Cusco/Peru – Uyuni/Bolivia
A final higher pass and it goes towards Lake Titicaca and the Altiplano. Alti (high) yes, not quite plano (flat), but until further notice we finished 4-digit meters of altitude climbing dayly.
We pass the city of Puno, which attraction are the Uros, Indians, who live on floating reed islands on Lake Titicaca. Also, the houses are made of reed, the boats, all reed. Despite the many tourists, it is less Disneyland, as expected. The chef of the island that we visit has a rather modern attitude, to arrange with the tourism. Schools, solar panels, mobile phones exist on the floating dwellings. An interesting way of life which is worth the trip.
We continue along the lake with beautiful scenery – blue lake with yellow Ichugras in the foreground and white, snowcapped mountains in the background.
At one only about 800m wide bottleneck we cross the water. For this there are rafts or however these seemingly just floating wooden structures could be called. The less inspiring confidence look, but nobody holds back, to convey to the water buses and trucks with quite a lot of list – as a precaution, only one vehicle per floating help.
A little later we pass the border with Bolivia. As is now our conclusion from Peru, after all, we were here for almost 2 months? After not a maximum positive first impression, naturally there was a lot of good here too, as one might expect. With respect to a landscape worth to see certainly one of the worlds top places, at least in the more remote mountain regions the people were for us pleasant too, friendly, accurate. In a negative sense, the Peruvian bus drivers are leading in the world. You need to imply that they purposefully rush by as tight as possible, because they often almost graze us, even if the road is freely visible to the horizon and accessible.
Admittedly not specifically a Peruvian problem, but in Peru more than it was in the other countries travelled so far in Latin American, we annoyed about the eternal cheating of tourists. Again and again, you pay a much higher price than the locals. We have travelled enough to stick to certain rules. Most important, first negotiate on the price, then, for example, order food at the restaurant. But there are always new tricks. None impertinence seems to be too absurd. For example, the price is named, but the change will not be surrendered. Or last, while we eat, the prices next to us chalk-written are wiped, and there is a spontaneous increase in prices. Thus, each business becomes an annoying issue, even if we know the prices.
What will bring Bolivia?
First, we visit La Paz. From more than 4000m above sea level, we have a great overview of the city, at about 3600m.a.s.l. in front of snowcapped mountains. Then it goes down into the valley basin.
La Paz, we like very much. A lively city, both modern and indigenous, with interesting activitys mainly in the markets. Exciting also the so-called witches market. Important sales item are lamb embryos, which will be walled in in the corners of a house for good luck. Since we currently only have our bikes, we just now don’t need a dead Lama.
Next on the Altiplano, which provides us with the attraction that spontaneously previously unseen large dust hurricanes form and dissolve, we soon reach the end of asphalted roads. The largest part of the Bolivian roads is unpaved (from 41,000 road kilometres are 5000 kilometres paved). About another 180km to Uyuni. Only the beginning of a dirt road expedition of about 700 kilometres. The night temperatures drop to the record of this journey of -15°C.
In the small, but equipped touristically Uyuni final preparations for a large bicycle adventure, the Salar de Uyuni and the so-called lagoon route.
Tom
photos to this article: Cusco/Peru – Uyuni/Bolivien : Fotos
Infos (german): www.info.tour-en-blog.de – Von Santiago de Huari/Bolivien nach Uyuni/Bolivien
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