Cross border Bolivia to Peru by land

We took the bus to Copacabana (Bolivia, not Brazil), spent one night to visit Lake Titikaka and Isla del Sol and then again a night bus to Arequipa. The border crossing procedure is quite easy. About 10 minutes from Copacabana center, you arrive to the border where you get exit stamp from Bolivia then walk the 200 meters no man’s land to where you get entry stamp Peru. You can exchange your remaining Bolivianos at either ends.

Arequipa is quite a breath of fresh air from Bolivia. It’s touristy, but then I’m a tourist and following the tourist route. People are nice and the city looks bright with beautiful parks, lovely white buildings, and magnificent snow mountain backdrop. There were plenty of restaurants and cafes and here starts my eating quest with the Gougain sisters. I must have felt so energized and invincible that when Morin suggested doing the Colca Canyon Trek, I had very little qualm. I have no idea why the 7-8 hour trek on the first day didn’t trigger a warning bell. And so we booked.

Colca Canyon is a canyon in the Colca River in southern Peru. It is located about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Arequipa. It is more than twice as deep as the Grand Canyon in the United States 4,160 m. The Colca Valley, our destination, is an Andean valley with towns founded in Spanish Colonial times and formerly inhabited by the Collaguas and the Cabanas. The local people still maintain ancestral traditions and continue to cultivate the pre-Inca stepped terraces. Beside it’s magnificent view, the main attraction of Colca Canyon is that it is home to the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), a species that has seen world-wide effort to preserve it.

Colca Canyon Trek – DAY 1

The day started horrifyingly at 3:00 a.m. where we were picked up and hauled into a tight van. We were so sleepy anyway and I luckily got the seat at the back where the aile ends, meaning leg space. I try to sleep. It will be 6 hours drive to Cabana Conde in Colca Canyon with stop over for breakfast at Chivay and the La Cruz del Condor. As I normally couldn’t sleep while sitting, it might as well be because the ride was absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could take photo but I was sandwiched in the middle. I saw my seat mate tried and failed, so I content myself with admiring the view. La Cruz del Condor is a popular tourist stop to view the condors. The condors are best seen in the early morning and late afternoon when they are hunting. At this point the canyon floor is 3,960 ft (1,200 m) below the rim of the canyon. The site is amazing.

After another 20 minutes of car ride, we arrived where our trek down hill starts. Down hill might sound easy as you thought you just go down. That is true except that while your lungs rest, your knees take the toll. We broke into 6 person group + the guide. A few meters into the hike, I knew it was a bad idea to come. It was steep, hot, hard, high, narrow, slippery path, everything I’m scared of! Ok, so maybe it’s not the hardest trek in the world. It certainly looked easy for the rest of the group, except for Chantal, who did pretty well although not too thrilled. But it’s definitely hard for me which made me do a quick evaluation of my sanity. Why didn’t I check what was the trek like?

It was cold when we started and then quickly became hot. I didn’t carry much, just a sweater, a change of shirt, toothbrush, and water, but they quickly felt like a ton. The path was dry with those tiny pebbles that made it kind of slippery and I slipped quite a number of times. At first I blamed it on my worn out trainers, which after 1 year of walking on them, were kind of thread bare. But then I looked at my guide’s battered shoes who does this trek 3x a week. I was so slow because I kept slipping and was so scared to fall into the cliff. I was so bummed out even the amazing view did nothing to encourage me. I really just wanted it to be over but the road stretched forever!

The next 4 hours or so, we descended from 3,300 m. to 2,100 m. to a small village where we had our lunch and short rest. It was also a chance to bond with our trek mates and make fun of me. Then in no time at all, my agony began again as we continued our trek. It will be another 3-4 hours to our destination, Sangalle, a village deep in the canyon where we’ll spend the night at bamboo resort ala honolulu hotel with swimming pool, gardens, fountain, and temperatured water.  Except we didn’t get to enjoy the “resort” because it started raining halfway into the trek and we just wanted to be dry.  There’s no electricity in this place and it got dark quickly. It’s quite a challenge getting from the room to the dining to the toilet. It’s definitely not the modern honolulu.

Colca Canyon Trek – Day 2

The day began at 5:00 a.m.  Sin breakfast, we started climbing uphill in the dark. It’s going to be 3-4 hours with a little bit of pressure because we will have to be there at 9:00 a.m. to catch our van (after breakfast). What occupied my mind that helped me get through were the following: (1) This is better than a death march. (2) Hunger Game–borrowing Katniss’s determination to survive. (3) Left. Right. Left. Right. One foot ahead of the the other. Left. Right. Left. Right. (4) Imagine myself running away from a serial killer or communist or godzilla.  (5) To finish with as much dignity as I can, meaning no donkey!  Because there is actually a way out. It is possible to hire a donkey at 60 soles (25$). I’m so happy nobody offered me because I would have caved in.

And so I survived

I thought the road will never end but of course it did. I didn’t die thank God because I’m yet to do Machu Picchu and the Galapagos. After climbing out of the canyon, there’s another 45 minutes walk on flat land for breakfast. It’s amazing how you can keep going even if you swear you couldn’t anymore. We had breakfast, waited for the van, took another 2-3 hours ride to be back in Chivay for the hot spring “La Calera”. It was really nice ending to the trek, if only to be able to take a shower. It felt good to soak my numb and battered legs into 38°C water, even if it was sunny. Lunch and another long ride until we are back in Arequipa.

The reward of this trip is that the people  I’m with were so nice. On the first day, in the beginning Morin and Chantal kept me company because the guide went ahead. She found how slow I was and later stayed behind with me. Emmanuel from Canada offered to take my water, which was a nice gesture, but when he saw I had a 2L bottle decided he had no room in his backpack. Then super nice Christian, Swiss, said to put it in his. Chantal later pointed out the difference between European and North American men. European men are generally more sweet and nicer to women even if they have no intent of sleeping with them.

And of course the next day, as if to prove a point, when I was almost completely destroyed yet had to climb out of the canyon, tripping already at the beginning of the trek, Christian took my rucksack and carried it the whole way up. I am so thankful and so touched with his super niceness. I gave my contact to his girlfriend Moreen and offered to host them in Philippines.

viewed 925 times par 151 visitors

Ironically (or not), the danger of this road made it a famous tourist attraction. In the early 90′s, some thrill-seeking mountain bikers decide to ride down this 61km stretch of continuous downhill path. Since then over 50,000 people ride down this route every year. Tour operators sprung around La Paz catering to this activity offering guides, equipment, and transport like those car hire menorca.

I don’t remember if I’ve known of this before coming to South America, but if I did, it was for sure not on my list of things to accomplish in south america.  I’m not really confident in bicycle. Well, I was when I was a kid and up until a couple of years ago, always believed that you never forget how to ride a bike. Well, you don’t forget alright, but the proficiency certainly isn’t as before. When I was in China in 2008, the group I was traveling with decided to rent a bike to ride along the beautiful countryside of Yang Shuo. When I hopped on a bike for the first time after 10 years, I found I didn’t have the same control and couldn’t even smoothly negotiate a right turn! It was a WTF moment because riding a bike was one of those things I thought I could depend my life on.

I survived that countryside tour, and since then have been trying to gain back my riding confidence by going on a bike when I can while traveling. I probably should do it too at home, but it’s just not a popular form of transport. During this round the world tour, I did a wine tasting tour on bike in Vienna countryside and a monumental 20km ride in Holland, for example. But still, those can’t prepare me for an adventure with “death” attached to its name. And statistic shows there are a number of riders who died on this road, most recently, a Japanese girl.

But since getting to South America, I met so many travelers who did it. In the beginning, I always quickly say no, I’m not doing it but the more it came to the conversation, particularly as I was getting nearer to Bolivia, it began to creep into me that maybe I can do it? Bungee jumping in Costa Rica often came to mind. I started to seriously consider it when I spoke with Markus, a guy I was in Brazil carnival with. It was not as scary as everyone thought, he said. That it was all marketing and that unless one is doing a stupid stunt, it’s impossible to die. That 3 meter wide road is more than enough space for a bicycle. He even went on saying that if I do fall off the road, he will go back to Bolivia and jump after me.

Finally, I came to La Paz but still wasn’t decided 100%, but I did book into a hostel with a reputable tour agency for death road. I obviously wanted to do it, just that I was terrified. I kept thinking how stupid it would be to pay to die. However, the statistic of people dying on this tour is less than .002%. Then one night in La Paz, I met 2 girls who I quickly connected with, Amanda & Fiona. They were going to do the Death Road and like me were nervous about it. So while downing 2-for-1 vodkas 1 after another during happy hour, we made a pack that we’re doing it together, the day after tomorrow, allowing ourselves 1 day to recover from hungover.

There are over 100 sellers and resellers offering death road tours around La Paz, but I was only looking at 2 companies that have good review in Trip Advisor, Vertigo or Overdose. Gravity Assisted which is affiliated with my hostel is also reputable but more expensive at 700 Bolivianos ($100).  The 2 former companies are cheaper at $70 yet with better protection gear: helmet, jacket and pants, elbow and knee pads. The later only has helmet and an orange vest.

The girls were staying in another hostel, so we agreed that if Vertigo shop is open, we book with them, if not Overdose. I woke up late, not surprisingly, and had plans to meet with other travelers, so I decided to book my tour online. You can book online with Vertigo and not with Overdose, so I just hope that Vertigo shop was open and it’s where the girls book their tour. But of course, it wasn’t and we’re with different companies.

“I’m so scared!” was my greeting to everyone when they came to get me at 8:30 a.m.  Almost everyone were so confident including an older couple of over 60′s. There was a girl from Australia who were as uneasy as I am which helped make me feel not so out of place.

At 9:30 a.m. the van stopped at a flat wide area at “La Cumbre” where we were fitted with our gears and given our bikes. The guide explained the bikes, routes, and gave us the guidelines and warnings. I was listening very carefully. The tour didn’t start at the Death Road, but downhill none the less. This is a 20km stretch of paved (and wide) road which should help us be familiarized with our bikes.  We began at elevation was 4,650. The scenery was amazing.  Included in the tour is someone taking video and photos so we don’t have to do it ourselves. According to the grapevine, some girl fell off because she was taking photos.  Some of the guys in my tour have cameras. I wish I had mine because the photos taken by the guides were not that nice, but obviously I was very concentrated on just making through this tour alive that I didn’t bother bringing it. I should have. I would have stopped to take photos. I was always the last one to arrive anyway. There would always be some kind of pit-stop every 30 – 40 minutes where we’d take some photos, or more instructions were given.

About 11:00 a.m. we arrived to Unduavi where you have to pay a toll 25 Bolivianos to enter the Death Road. Since 2005, a new (better) road was built for the cars, but some still uses this as a short cut.  The Death Road is almost exclusively for this bike tour. We got some sort of snacks which I ate but didn’t taste. The first segment helped but I was still so nervous. A new set of instructions and guides were given. The road is going to be steep, narrower, slippery, bumpy with sharp to hairpin corners, be careful!

The traffic rule is downhill has to take the outer lane, which is the left side, which is the opposite of the general driving rule in Bolivia. But we were told to ride near the wall (right side) and stop to let car pass. I follow this rule and constantly chant in my head if I have to fall, to “Fall to the right. Fall to the right.”

Because the road was indeed rocky and bumpy, I couldn’t apply my break without falling, so I just held on to my handle and ride it gravity assisted! I didn’t fall, not once, not even at the bumpiest part, where a couple of my tour mates did.  I actually felt that I learned how to bike better. I’m sure I did, why not? It was the longest bike ride of my life. And because I was concentrating on not falling, my aeroacrophobia became secondary. And by the end of the death road, about 2:00 pm, I wasn’t the last one to arrive!

viewed 1522 times par 292 visitors

Today the city had lost its luster with most of the once beautiful colonial houses almost falling apart. A small grant was received for restoration when it was name a Unesco World Heritage site. Although the hill now stands about 800 meters shorter and basically depleted of silver, mining continues to be the main industry.

Touring the silver mine is now a popular tourist attraction in Potosi. It gives the city a supplement income as the now honeycomb hill only produces low-grade silver, tin, and zinc.

The tour began with fitting us with mining costume. Each was given an impermeable suit, a construction hat, a head torch, and rubber boots. After we headed to the miners market. This is the first stop of every miner before going to work as it carries everything they need, from water, coco leaves, hard hat, phone cards, gloves, cigarettes, dynamite, you name it. We were here to buy gifts to bring the miners and the devil god they worship.

Tio, the devil god is the only interesting part in this tour that is in a fun way. Every mine has its own idol, which has been there since the 16th century. They believe they are at the mercy of Tio being inside the earth, so in order to appease him, they offer coco leaves, alcohol, cigarettes, and installed him with a big erection.

For what I thought would be a cool experience of going inside an active mine, turned out to be a really sad experience. We learned that an average mine worker only lived to be 40, that is if he is lucky enough not to be killed by accident. The working condition, as we witnessed, seems to have little improvement since the 16th century. The ceiling is low, the floor is slippery and wet, and everything is moved and lifted by manual labor. The main reason of short life though is that they contract a lung disease, mal de mina, because the air they breath are contaminated with poisonous metallic particles.

On the other hand, it is admirable to see the workers attitude towards work. As they are paid by the amount of minerals they extracted, they work non-stop. Miners chew on coco leaves so they can work the whole day without getting hungry. They don’t eat within the 8 hours they work. We didn’t encounter any miner on break the whole period we were there. They also don’t look beaten or depressed. Our guide, who used to be a miner, told us that they have accepted their faith getting into this line of work. Live Full. Die Young.

It helps them if you visit the mine as part of the fee goes to the Corporacion Minera de Bolivia. And while miners used to reject the idea of having spectators while they work, I think now they welcome. Tourists bring little gifts and serves as diversion from a monotonous day of work.

viewed 2060 times par 428 visitors

Coming to South America, I didn’t think the Amazon would be part of my trip. But then again, if you’ve been following me, you know that I really don’t have a plan. I have rely greatly on recommendations of people I met along the way, either fellow travelers or locals. So far, after almost 300 days, I think this “no plan” has been a great plan as my journey has been nothing short amazing!

Actually, I forgot that the Amazon is in South America or I would have made it part of my “relax” itinerary, like the carnival in Brazil. But as the vast Jungle is bordered by 9 countries (I can name them all by heart), it’s inevitable to encounter it at some point. I was there at the first country I was in, Colombia.

Leticia, located on the southern tip, is Colombia’s port to the Amazon. It has border to both Peru and Brazil, this convergence known as the Tres Fonteras. It is why I get there in the first place. I was looking for another way of going to Brazil beside flying. It was really expensive to fly from Bogota to Salvador at USD600. My flight from Bogota to Leticia was USD104. Note that there is an arrival fee of COP19,000 (USD10) at Leticia Airport.

I generally prefer the aile seats but on this trip, as everywhere I go is new, I take the window seat whenever possible. This flight has got to be the best arial view of all. It’s like looking down a sea of broccolis, the vegetable, yes. The landing is really fun. You look out the window and you think your plane is crashing into the jungle because you don’t see the landing strip until couple of minutes before hitting the ground.

Of course it was raining when we arrived. I’m no stranger to rain and humidity coming from the Philippines, and I can tell you I’m not a fan. But somehow this sporadic rain in the Amazon is quite nice. I think it’s because the sky is still bright when it rains, and often with the sun out drying you almost immediately. Very unlike the gloomy, cold rain in Europe.

I stayed at Hostel Jangada(Carre 9, No. 8-106, Leticia, Colombia Tel:311-4985447) where I met some nice people, who interestingly enough I end up traveling with separately on different places in Brazil. The hostel is clean but everything smells a bit of mildew which I have accepted as part of the deal being in the Amazon. The air is so heavy with humidity that you can almost drink it! Marta, the girl who runs the place is really friendly but doesn’t speak English. This is actually a turning point for me when I found I can have some kind of conversation in Spanish, mas o menos. This is a little over 2 months since I arrived Latin America.

The Amazon Mosquito Survival Kit

Oh yeah it’s true there are mosquitos. I heard about it and so I came prepared.

• Insect Repellants -Apply whenever you feel insecure. Apply this as if it were your sunscreen, but more often. Apply it after shower and before bed as if it were your moisturizer. Bring it with you everywhere as if it were your asthma inhalers.
• Tiamina -  This is simply Vitamin B. Your skin supposedly exudes scent that turns off mosquitos. Take 1 tablet every 12 hours continuously beginning 3 days before your travel.
• Nipokex - This is a soap form repellant developed for www.preventmalaria.org for the health workers. It is cheap, easy to apply, and odorless. It lasts 8 hours. Apply to wet skin and let dry  (no rinse).

I was not attacked like the girls I’m traveling with I think mainly because of the Tiamina. Even if the mosquitos are not biting, I heard them constantly around my ears which is really irritating.

Things to Do in Leticia

Leticia is a nice little town and an important port, but there aren’t much for tourists. It serves as a jump off point for people doing jungle tours or crossing the river to Brazil or Peru. But when in between these, here are a couple of things you can do in Leticia.

Mundo Amazonico 

An ecological theme park located at the KM7 in Leticia, Mundo Amazonico is worth a visit before delving into the real thing. In this 29 hectare land, you’ll find impressive variety of flora native to the Amazon. The easy 3 hours walking tour around this makeshift jungle is both interesting and educational. You’ll learn about the unique characteristic of Amazon soil and various functions of the plants for the animals. Raincoats and boots will be provided but bring your mosquito repellant.  Tours are available in English. The park recently received an award by the government for sustainable biodiversity. It’s not cheap at 30,000COP (15$) but it’s worth it. You will also meet their adorable pets which were saved from captivity.

Tierras Amazonicas

A popular restaurant in the area where they serve exotic amazon dishes like worms and piranha. No pink dolphins, I asked. :D It has a kitschy funky interior which is quite interesting.

Jugos

These little places where you can drink exotic fruit juices (jugos) only available in the Amazon like Copoazu and Açai. One of the girl I met was on a quest to try all of them and has a little book like those of wine connoisseur to rate them.

Park

There’s a park around the area. I forgot the name but Leticia center is not that big. If you go in the afternoon about 5,00pm, you will find beautiful birds resting on the trees. It’s such a pleasant sight for me since it was new to me to see colorful birds outside a pet shop or a bird sanctuary. We shrieked with excitement when we saw one on a telephone wire for the first time.

The Amazon is amazing! It definitely should be on your bucket list. Wait til I tell you about the jungle tour. Don’t hold your breath, but I promise it will be soon. :D

viewed 2239 times par 456 visitors

The San Blas Islands is an archipelago of 378 island (49 inhabited), situated just off the Caribbean coast of Eastern Panama. The indigenous people are the Kuna Indians who have self-governing authority.

I first heard of this cruise in Costa Rica meeting travelers who arrived this way. It took me half a second to decide that I want to do it too.

The Boat

I sailed with Captain Gisbert of Santana, a 50 foot long aluminum catamaran docked in Porto Lindo, about 4 hours bus ride from Panama City.  It costs 450$ inclusive of all paperworks to cross border, sleep, and 3 meals. Juices, cola, and alcohol are not included but you can bring your own.  Captain Gizz is a German sailor who amazingly did everything on the boat himself (running, cleaning, cooking), but the crew helped out as much as we can–in food preparation (chopping, grating, peeling) and took turn washing the dishes. I vouch that he’s a good cook and has high regards to safety, which is kind of important.

According to the captain, the most popular season is during the dry season which would be between the month of November to March where boats would fill up fast. I was fortunate to find a slot that leaves 3 days after I arrived Panama City. But then again it’s always easier traveling solo.

The Crew

Including the captain, we were 16 people. It’s a big boat alright, but it would have been more comfortable with about 12, which would be the case during low season. I suppose what made the boat bit crowded was that 10 of the crew were a group of boys and girls who were no longer teenagers but acted like so. Among them they had 22 bottles of rum and over 200 cans of beer. They’re basically good kids who were friendly, helped out on the boat and I reckon could be interesting individually, though together were kind of disastrous. They’re a little too loud and drank a bit too much, but then one can’t say they weren’t having a good time. It can be fun to be with them if (1) it’s NOT 5 days straight, (2) you’re not trying to sleep at night, or (3) desiring for some peace and the sound of nature.

The Experience

San Blas Islands would the model for travel magazine’s Caribbean–white sand beaches and coconut trees. Everyday we sail for about 6 hours and anchor somewhere for the night. We usually docked in the mid afternoon and the rest of the day will be spent swimming, snorkeling, or chilling in the beach.

On the 2nd day, we found the perfectly deserted island, all pristine white with turquoise water. There were so many coconut on the ground that we had a feast drinking the juice and eating the meat.  That night we went back to the island and had a bonfire party. Some crew from another boat came over too.

I need to warn you about the coconuts though. You’re not suppose to take them without permission, not even if the island is deserted and even if they’re on the ground. You can buy them from the Kunas if there’s one around. It costs 1$ per coconut. However, if you take them without permission and was caught, they will come on a little canoe with a rifle (truly) and fine you $100 per coconut. I know this because it happened to us, but we didn’t actually pay $100. They settled for $10. But I met some people in Cartagena who actually paid $100. I think this is a new thing because the captain didn’t warn us about taking coconuts. I’m sure now he will do to the succeeding crew.

Life on this trip can be really hard. You wake up and breakfast will be ready. Then you rest in the deck, perhaps read a book while sun bathing, have a beer, chat with your mates, or maybe take a nap. Then before you know it, it’s time for lunch. And then again you do one or all of the activities just mentioned. Then by 2 or 3 o’clock, we arrive somewhere and then it’s time to swim, snorkel, and/or explore the island. You rest a little bit and then dinner is ready. Like I said, life is hard.

Sometimes the difficult lifestyle is made exciting by certain highlights. Our boat has a fishing reel and hook on it and one time (the only time) something took bait. That got everyone so excited we all gathered around. It was a shark! A baby one. But since it was too small to be shared as a meal, we sent him back home. Some of the guys were scared that the mother will come looking for the baby. And for a while some of them were hesitant to jumped into the water. Lol.

Once in a while you’ll spot dolphins in the water while cruising. But one day, twice that day, we had a whole army of dolphins escorting our boat for over 30 minutes. Ok, they were 7 or 8 of them. They were mesmerizing I sat there the whole time watching their show. I’m afraid to go get my camera fearing that they’ll be gone when I come back, but I was still able to get a lot of photos and video.

But some of the people I met who did San Blas tour actually visited villages. We met a guy in this village that speaks English and he said that he could organize lunch in his house for boats. I was disappointed that our captain didn’t organize this, but I’m glad that we at least had this little expedition. Some of the people in our boat didn’t, but then they were more interested to get more rum.

What, where, where to book?

I don’t know a thing about boats or sailing, so I don’t know how to find the safe boat. I could follow a checklist of 100 questions to quiz the captain and he would give me answers which I have no way of verifying anyway. So the best way is to get recommendation from travelers who did it. If they lived to tell their sailing tale, the boat can’t be that bad. Or you can book with the more popular hostels in Panama City who have, for a long time been sending backpackers on this trip.  Here are 3 more popular ones:

• Hostel Mamallena (Panama City)
• Luna’s Castle Hostel (Panama City)
• Hostel Wunderbar (Porto Lindo)

Have you done a similar trip?

viewed 3884 times par 801 visitors