Monday, 2/26. Slept like the dead. Took steps two at a time. Life is back to normal. Lazy morning while the additional early morning arrivals got some rest. Overly long briefing at 11:00, punctuated by a toast with whiskey sours, the apparent national drink. Much of the briefing was about the dangers of altitude sickness. We won’t get as high as La Paz, so we who were there yawned through it. No early warning signs from the new companions. Everyone seems fit.

Lunch was fine. Beef stew, which in Lima has not stew. Beef covered in gravy, veggies separate. The afternoon was a walking tour of the local area, including a circular trip around a vast mud-brick built pyramid from 1,500 years ago. It’s not earthen fill surrounded by mud bricks, it’s just a very large formation of mud bricks. The outer layers have decayed to where it looks like a hill, but restoration has returned much of it to the original appearance. Until archeologists came forward, the hill was used for mountain biking.

In the evening four of the Bolivian contingent had a late dinner at a very fancy and well known restaurant, Rafael’s. No reservation, but they had a free table after we’d sat at the bar. They do one seating a night. My sea urchin and scallop omelet appetizer was sensational. The main course of stir-fried sirloin steak was also very good. Deserts were too esoteric for me.

A good day, but not much learned or discovered. (A nearby laundry service charged by the kilo. Virtually my entire suitcase, cleaned for $8! Marvelous.)

Sunday, 2/25: (No photos today) Ahhh, sea level. Bolivia was a great experience, but I’ll not go again unless I grow an extra pair of lungs.

Lima is well laid out, being without the handicap of hills. Getting around was easy. “Kennedy Park” is small but cute. The recommended restaurant was so nice I went there twice. Visited a Chocolate Museum/Shop. Bought water. I’ll be sleeping early, hoping to catch up. No sudden wake-ups from the need to suck in air.

Our small Bolivian group of five meets up with our Peru Tour Leader and remaining seven members of the “Base” Tour tomorrow. Today was very relaxing.

Saturday, 02/23: Great view of the Salt Flats from the sky.
From the Airport we took a few cable cars to another market. Interesting. Saw my first Alpaca. Had a hot drink (“Happi”?) of purple and white corn with sugar and cinnamon. Much better than it sounds. Cheese bread accessory was wonderful.
Visited the Valley to the Moon. Local legend says it was so named by Neil Armstrong, who said it looked like the Moon’s surface. He did in fact visit the location, but authenticity is doubtful. Amazing formations of clay. Cactus can take root anywhere.
Lunch was largely skipped by me to prepare for Bolivian Farewell Dinner. Spent much of the PM washing cloths and resting. The Dinner was superb. I had beef with Bolivian wine (2011 cab/merlot blend; excellent).

The five of us have ended the Pre-extension Tour on good terms with great memories. Bolivian citizens are without exception friendly. Hold up your hand and drivers will indeed stop. There is a tendency to think down on countries with horrible roadways. Such thinking would (once again) be a mistake in gaging the intelligence of its citizens. Good roads are not a good representative of individuals.
Tomorrow we fly to Lima for a one-day gap day before the main tour begins. OAT’s planning for this day is spotty. Arrive at 9 AM, check in at 3 PM. What we do in between is up to us. Fine by me, but the women are concerned, with reason.

Friday, 2/23. Uyuni Salt Flats, largest in the world. The hotel is literally built with salt. They cut salt bricks out of the Flats, representing several years of salt accumulation.

The town of Uyuni is now nothing much. It once was a mining hub. (It may be again. A significant share of the world’s lithium reserves hide under the salt, waiting for value or technology to make it profitable.) Outside town is a “Train Cemetery”, slowing disappearing as the metal is scavenged. Downtown had several very nice sculptures representing their past. The train station is part hotel. Rent a rail car.

The Salt Flats defeat adequate description. There is a 2 or more inch layer of brine for most of it. Some spots are door panel deep. We rent rubber boots to walk around (barefoot is safe, but it requires tough skin). We stopped at a remote spot and the drivers set up a lunch. Weird feeling. Very much like an ice covered lake where water has leaked above the ice. Except it’s salt! No risk of breaking through.

We are ants above the surface. Just incredible. The highlight of the trip to Bolivia.

Thursday, 02/21: Relocating to the dry salt flats at Uyuni. After a relaxing morning of doing nothing, we retraced our route with some interesting stops before The Great Detour Part 2. Great view of Lake Titicaca, including their trout farm. Jemina says no other fish handles captive breeding as well. Had silverside fish for lunch. Delicious. We stopped at a reed boat builder who participated in several constructions which sailed across the oceans (RA and RA II, for example). Also visited a weaver. One more way to turn fur/hair into clothing.
The road which had been flooded two days ago was still closed, but the tour organization had sent someone to the area to scout the best detour, which helped a great deal. No detours of detours. But still dirt roads, small streams, mud. Drains everywhere were still overflowing from mountain runoff. Spotted several effigies hanging on power poles, warning thieves of consequences. A sample of vigilantism. Begged the question of what in the area anyone would want to steal. Hundreds of homes in arrested construction.
Beautiful clear day. Remaining drive to the airport was routine. Once again though, taking the obvious route was avoided. Seemingly by everyone.
Takeoff to Uyuni was delayed by warm air. Luggage was deliberately left behind to lighten the plane. Looong rollout. Arrived at hotel (made of salt) at 9:30 for dinner. Luggage arrived at 12:30 AM.

Wednesday, 02/20: Isle de Sol, “Island of the Sun”. Location of some of the earliest relics of Incan civilization. Long boat ride with exhaust fumes saturating the cabin. Rough seas. Not pleasant. But once we landed the weather cleared up considerably and my concerns shifted entirely to climbing about 1,000 feet to the view point, somewhat above 13,000 feet. Incan ruin was basic. The distant mountains were almost clear, certainly majestic. Donkeys, my first llamas (such a stink!), plus youth hostels dotting the hillside. Souvenir vendors everywhere. It was a plesant walk if I forget the huffing and puffing.

Another short boat ride to lunch. Traditional meal, brought to the table in a scarf. Massive corn on the cob, boneless chicken, trout, fried veggies, potatoes, cheese, etc. Excellent food with a great view. Pulled out my balloons for the kids.

Return ride was less smelly. Toured the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia. The statue, decked out in jewels, has been to victim of burglaries throughout time. This town is the original Casablanca (“View of the Lake”), despite anything Brazil might say. The town market was mostly closed, but there was the popcorn vendor, selling massive popcorn. Very large young foreign tourist population.

Tuesday, 02/19: Relocation to Copacabana. From the La Paz Valley we climbed up to the high, flat plateau. Again, there was no direct route. Modern civilization gradually fades to unpaved side streets and random obedience to traffic rules.
First stop was Tiwaniku, one of the oldest settlements in Bolivia, if not all of South America. The pyramid and surrounding structures were trashed by the Spanish in the effort to find gold and build other things, but some relics remain. There is an effort to rebuild, but it’s running up against strict UNESCO guidelines. Lots of things I never knew, such as an accent habit to reshape skulls of the young to conform with their perception of perfection. Ouch. There was a hill to the west that apparently blocked the sunset. It was removed. I can imagine the conversation, ruler to servants. Had Llama for lunch. Delicious.
Continued the drive to Copacabana. Finally came the much feared Bolivia rain. Then hail. Then thunder and lightning. The roads turned to mud and a stuck truck blocked the main(?!) road. Detoured to muddier roads. Several detours of the detour. Much discussion among drivers. Stops to check the depth of mud puddles/ponds. The rain stopped and we finally got back on the main road. The clearing skies provided incredibly clear views of the Andes.
Reached the ferry crossing. We took a passenger boat ahead of our van. The ferries are barges with 30 HP engines and a single crewman who poles the barge away from land and then poles to slow the barge. A short bridge would simplify things, but the two opposite villages would lose their sole source of income. Negotiations are ongoing.
Finally arrived in Copacabana several hours late. The hotel is incredible, thought their wifi is iffy. Pictures tomorrow. Had great pumpkin soup, excellent spaghetti, and cheese cake. Others had lake trout that looked just like salmon. They described it as a Canadien Salmon/trout hybrid. I have doubts. Terrific day.
Tomorrow I’m expected to climb from 12,000 feet to 13,500 feet. I’m still feeling the altitude.

Monday, 02/18: Driving around the city’s center. Stopped at a lookout point, the government area, cemetery, then markets. Took wonderful cable car rides. What walking we did during the tour was thankfully downhill. Markets included fruit stands with some great exotic samples. Intricate methods for slicing pineapple skins diagonally. Witch market was small and weird. Take a Llama fetus, dry it out, then bury it under your garden for luck. No thanks. Beautifully handcrafted ten-string small guitars.

Lunch was spaghetti with oil sauce. Soy oil? Delicious.

Afternoon was free time. Rather than wisely go back to the hotel and rest, I tagged along with some serious shoppers. Serious slow shoppers. Ended up heading uphill to look for a specific art gallery. Ugh. It was better tourist activity than sleeping through the afternoon, but exhausting. Turned out useful for them that I tagged along because only I knew the way back. Bought a bottle of Bolivian wine.

Sunday, 02/17: Landed at 1:00 AM local time. La Paz Airport is the highest international airport in the world (13,300 feet). During the flight in I kept thinking that aircraft cabins are kept at the equivalent of 8,000 to 10,000 feet altitude. Imagined that the cabin door would fly open after landing and we’d feel a breeze. Silly idea. (When this trip is over I’ll have been at four of the five highest capitals.)

Definitely felt the altitude. In Tibet I practiced ignoring the sensation; hoping to repeat. Immigration didn’t check my yellow fever vaccination documentation, which irked me quite a bit (a $300 shot!). After waiting for others to arrive and an hour drive (11 miles) I was able to sleep at 4 AM. Woke to a pounding heart at 7.

Rather than rest until the afternoon, I walked around a bit. Walked through a beautiful Japanese Garden. Did a lot of sitting (see title). Getting the heart below 100 beats was an exercise in futility.

Met the four companions and our Bolivian Guide, Ms. Jimena Santos. She encouraged us to attend a . . . well, I’m not sure what it was. Bolivian Wrestling Cholitas (woman). Comedy. A few male wrestlers. The acrobatic “throws” were pretty impressive. Transportation to and from was a great introduction to La Paz. Whomever though of the phrase “You can’t get there from here. First you have to go somewhere else” had this city in mind. I swear the taxi made a 540 degree turn through the streets at one point. Changed to a bus with an attitude, all the while climbing higher and higher. The return was via La Paz’s new and very impressive “Subways in the Sky” gondola network. We’ll do some more gondola riding tomorrow during daylight. Photos should be great.

Dinner was excellent trout from Lake Titicaca.

Saturday, 02/16: [Friday night] Have son drive me to LAX (next to Pacific), Layover in Texas, Long Layover at Miami (next to Atlantic), Layover in Lima (next to Pacific again), Flight to . . . To Be Continued Sunday. I traveled the two equal sides of an isosceles right triangle. 14.3 hours on planes, 10 more getting to and from airplanes. And I’m not done. Next time I’m doing my own reservations. It was a new feeling to fly 5.5 hours and not change time zones.

No pictures. Strange phenomena on flight south. Sitting left side of four seats. To my right a family with 10 year-old daughter. They put the daughter next to me. Across the aisle, two seat rows, family of four. The adults sat together, leaving 5 and 8 year-olds to fend for themselves. Neither action seemed normal from my USA perspective.

Nothing wrong with Avianca Airlines. Houston’s airport is great, though it needs people movers. Miami’s needs to be destroyed by a hurricane and rebuilt.