Santa Cruz Butterfly Park

South America - Day 32

Santa Cruz Butterfly Park

It's Sunday today and we quickly found out that Santa Cruz shuts on Sundays (everyone's at church).

There was nothing to do to the point where even finding breakfast was tough. Late morning we piled into taxis and went out to the butterfly park. It was a little way out of town but it was a good option to fill in some time. The butterfly house itself wasn't that interesting as it was small & most of the butterflies had damaged wings. The little rotters wouldn't sit still to get their photos taken either!

For a butterfly park the pick of its attractions is its aviary. It is one of those free flight type aviaries. These Scarlet Macaws seemed quite content.

There were quite few of these Blue & Yellow Macaws. The cheeky little sots would sneak up on you & try to nip your ankle.

Above is a better photo of a Scarlet Macaw. They're such a striking looking animal. No wonder they are so popular as pets. (Not that I condone it).

Not to be out done, this Toco Toucan was also a bit of an exhibitionist.

Still in the aviary, there were other creatures about. We saw two of these sloths. Totally unexpected but also pretty cool. I don't think I've ever seen one other than on the TV. They're such curious creatures & even though they move so slowly they're strangely captivating to watch.

From the aviary we set off for the pool complex nearby. Along the path we saw these leaf cutter ants going about their business. It was funny watching leaves parade past us.

The swimming pool complex was slightly odd. It was a series of concrete pools connected by slides and waterfalls. The water came from somewhere that I couldn't identify (maybe the small lake in picture), ran through the pools, finally emptying into the lake in picture. (I'm not sure why, but I didn't take any photos of the pools for some reason.)
It was a good day to relax & immerse the body in water after weeks in the arid Andes Altiplano.

On the way back to the front gate we said hello to some tortoises in a big shallow grass pit. Pit sounds bad, but it was more like a shallow recess in a large lawn area. The animals seemed happy enough.

The afternoon was spent wandering around the city centre looking in trinket shops etc.
Pictured is the town square. It''s much bigger than the others we'd seen and covered in tropical trees and plants. I was so glad we were in a green place again.

The evening of the butterfly park visit we boarded the "Death Train" that would take us to the Brazilian border.
I'm not sure why they call it the Death Train, but we all wanted to kill ourselves by the time we finally left the train at the border some 16-1/2 hrs later. The rail line was very bumpy & the rail cars seemed to bounce violently non-stop.

Santa Cruz

South America - Day 31

Travel to Santa Cruz

The three leaving us set of quite early that day. We caught them before they left to say our final goodbyes. There were concerns about the clouds/fog delaying flights or closing the airport for the day. Some flights were delayed, but not by much.

We left for the airport late morning and set about having lunch at the airport. What a disaster! The food was average, but not the main issue. We waited over 30 mins to pay the bill and that was while we were standing at the counter. I have no idea what was going on, but the guy even took a big note off us but didn't give us change for ages. He even served & let other people pay in the meanwhile. I was so angry! I couldn't wait to get out of the place.

When our plane arrived (on the very short little runway), I realized that it was on old Boeing 727. The Australian airlines haven't used these for about 15 years because they we just too old to maintain. It was a bit nostalgic and a bit scary all at the same time.

After a slightly worrying take off in Sucre, the flight was actually quite pleasant and we arrived safely in Santa Cruz. The first thing we noticed was the humidity and the heavier air. It was so good to be able to breathe properly again. We were now on the outskirts of the Amazon Basin.
We settled into our hotel and went for a wander around the town. It was pretty much what I thought Brazil was going to look like. Apparently the Bolivians down in the lowlands think of themselves more as Brazilians than Bolivians. The place has that Brazilian feel.
That night we caught taxis to a barbecue restaurant where we had a mega meat feast. The lowlands people like to eat like their neighbours as well. (We found out not long after that, cattle aren't at all scarce in Brazil & Argentina.) It was great to be able to get a decent feed again.

Sucre'

South America - Day 30

Exploring Sucre' & Orphanage

Today, with nothing overly interesting to do, we wandered the streets aimlessly to fill in time. We did find a couple of nice looking buildings to photograph along with a long park (pictured is the entrance to it) just outside the city centre. The green was a welcome relief after weeks of arid landscape.
I could easily have caught the plane to Santa Cruz that morning, but we had to wait. Come to think of it, I could have caught the plane to Santa Cruz after the 4x4 trip. Instead of the hellish trip to Potosi, returning to Lapaz would have been a better option then fly to Santa Cruz from there. I guess that's the sacrifice you make when you go on an organized trip.

Sucre Orphanage

That afternoon there was an option to go to an orphanage. I'd had enough of uncomfortable meetings with locals and decided against it. Kerri was keen and went with about half the crew. I don't know that much about what went on, but the photos tell some of the story.

Kerri hadn't been at work for some months by that time and hadn't had her kid fix. She particularly likes the ones that aren't sick like at work. (Sounds weird doesn't it? Nothing sinister I assure you.) This orphan (above) didn't look like she was doing too bad.

Apparently this little guy wasn't at all happy. Nothing the crew did could make him smile. I guess he had reason.

That night we had to say good bye to Polly, Richard and Melissa. They were flying back to Lapaz early the next morning before doing their own thing. Polly was headed to Rio de Janero and coastal Brazil, and Melissa & Richard were on their way to Argentina (if I remember correctly). It was all a bit sad having spent a month with them at close quarters and we'd all become quite close. It had to happen at some point. Most of the tour group went to a fairly decent restaurant and enjoyed some nice food and wine.

The Long Taxi Ride

South America Day 29

Travel to Sucre' by Taxi

After breakfast we packed our gear and were loaded into taxis. These taxis looked like pseudo rally cars & were going to take us the hour or so to Sucre'. Taxis over there are way cheaper than Oz. That length of taxi ride in Australia would force you to get out a personal loan first!
As we were leaving Potosi we had to pass through the provincial border. Strangely this child was on the median strip in a box. I have no idea why. It was just odd.

Immediately after we left Potosi we stared to descend into the valley. I guess it figures because Potosi is the highest city in the world at 4090m. We were about to leave the Altiplano for the last time and heading to Sucre' at 2790m above sea level. Sucre' is on the eastern slope of the Andes and it would be our step off point to the Amazon Basin.

Crazy Drivers

About half way to Sucre' we were driving down a long steep incline when, near the bottom, we saw this scene. Clearly a truck drive has either been traveling too fast or his brakes couldn't deal with the incline & lost control. I was sad, but a brutal reminder of how easily it can go wrong.

Puente Suspension Bridge

The Sucre' province border has the Rio Grande as it's boundary marker. It's one of the major tributaries that feed the Amazon River. Oddly, in the middle of Bolivia was this fancy looking suspension bridge. We stopped for a bit to check out the bridge and the view of the river before continuing on to Sucre'
Sucre' is a nicer city than the others we'd been to in Bolivia and most of Peru. It was somewhat similar to Arequipa in Peru. The lower altitude and proximity to the jungle means that it gets a nicer climate and more rain so the place is nice and green. We wandered around for the afternoon & sorted out the supplies and washing issues.

Potosi Mine Tour

South America Day 28

Potosi Mine Tour

The only thing on the plan for the day was a tour of the silver mines. In the end I think 9 of us went along. We were taken to get fitted out for some snazzy safety gear. The girls had to wear red and Mike and I had to wear yellow. Women aren't allowed to work in the mines so they make them wear red to identify themselves. It was all a bit strange really.

We entered the labyrinth of mine tunnels and very quickly us taller folk were stooping because the ceiling was built for Bolivians. Quickly the air became noticeable stale & I started to wonder whether this was a good idea.

Early on we reached a bit of an opening where a guy was working. Mike and I were both given a chance to have a chip away at the rock face. I had a couple of whacks before a couple of rock chips started to rebound back at me so I decided that it was a bad idea. I had no safety glasses and I need my eyes to work.
Safety is drummed into my scull at work & my heckles were up because this was fast starting to look very dodgy. Our safety boots were nothing more than a a pair of garden variety gum boots and helmets didn't exactly instill confidence either.

Back in town, we'd bought some gifts for the miners. The little shopping bags included cocoa leaves, biscuits, detonators & explosives. Our guide gave one of the gift bags to the miner who set about building a charge and setting it in the crevice he'd been creating. We all hurried back along the tunnel to a "safe zone" to wait for the explosion. When it went off with a dull thud, we were showered by bits of the ceiling. My confidence was waning even further.

We were given the option to go down a rabbit hole and Nic, Melissa and Kerri took the option. I got to carry the cameras. I would get my chance later.

Our guide led us to a hole in the path with a rope for the decent. It was a bit of a struggle particularly for a couple of the girls. Everyone made it in the end.

The miners are very superstitious. This is the least disturbing of two idols. Above is Pacha Mama (roughly the Mother Earth). The miners like to pray and give sacrifices to these macabre statues.

This was the more disturbing idol. I think it's meant to be like the devil. I have no idea what it was called.
This one mountain claims something in the range of 14 miners every month. They who work there do whatever it takes to help them survive such a high fatality rate. They don't tell you all these stats until you're deep inside the mine.

One of the tour guides in Peru was trying to justify cocoa leaves, saying how good the teeth were of the people who chew them. The miners chew loads of the stuff and this is a clear example of the cocoa not working. Maybe he eats the rocks as well.

The toothless man's son was also working with him. He looked like a school kid. He had an expensive type of light that changed colour when the air was bad. I guess his dad was a bit worried about him.
By that stage I'd had enough. The battery in my light had gone, my neck and back hurt from stooping and the stale air was giving me a headache. On top of that I'd decided that we shouldn't be there because of the myriad of safety issues. Aside from the obvious issues of safety gear, zero ventilation and no shoring of the tunnels, the big issue was the lack of dig planning. The miners all worked their own plots with no thought to those around them. Consequently a guy at a lower level could easily (and they do) set off a charge and collapse the floor of the guy working above him. No wonder they kill so many. In hind sight I should never have put myself in that situation. I'm really angry at the operators for not properly informing us.

This was the whole reason why Mike even went on the tour. Mike had bought some extra explosives so we could set off a charge ourselves.
Our bus driver (an ex-miner) set up a charge with Mikes extras. Mike was all excited to start with. The plan was to set the charge in a pit & let the fuse do the rest.

Er.... What do I do with this?

Mike was handed the charge & then the driver lit it. Suddenly Mike's excitement turned to partial panic. It was his job to carry the charge up to the pit & get the hell outta there. He was all fine carrying it up, but once he'd put the package in the pit he bolted back. It took much longer than any of us thought for it to go off, but Mike was back standing with us for some time before it did. You'd never get away with that stuff in the western world.

After we returned from the mine tour we pretty much chilled for the afternoon. Kerri went looking for jewellery without success. The hype about how good Andean jewellery is turned out to be a crock. (Not that I'm am expert).
We had a bit of a look around town including the main square (above) but ended up going to a coffee shop for lunch and a drink. Potosi just isn't that interesting. By that point I was starting to look forward to the jungle & animals in Brazil.

Potosi

South America Day 27

Travel to Potosi

It was cold again when we woke up in our hostel in the middle of nowhere. We endured a 4 hour drive to Uyuni where we grabbed our gear and got straight on a bus for the seemingly endless bus journey to Potosi.

4-1/2 hrs on the bumpy dusty bus landed us in Potosi. The road was rough so trying to sleep wasn't even an option. The dust wasn't helping either.
When we finally reached Potosi and settled into our room, the first thing on the agenda was a decent hot shower. It was the first hot shower in a number of days. We were filthy! Between the lack of facilities and the excessive amount of dust in the desert, it was hardly surprising.
We suddenly realized that Kerri left her vest on the bus. Somehow we managed to get it back with help from the folk at the hotel.

Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve

South America Day 26

Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve

It was a cold night & the 7am start wasn't any less icy. I have no idea how cold it was but I certainly had a couple of layers on. It all looked clear & warm outside, but as soon as we stuck our noses out the door, the eyes started to water. Once the sun came up it soon warmed up but the cars didn't start easily.

Sol de Manana

Our first stop for the day was the geysers. with all the volcanic activity in the Andes, it was inevitable that we would see something like this at some point.

The first geyser is actually man mande. Everyone took turns at putting their hands in the steam.

I couldn't help but jump through the steam. I'd tested the temperature with my hand but had underestimated that velocity it was pumping out at because it blew my hat off. Kerri got the shot though.

These are some of the real geysers complete with colourful mud and steam. We stood around for quiet a while looking at them. It's a hard thing to take photos of because of the swirling steam. Bubbling mud and steam has a similar memorizing effect on me as waterfalls or a camp fire.

Vicuñas again have found a hostile place to live & seemed to be feeding on something. I couldn't see any vegetation so I can only assume they were licking the mineral salts coming from the geysers. (Ok, I know, enough about the Vicuñas. I'm done.)

Laguna Collpa.

We stopped briefly at the hot springs on the shore of Laguna Collpa. I can't recall anyone getting in because it was still quite cold & dressing down didn't seem that inviting. We were to return there at lunch anyway.

It's just a shallow brick pool that captured the hot water as it comes out of the ground. Pictured is the warm stream that comes from the outlet of the pool. It then runs into Laguna Collpa.

Valley of Dali

 Heading south of the hot springs, we traveled across a wide valley of course, but soft sand. It was called the Valley of Dali. It was surrounded by the most strangely coloured ranges like the one in shot, Cerro Amarillo. It was such a strange place that (again) could be a scene from the surface of Mars.

Laguna Verde

A short drive on the other side of the ranges led us to this beautiful lake, Laguna Verde. The volcanic peak on the far side of the lake (Vulcan Juriques) is across the border in Chile.

 No garden variety camera can pick up the entire lake. This aspect looks across at Volcan Licancabur (also in Chile). When we arrived there was no wind & the lake surface looked like glass.

Not long after we arrived at this amazing place, the wind started to pick up & the entire lake turned this incredible green colour. I guess that's why they called it Laguna Verde (Verde translates to green). This is my favourite photo from Bolivia.

We were dragged away from Laguna Verde & taken back to the Hot Springs for lunch. This time some of the crew had a swim, but it didn't seem that inviting with such a big crowd & the ambient temperature had climbed as well.

Laguna Colorada

After lunch we started our epic journey back toward Uyuni. Our route took us to the opposite side of Laguna Colorada (Colorada is Spanish for red) to where we had stayed the previous night. We stopped briefly to admire this red lake, the flamingos and the nasty little whirl winds (see below).

At Laguna Colorada the wind picked up the salt off the lake & turned into mini tornadoes. I'm glad I wasn't any closer to this one!

Shortly after we left Laguna Colorada we climbed a little & were suddenly no longer in the dessert. The landscape was covered in grasses and we were clearly in farm land again. This Rhea bird was running along beside the car briefly. It looked like a stunted Ostrich.

The rest of the trip was forgettable, but very bumpy. By the time we'd made it to Villa Mar (a small farming village) we'd definitely had enough. At least there were warm showers! (Or was that a warm shower?)

We crashed early because it was a 5am start the next morning. The night was cold again.