La Paz de Bolivia, 14-20 de Noviembre

This far north and still snow-capped Andes! Illimani, the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real at 6438m & La Paz the highest capital city in the world at 3660m. 

Sagarnaga, the colonial and now tourist district.

From Volunteering at La Senda Verde we climbed back into the civilisation (and altitude) of La Paz. It was kind of strange having to think about fending for ourselves again having been accustomed to a working timetable and cheeky monkeys! Nevertheless we quickly embraced our old and very malleable timetable, or lack thereof, and got back into the swing of "what shall we do next...?"

After some solid washing catch up and internet time, we arranged a short flight into the Amazon (over the 26 hour bus ride) from where we arranged a jungle pampas trip (next blog), then returning to La Paz again. So we had a couple of days either side of the jungle trip to explore La Paz.

Sagarnaga

Having heard mixed reviews about the place we were pleasantly surprised with what was on offer, and especially enjoyed wandering the pedestrian streets, loads of markets, and plazas in the central district. The restaurants were in particular surprisingly good and extremely cheap - we slowly ate our way through a list of recommendations! Jugo de mango con leche (Mango juice smoothie) a return favorite for Clare!

A favorite for us was the Coca Museum, which magnified the history production and consumption of the small leaf. Of course, the leaves have played a major role in the culture and economy of Bolivia to this day. The cocaine component was particularly interesting - with an estimated 9000 small cocaine producing laboratories hidden deep in the Bolivian jungle!

As prevalent as coca leaves are (legally for indigenous purposes), you need loads of the stuff to extract the illegal component. Some 330kg takes a lab of 10 poorly paid men 12 hours to produce 1kg of cocaine paste, which is then further refined to the illegal powder. Amazing how much info was out in the open about the drug-trade with detailed illustrations about where the trafficking occurs in Bolivia!
Other history of the coca leaf was also interesting, most famously the use of cocaine extract in the original brew of Coca Cola (circa 1900's). The museum claims Coca Cola is still legally purchasing circa 200 tonnes of coca leaves per year for flavouring....



La Paz, the fella who invented hollow-core terracotta blocks is doing a roaring trade!! ...and in the process has extruded a national facade. There are just 4 construction materials now prevalent in Bolivia: terracotta, concrete with a sprinkle of reinforcing steel, and glass. If you're lucky your front facade will get a lick of plaster, and maybe even some paint.

Llama foetuses at the witches market -  buried underneath
a new house to bring good luck...

Plaza Pedro D Murillo



The Worlds Most Dangerous Road! A big tourist draw card and must-do when in Bolivia. We were really looking forward to the decent via bicycle!

Yes this is actually Clare (L) and I (R), standing atop the
WMDR in our hardcore downhill gears!

Simple recipe really: 65km of downhill with a decent of more than 3600m!...on a full suspension Kona steed with hydraulic disc brakes - WICKED. The ride starts just outside La Paz at La Cumbre at 4700m, and decends from the muy frio Andean Altiplano to the muy caliente and steamy Yolosa at around 1100m in the Yungus Valley - one of the largest coca growing regions in Bolivia. We opted for a small Bolivian owned company over the horrendously expensive and hugely popular kiwi-owned Gravity, which meant there were a mere 4 of us rather than 30-odd. The ride was absolutely brilliant, the only disappointment being that it was over too quick!


 It was extremely harrowing in places, with our guide pointing out crosses marking the sites of vehicle accidents; it was easy to understand how such a road with such drivers could afford its famous title. When this was the main road, which was up until 2007, it claimed an average of 100 lives per year.



Hardcore biker/photographer, that's my Fiance!



Probably the most famous image of the ride.

 





The bottom! Circa 3 hours down including play-lunch and photo stops, probably safer and almost faster than driving down! 



La Senda Verde, Bolivia. 2-14 de Noviembre.

Dos semana voluntariado con los animales.




La Senda Verde is a wildlife sanctuary in the jungle below La Paz. Matt and I opted to volunteer there for 2 weeks after hearing about LSV from fellow tourists.

The sanctuary has over 200 animals: 42 monkeys (Spider, Squirrel, Capuchin and Red-Howler Monkeys), an Andean Spectacled Bear, a Margay, numerous birds (Tucan, Macaws, various budgies etc), Coatis, Tortoises, Boa Constricter, Caiman, plus pet dogs and cats.

These animals are all here because they have been picked up by the Bolivian Animales SOS (similar organisation to RSPCA but for exotic national animals). They were being kept captive as pets or were picked up for sale on the black market.

Sadly, because of Bolivian laws and too much human contact, these animals are not allowed to be released back into the wild. La Senda Verde gives them the best possible home.

LSV runs solely on a small team of local staff, volunteers and donations.

Matt and his new best friends - Cannello (Red Howler Mono) y Cacao (Spider Mono)

We headed straight for La Senda Verde from the La Paz airport which took us down the “new world’s most dangerous road” - the old road being the one which we will later cycle down (next blog entry). LSV is 79km from La Paz but a very hairy 3 hour drive. The road initially winds up to 4700m and then winds down to 1100m. It seems Bolivian drivers have no qualms passing in cloud, on blind corners – a little frightening at times to say the least.



Two hands, head first - Nico



Wara was doing her best to get into the porridge bucket but then just gave up and guarded it instead.

 Nikita

Basically our duties as volunteers (donned in beige safari shirts) were to prepare meals and feed the animals (most of them 3 x per day), clean their enclosures, and to entertain and keep a watch on tourists/guests whilst up at he monkeys area. The cycle company Gravity turns up to LSV daily after riding the WMDR for lunch, a shower and a frolic with the monkeys, so the afternoons were always spent minding the people and monkeys - bribing belongings back with peanuts or beans.

Beautiful Leo tucking into his porridge.

Breaky was my favourite meal of the day with the monkeys as porridge got everywhere. They don't prefer to eat off their table, ofcourse the bowl or bucket or our shoulder is better. Porridge would end up in our hair, round our necks, all over our shirts/pants & all over the little guys.

Cacao hitching a ride.

Cacao is your typical adolescent male and could be considered the naughty one of the pack. He only has eyes for boys with facial hair and even then really only had eyes for Matt.
If Cacao wasn't on Matts shoulders then he was probably pulling Matt, walking hand in hand, to show him something somewhere.
Cacao and Wara are the two spider monkeys notoriously jumping the river and fence to create havock down at the restuarant area - ie picking mangoes and throwing them on the restuarant roof!

At LSV the people live and eat in cages and the monkeys roam free, although they do their best to get in (Cacao).

 

My new best friend Nina.

The Spider monkeys are generally really cuddly with humans. The Capuchins on the other hand are extremely playful and naughty and are really only cuddly when they're worn out.

All of the Capuchin and Spider Monkeys roam free, with the exception of the two alpha males who are aggressive towards humans and some of the other monkeys.
There are also a handful of capuchin monkeys on tether because they have very strong human sexual preferences because of the way they have been treated in the past.
Meaning they will immediately attack either male or female humans the moment they're let off.

Aruma the Andean Spectacled Bear. He is fed peanuts up the back
of his enclosure to allow us to get in to clean and set out his food.
A lil daunting the first time cleaning a bear enclosure!

Aruma is so gentle he purses his lips to hide his teeth as he takes it off you,
otherwise he will lick it off your hand.

Nina, whilst sitting on my lap - loved her reflection in my camera lens

At times it was tough

Sasha - Andean Margay



Snuggles with Leo

The Capuchino monkeys especially are incredibly cunning and will test every new face that enters their habitat (including us initially) – opening buttons, zips and velcro to reach into pockets and take any goods people failed to leave behind (and they were warned).
There was always one in every group so many people lost jandals, coins, hair clips, sunglasses, bracelets and they would even try for cameras. Most of which we can bribe back with peanuts as it's usually just a game……………but if they get something really good then they're off out of reach and will soon have the sunnies in 3-4 pieces.

The term "cheeky monkey" couldn't be more real. Quite often they'd be sitting on my shoulder and I'd feel a cheeky hand reach down my top into my bra. Then the top button would be undone and one would climb inside my shirt as Oregano is here.



Matt having a dental check up........was also checked for lice by Pomello earlier in the day. 

At meal times the Capuchinos usually prefer to get some food and then retreat back to your shoulder to munch in your ear. If you're lucky (as Matt was here) you'll get fed also. Now these guys are not silly and know if you're doing the pretend chew.......and will opt to physically examine your mouth to see that you have swallowed. If you're even more lucky you get a hand in there just to make sure.
I was forced to eat numerous leaves and shared banana/watermelon. Don't worry they're all immunised against rabies and other diseases!



The cheeky times soon become cuddles.....

It was a daily occurance to have a monkey nesting into your shoulder/neck and then feel a warm wet stream down your back - must have been a comfort thing...........

Matt was especially lucky to be poohed on numerous times.



Macaws

 

Coati - really friendly animals related to the racoons.



Paprika (baby capuchin) my other new best friend.



Canello

Was amazing to see the interaction between the three species of monkeys. The Spiders would often fight over who was going to look after the baby howler.

These guys just get cuter - Wara having a snooze on Carbon the owners dog.



The Yungas valley - our walk to work

 

Volunteer accommodation - LSV across river in the distance.



We ended up leaving the sanctuary two days early as 5 new volunteers turned up and there really wasn’t enough work to keep 8 volunteers busy. This was ok though as we wanted to keep moving as much as we wanted to stay.

Sadly we had our last cuddles and hair pullings and took the drive back up to La Paz (much more relieving driving uphill).

In the days to follow we both really missed the monkeys and all the team at LSV!!

Sucre, 30-2 de Noviembre

Sucre, original colonial capital of Bolivia and where Independence
from Spain was declared 200 years ago.

Absolutely buzzing from our desert road trip to Uyuni, we embarked on what we now like to call our worst bus trip so far! We had heard Bolivian bus travel could be long arduous and unpredictable (the flip side being extremely cheap); this is due in part to the roads in pretty poor condition, far flung destinations and the lack of the word 'efficiency' from Bolivian repertoire! Certainly a far cry from our bus travel in Argentina and Chile. 


Thinking we would sleep on the overnight bus, we soon found out that sealed roads being "...not too far away" were in fact 5 hours away, and once reclined, the vinyl seats provided an entertaining slip and slide stuck on an unbalanced fast spin cycle.....once we found sealed roads, our connecting bus didn't turn up, so after a 4 hour nap on stationary bus#1 we jumped on an overbooked bus where an un-paying local was kicked out of a seat so that Clare could sit/lie on me for the remaining three and a half hour journey to Sucre!! This was no easy feat given the fact that there had been no toilet stop for 11 hours!
Fortunately, we had booked what became our favorite accommodation so far and had an amazing breakfast banquet cooked for us as we walked through the door.

Two local toddlers having an ice cream date near one of the many roadside markets.

 Sucre, we thoroughly enjoyed the slow paced relaxed nature of what is one of our favorite small cities. Most of the central urban fabric is of heritage-protected Spanish colonial origin (yes more Spanish colonial); really well kept. Clare and I had a fantastic time here mostly doing what we do best - wandering, eating, taking photos...

We stumbled across some dancers in the Plaza

Juice stalls like these everywhere, awesome for sampling never-before tasted local frutas.

We had to buy these brightly coloured polystyrene biscuits from the markets, Didn't actually end up consuming them, nor did the pigeons for some reason.

Super friendly local pressing Jugo de azucar del caine (sugar caine juice) - delicioso!!

Social contrasts are prevalent everywhere.

Pacena Huari, great local drop - how could you go past
a Spanish conqueror riding a beer keg dressed in a frock?!

From Sucre we organised a day trip to nearby city of Potosi, principally for a tour of the famous Cerro Rico silver mine - The main reason Spaniard conquistadors came in droves to Bolivia, African slaves in tow.
Cerro Rico contained the largest single silver deposit ever found in the world. The inherent irony as with most of the minerals in Bolivia is that all of the profits were taken offshore back to Spain and Europe rather than reinvested back into developing the 3rd world country. 

Miners for a day.



Cerro Rico (Rich Hill), the 400 year-old silver mine, unsure why they didn't just
dismantle the hill rather than creating a giant un-engineered piece of Swiss-cheese.

Cos I'm T  N  T...Im Dynamitaaa....DynaBol - a stick of Bolivian dynamite that we purchased from a corner dairy complete with detinator, nitrate accelerant, and a bag of coca leaves. An obligatory purchase at just $3!!

'El Tio' The Devil/Uncle of the underground, worshiped daily by the miners.



Hot, tight and very dusty mine shaft.



A kind of awkward smile with our coca cheek bulging guide
complete with detonator/dynamite (alight). BIG bang for our buck!!


Fair to say this was a tour that went well outside Clarey's comfort zone - more-so because she mis-interpreted the guide and thought we were going to blow up dynamite inside the mine! Nevertheless a fascinating insight into an industry that has shaped the country, and a huge highlight blowing up our very own dynamite!

Yes, a plane and not a bus.....we were excited about our flight north from Sucre to La Paz! Given our last bus ride experience, 45 mins versus 16 hours in a bus was a no-brainer.