{"id":330,"date":"2002-02-27T23:00:00","date_gmt":"2002-02-27T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/2002\/02\/27\/jacqui-in-southamerica\/"},"modified":"2002-02-27T23:00:00","modified_gmt":"2002-02-27T23:00:00","slug":"jacqui-in-southamerica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globetrotters.co.uk\/newsletter\/jacqui-in-southamerica.html","title":{"rendered":"Jacqui in South\nAmerica"},"content":{"rendered":"

La Paz seems like a long time a go but it was only a few short
\nweeks.<\/p>\n

Three days at high altitude and then we were off to even higher
\nplanes. Potosi was the first where we stayed in the town which claims
\nto be the highest in South America and at 4900m, who am I to argue?
\nWalking up the streets was hard work but the locals made it look easy
\nas old ladies with loads on their back over took and disappeared from
\nview before I had gone a quarter the distance. Galling! It is also a
\ntown known for its mountain of silver. The Spanish found this great
\nwealth irresistible even to the point that they revoked a papal
\nproclamation decrying the use of coca leaves by the indigenous
\npeoples when they discovered that the use of said leaf meant the
\nminers could work for long periods without food or sleep and did not
\ncomplain about much.<\/p>\n

Coca leaf is endemic in Bolivia and parts of Peru as a substance
\nto chew or tea to drink. It staves off hunger, helps with the
\naltitude, and generally makes a hard life seem more bearable. It was
\noriginally in Coca Cola and as a close cousin to cocaine has been
\nextensively researched. I had some tea and all it did was make me pee
\nbut others chewed it and their mouths went numb. It is definitely an
\nacquired taste!<\/p>\n

Potosi is very grey but the people were friendly and the air was
\nclean. Unlike the rivers which are polluted by the mining that
\ncontinues today. Now, it is run as a co-operative and the working
\nconditions leave everything to be desired. I did not go down the
\nmines as I am a bit claustrophobic but those who did said it was
\namazing. After the loveliest days drive through multicoloured hills
\nand valleys we got to Sucre. This is a Spanish colonial town that has
\nthe prettiest square and a nice feel about the place.<\/p>\n

According to our drivers it was also the nicest hotel we will stay
\nin. Very plush and friendly. Having had a birthday in Puno and
\nanother in La Paz we had a third in Sucre. Given our driver,
\nSimon's, aversion to such things, we surprised him with a
\nbreakfast party complete with cake, champagne, balloons, presents and
\na full English breakfast. A good time was had by all – even the
\nbirthday boy! The trucks left us the next day and two drivers took
\nthem the long way round to meet us in Chile as we were off to cross
\nthe salt flats and the trucks would not have made it through the mud
\nflats that lead into Chile.<\/p>\n

A bus trip to Uyuni which took all day and we got up the next day
\nto head off to Chile. First stop was to see the salt being shovelled
\noff the flat and into tip-trucks. Due to the rains there was a
\nshallow layer of water on the flat but that did not bother anyone as
\nwe got out and paddled around. It took three hours to drive out to a
\nrocky island called Fish Island. This reflects its shape rather than
\nthe presence of any animal in the water. It is also covered in cacti,
\nthe oldest of which are 1200 – 1500 years old. Beautiful white blooms
\ndecorated some and they all grew up in strange and wonderful
\nshapes.<\/p>\n

By five in the afternoon our jeep had reached the shore nearest to
\nSan Juan, and we were hooning along to try and get there by dark. The
\nreason for the rush was that we seemed to have gotten the most
\npatient driver and the dodgiest jeep. It must have broken down six
\ntimes and all of us had visions of being stuck there for hours.
\nNelson fixed it every time though, so no complaints. San Juan was a
\nbit of a non-event. The lights go out at 10pm and although we heard
\nafter that there had been a disco, it's hard to give the notion
\ncredence. Beautiful stars though.<\/p>\n

Next day was through dry country, and barren, but incredibly
\nbeautiful with it. Most is a protected area but it would be
\nimpossible to make a living there as nothing much grows. There were
\nvicuñas and vizcachas (relatives of llamas and rabbits
\nrespectively) but not much else. We saw flamingos in coloured lakes
\nand I took far too many photos. We had lunch in a snow storm at
\n5000m, and got to our nights accommodation in time for a hail storm.
\nExcellent! Up at 4.30am the next morning to go see a geyser but I
\nsuspect the real reason is to make sure you have plenty of time to
\nclear Chilean customs when you got there. In between we saw more
\ncoloured lakes and flamingos, mud pools and hot thermal springs for
\nsoaking feet in. All very good.<\/p>\n

Crossing into Chile was not a problem despite the time factor and
\nwe were installed into our Christmas campsite by 2pm. That was
\nDecember 23rd, and the next two days were spent cooking, eating,
\nsinging, sleeping, drinking and generally having a good time. On Dec.
\n26th I went down to Santiago on an overnight bus (whole journey took
\n24 hours) to get my visa sorted out for Brazil and then went back to
\nmeet the group for New Year at a place called La Serena. A good time
\nwas had by all and suddenly it was 2002.<\/p>\n

Since then we have been to Santiago to collect new group members
\n(our passenger group rose to 18 in number) and collect mail. Thank
\nyou to all my friends who wrote, it was much appreciated. Our group
\nis now in Pucon, centre of the Chilean lake district, and watched
\nover by the Osorno volcano which is happily puffing out smoke as I
\ntype. From here it is on to points south and Tierra del Fuego mid –
\nJanuary. While things in Argentina have been volatile, we are hoping
\nthat they will have calmed down before we get to Buenos Aires, and in
\norder to spend more time in Chile, we will NOT be going to Paraguay.
\nRio in Carnival and I shall be there on February 9th.<\/p>\n

That about brings you up to date. Life is never dull when
\ntravelling overland and I am looking forward to the challenges and
\nadventures of the next few weeks<\/p>\n

Thanks Jacqui and keep us posted! If anyone would like to
\ncontact Jacqui, her e-mail is<\/i><\/b>: jacquitrotter@yahoo.com<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

What have you seen on your travels? Drop a line to<\/b> the Beetle!<\/b><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

La Paz seems like a long time a go but it was only a few short weeks. 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