J.

A beautiful 5 days in the wilderness which really showed me some of the harsh realities of living in the mountains.

Punta Arenas

Punta Arenas seems to be the perfect antidote for everything (for me J). I came here without a hostel reservation (and almost missed my bus to start with) but very luckily I met 2 people from my Ushuaia hostel on the bus – Meryl & Forrest. They had a reservation at Erratic Rock – Punta Arenas. They had stayed in the Puerto Natales branch previously and had only good things to say about it. We all got a shock J. The "hostel" was basically an apartment above a bakery that we shared with the family!

But the proprietor was lovely – and clearly desperate for business, so we stayed anyway – even though it felt a bit uncomfortable with the family all in one room while we had the run of the kitchen.

Punta Arenas is a cute little town with brightly coloured roofs and bustling streets. It felt like coming back to civilisation – there was even an ATM in the supermarket – I haven't seen an ATM in a supermarket in 2 months! Cafe Montt is a sweet cafe on Pedro Montt with wifi and a very nice latte macchiato. I chillaxed there for an hour or so (the wifi wasn't working in my "hostel"J). I also visited the cemetery – which has really amazing mausoleums.

The cemetery made me quite sad. There were a lot of graves with English inscriptions – and other languages too (French/German/Italian/Dutch among others). Most of the graves referred back to the deceased's home country. If I die, I want my remains to go back to Ireland! Haven't decided between burial and cremation yet...