Enjoy...
Our first stop was Copacabana...no, not the bikini-clad Brazilian beach...but the cute town on the Bolivian side of lake Titicaca!!! A town full of hostels and hotels, shops selling all the colourful South American fabrics, cafes and little local eateries lining the lake-shore, where we enjoyed yummy fresh fish meals for about $3!!!
We enjoyed Copacabana for a few days...relaxing a bit, and a bit of hiking in the surrounding countryside, with beautiful views back over the lake-side town.
I was actually a bit sick durung our time there...sore throat, a bit of a fever. I went to the doctor...and as the swine flu epidemic had just reached Bolivia...we sat there looking at each other as the doctor went through his "swine flu symptoms" check list, then left the room to confer with his collegues. Fortunately for me..just a throat infection!!!
Next stop...the impressive capital of La Paz...set in the middle of the Andes, at a dizzying 3660m (the highest capital in the world). The approach in bus to the city is a spectacle...as you approach from above...and suddenly the town appears...the city huge and sprawling from down below and climbing up the sides of the valley, with snow-covered peaks as the backdrop. 
The town centre is actually quite cute..for a large city!!! The cobble-stone streets climb up and down the hills...making it good for exercise...and at this altitude for shortness of breath!!! The streets are full of life and colour...street vendors selling anything from souvineers to drinks, food, fosslis (real or fake??)...to you name it...they sell it!!! Plus shop after shop selling all the beautiful colourful fabrics and weavings and ponchos and instruments and souvineers and clothes. Not to mention the street stalls and the local markets and flower stalls and even the Witches market, where they sell all sorts of oddities...herbs, magic potions, spells, coca leaves and even dried Llama foetuses!!
The locals dressed in their typical colouful clothes...the women with long coloured skirts, knitted jumpers, a colourful shawl and their hair in two long plaits with a bowler hat perched on their heads and the men in ponchos from the varying regions. This mixed with people dressed in their business suits snd teenagers dresses in the latest fashion. Contrasted with this, the people begging in the streets and children earning a living with their little shoe-polishing business. It makes me sad to see this poverty...children basically raised and taught that begging is the way to "earn"money, and the old women asking for money, looking longingly with their dark brown sad eyes that reach right in to your soul. But...it also makes me even more grateful for the life and opportunities that we have.
From La Paz we did a 1 day bike tour which takes you down what is called "The Worlds Most Dangerous Road"...and yep, fortunately for us...we survived!!! There was, however, numerous spot with crosses and flowers marking accident points!!! The road begins at 4700m and over 64kn winds down to 1100m...an a mostly gravel road that is 3m wide, with a drop to the valley below of up to 200m.But...a bit of adventure and adrenelin is good for the soul!!!
The bike ride ends in a gorgeous little town called Coroico...set at a lower altitude in a beautiful sub-tropical valley, and hence warmer. We decided to stay in Coroico a couple of days and enjoy a bit of sunshine, the local mountain culture, hiking in the surrounding countryside and the beautiful relaxing views over the surrounding mountains. The hostel where we stayed even had a swimming pool...what back-packers luxury!!! 
From Oruru we wanted to take the train further south...one of the only train lines that existes in the country. But..in true Latin American style...they were on strike...so it was yet another bus trip. The overnight bus arrived on Uyuni at 3.30am!! But, fortunately they let us sleep on the bus until the sun came up. Just as well...as it was sooooo cold outside that there was ice on the inside of the bus windows in the morning!!! BRRRR!!!!
Uyuni. Well..this is a town really in the "middle of nothing to do" (to use a Jesus expression!!!) Freezing and with literally nothing to do in the town itself. So..why did we go there?! Uyuni was a thriving town in the days when Bolivia had an extensive train industry, as it was there that many of the trains were constructed. Now..they survive on tourism..yep, thats us!!!So..what tourism here in the "middle of nothing to do?" Well, it is from Uyuni that you do a 3 day trip in 4-wheel-drive across the most incredible and amazingly beautiful landscape.
The first day, they take you to visit the train cemetary!!! Where, obviously, the remains of a lot of the now unused trains are left to rot in...yep, the middle of nothing to do!!!
From there you cross the Salt Flats of Uyuni. this is an incredible sight...it is the worlds largest salt flats...12,000 sq km´s...so when you are in the middle of it, all you see is a sea of pure white salt as far as the horizon. Also, as it was the dry season, the surface crust of the salt formed all these beautiful hexagonal patterns. We had fun taking silly photos...as the sea of white against the beautiful blue sky creates an optical illusion.
Our lunch stop was at "Fish Island"...named because from the distance it looks like a large fish!!! This island is in the middle of the salt flats, and is covered with cactus...up to 1000 years old. Amazing to walk around and enjoy the incredibly spectacular views. Lots of photos taken!!!
The salt flats were at 3653---.and from there, we entered the "altiplano desert"---desert at high altitude. Nice sunny days and clear blue skies---but icy winds and freezing at night (way below zero...brrr!!!). We slept with sleeping bags, 2 blankets and lots of clothes..including these "sexy" fleecy leggings that we bought for $1.50!!! But---they were toasty!!! The first night we slept in a little village even more in the "middle of nothing to do" than Uyuni. What do poeple do living in such freezing remote isolation!!! We did, however, manage to find the one cafe/bar/shop in town---where we were entertained by the 5 year old boy Armando---cute!!
Next morning after breaky, off we set across the desert. After about 1/2 an hour in to our day, the car skidded---one of the wheels had come off and kept rolling about 100m before coming to a stop!!! Our driver reckoned that someone had loosened the nuts...as the wheel just literally rolled off---who knows, anything is possible over here!!! Fortunately we found 2 of the nuts (he had no spares!!) and then took 1 nut from each of the other 3 wheels---leaving each with 5 nuts on each tyre---apparently thats ok!!! (hmmm...!!!) Also fortunately that we were in the middle of a flat area with soft ground---so the car didn´t roll!!
But---5 nuts on each tyre---and onwards we continued!!! The landscape was so remote and incredibly beautiful---with mountains around us of amazing reds and yellow and pink and white---different minerals forming patterns like they were painted. It was like being on another planet.
We also stopped at a couple of areas where there were these amazing rock formations, including the "Arbol de Piedra" (tree of stone)---check out the photo and you will see why!!! (hee hee) These formations are made by erosion and the strong winds that blow up here in the altiplano---and they make for great photos!!! We were both always the last back in the car after our exploring and photo-taking expeditions!!!
Being at such high altitude and cold, windy environment---there was minimal plant life---which kind of added to the remote beauty of the landscape. there were these cute green "clumpy" plants that added a bit more colour!!! These also contain borax---but now this area is a National Park, and any mining for commercial uses is fortunately illegal!!
Our next stop for the day was for lunch at a beautiful lake in the middle of this remoteness. Our guide had told us that if we were lucky ---we would see Flamingos---3 species live on the lakes in this region, but migrate for the winter. Well---we arrived at the lake, and guess what---a group of beautiful Flamingos bathing in the water. Just as I was taking (lots!!!) of photos---in the sky appeared more Flamingos. Wow, to see them in flight---another group was arriving. I had to stop taking photos to eat lunch---but went back for more afterwards. It was a nice, sunny afternoon, and the Flamingos were so cute---enjoying bathing and splashing around in the water. What 
a treat to see them!!
Our last stop for the day was at "Laguna Colorada" (Coloured Lake)---an amazing lake coloured red and white---white from Borax and red from an algae that grows in the water
Our refuge for the night was near this lake---at 4300m---in for a colder night (lucky for the sexy fleecy leggings!!!). On arrival, after a coffee to warm us up, Jesus and I went for a bit of a walk in search of Vicuñas. Vicuñas are part of the Llama family---actually, their wool is the finest and warmest---and they are really beautiful and graceful animals. Unlike Llamas, Vicuñas are wild animals, and in many parts if Sth America they are protected, and it is illegal to keep them as pets. We saw some in the distance---but it was getting too cold and too late to walk any further. But, arriving back at the refuge, we saw some Llamas that the locals had as pets. They are such 
beautiful animals---they have the cutest faces!!! Jesus went inside to get out of the cold---but I couldn´t let a Llama photo-opportunity pass by. My fingers nearly froze off chasing the "best" photo---bit I got some cute ones!!!
Day 3 we were awoken at 5.15 to visit some geysers. Our guide told us that it was probably about minus 13 degrees outside---and brrrrr---it felt like it!!! We even "crunched" across shallow, frozen rivers on the way!!! But the early, cold wake-up was worthwhile. To see the geysers steaming at 4900m as the sun was beginning to appearwas an awesome sight. 
Our next stop was at some thermal waters where there was a pool for bathing. Many people were too scared to go in, as it was so cold outside. But--how could you not in this incredibly beautiful setting---the sun rising, a beautiful lake steaming in the morning air and surrounded by amazing mountains---ahhhhh!!! The water was so yummy---it was really an amazingly beautiful experience. Plus---when we got out of the water, the sun was warming up the morning air, and there was no breeze---it was actually really invigorating.
Our next stop was at "Laguna Verde" (Green Lake). This is yet another incredibly beautiful place, with the lagoon a pretty green colour, with its backdrop an impressive volcano. The other side of this volcano is actually in Chile (just for a piece of useless information!!!). The lagoon was still half frozen!! We had fun throwing bits of ice on the top ---it was so thick it didn´t break. Plus, playing like kids, stepping on frozen puddles to see if they would crack!! Yep---it was pretty cold outside!!!
We stopped at the Chilean border---as many people use this "tour" to cross over in to Chile. The rest of us continued on back to Uyuni---a long, but beautiful drive. We stopped at the "Valley of Rocks"---another area scattered with impressive rock formations. Here we saw a Viscacho perched on the rock edge. They are rabbit-like animals with long tails, and they like to live in rock crevices. Yep---more photos!!!
Our lunch stop for the day was in another of the cute little villages in the middle of this remoteness. Beautiful views, more Llamas and a yummy home-cooked lunch---and more Llama photos!!! Can´t help myself!!!
So---hundreds of photos and an incredibly beautiful 3 days later---our 4-wheel drive adventure
came to an end.
I couldn´t fit any more photos on this page---so you will have to check out "Bolivia---part 1, more photos" to see more of our amazing adventure.
Until our next travel tale---enjoy the following "photo blog".
Lots of love
Llamas Bailando xxoo
I loved the Salt Lakes of Uyuni...but I admit that I pyked when it came to jumping into those thermal waters......brrrrrrr, too cold!!!! Again, so many memories. Bolivia was a world highlight for me.
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