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Isla Del Storm!!

December 29th, 2004

It was Em who stayed awake while Eug dropped off to sleep almost as soon as his head hit his makeshift pillow. And what a good thing this was that one of us stayed awake a little longer than the other, because the storm we’d seen across Lake Titicaca had begun to tear its way across the water directly towards our tiny, isolated camping spot on the Lake shores. Before long we were in full emergency mode……
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Isla Del Sol

December 29th, 2004

We’d planned to trek the Isla del Sol – the spiritual birthplace of the Inca civislisation – while we were here, one because it sounded delightful (“encentado” in Spanish!), and two because we thought it would be a good practice for our Inca Trail trek to Macchu Pichu later on. It proved to be both, at least in part!
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Copocabana Blessings

December 29th, 2004

Religion plays a very significant part in all South American countries, and each place has its own specific events.

Bolivians consider the the statue of the Virgin in Copocabana’s cathedral to be their highest icon of religious salvation – but here it’s not just simply a case of paying homage to this figurine, it’s much more than that!
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La Paz – a city on the edge of space

December 26th, 2004

I’ve never ever seen a city quite like La Paz. From the air it is astounding. From the ground it is awesome. And from the bit in the middle it’s breath-taking.

We’ve had two bites at the cherry on viewing this one, each time an incredible experience leaving an indelible impression of neatly ordered chaos surrounded by third world squalor.

The guidebook says it rivals Rio and Hong Kong – I haven’t seen either but I won’t hold my breath……
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The depths of height 2

December 26th, 2004

A trip to Potosi wouldn’t be complete without a tour of the mines that made this place both a source of fortune and a source of death for millions of people over the centuries right up until the present day. While Em was content to come along and see what happened outside, I plucked up the courage to enter the mountainside and experience the truly horrific working conditions that have barely changed since the first traces of the mountain’s vast riches were discoveredin the 1500’s.
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Copacabana Christmas

December 26th, 2004

Merry Christmas everyone! It doesn`t feel like Christmas here but then the celebrations appear to be minimal, and we haven`t got the smell of turkey or sprouts in the air or our family around us. We`ve missed our family a lot today – and thought a lot about those we`re missing.

And we saw our first South American cat this morning. At last!

The weather was slightly overcast so we headed out for an explore as it was ideal for walking.
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Copacabana but no Barry Mannilow

December 26th, 2004

It was a good feeling to know we were leaving La Paz. The mix of altitude and dirty air was all too much. Eventually, we found the back seat of the Turisbus to Copacabana and the air and scenery improved greatly. The mountains swooping around Lake Titicaca is an awesome sight.
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Lost in La Paz

December 25th, 2004

It was quite sad to be leaving the Hostal de Su Merced in Sucre. In protest, Eugene`s chest was intent on spewing up the filtered debris from Potosi and my guts decided to remind me I was travelling in a very foreign country! Nevertheless, we headed back to Sucre airport and waited patiently for our flight back to La Paz.
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The depth of heights 1

December 25th, 2004

“The toe” appeared to be on the mend, but the altitude seemed to have turned Eugene`s legs to an aching weight of lead. It was a bad night`s sleep. Maybe it was revenge from the llama steak he`d eaten the night before?!! Bravely, we soldiered on as we`d booked our tour to visit the silver mines.
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Altitude symptoms

December 25th, 2004

One grave concern for both of us in planning this short adventure of a life time is the effect of altitude on our bodies. Our home is a mere 300-ish feet above sea level, our training has seen us top 3,500 + feet (top of Snowdon), and neither of us have been above 6,000 feet before. What’s it been like so far?
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