[La Paz after Pequeno Alpamayo - 5400m]
Saturday, 31 July, 2004
HI
Great you received the parcel. Seems the post
isn't too bad here after all. You have to go through
a pretty major process to post it though. It took me
2 hours to get that parcel posted after all the
faffing around. It went something like this.....
Queue to get customs forms, fill out customs forms (in
triplicate), go to another room to get parcel
inspected by grumpy lady, wrap it up, take back to
grumpy lady to be stamped and recorded with my
passport, she forgets she has inspected it so unwraps
the whole thing again, wrapped for a second time, get
first stamp, go next door to get second stamp on
parcel and on customs forms, go to another queue to
pay for it and get it certified, another grumpy lady
yells at me for doing something wrong (still don't
know what), I give her the parcel, she gives it back
and goes on at 100mph in spanish, I don't understand
so give the parcel back to her, she gives it back
still yelling, I stand there looking confused, she
then rips up the customs forms in a fit of rage and
points upstairs, I go upstairs and stand in some
random queue after security guard tells me where to
go, the lovely woman there takes the parcel, stamps
another form, gets it certified, takes my money and
finally I can go. Phew..... (never needed the customs
forms despite being well and truly told I must fill
them out).
...Re bolivian food - Traditionally its
actually really boring. Lots of potatoes, lots of
cabbage, lots of llama, beef and chicken and no
flavour. The street food is basically plain bread
(not even good bread - usually stale and hard to eat).
We've been eating at good restaurants most of the
time. The food in those is ok but still doesn't have
much flavour. And no one seems to eat vegetables or
salads. If you are really lucky you might get a slice
of tomato on the side or a garnish of some herb.
We've been taking multi vits to make up for it. In
the supermarket we found a lot of american packeted
foods and chilean and argentine brands that were
familiar. Soup sachets (which form the basis of our
meals in the hills with pasta and rice), parmesan
cheese, oregano etc. Even found salami. Thought it
might be a bit dodgy, but we ate it and are still
alive and kicking and it was good so will go and get
more of that. Generally the cheese here is terrible.
I really can't eat it. Actually we haven't eaten any
diary since we've been here. Its too dodgy off the
streets and the supermarket is too far away. There is
a local gringo cafe around the corner that we've been
going to for good breakfasts, burgers etc, and have
just had pizza at a local hostal. Not great pizza by
NZ standards, but good by Bolivian or even south
american standards. A top pizza in a pizza restaurant
here will have tomato paste, cheese, olives and a few
herbs sprinkled. Thats it..... Sometimes if you are
lucky you get salami, ham or onion (not all three, you
just get to choose one.....).
Anyway, about the trip. Andrew and I paid a local
tour agency for transport to a wee town called Tuni.
It was kinda expensive but we couldn't find any other
way of getting there. $70 USD total for a return trip
to Tuni including one donkey from Tuni to Base camp.
Tuni is about 3 hours away on gravel roads. Rolling
tussock hills across altiplano. At tuni we loaded up
the donkey with about 25kg of our gear. We still had
a bit on our backs but not much. Donkeys carry 25kg,
llamas about 20kg, mules about 50kg (donkeys go slow
but are well behaved, llamas go faster but are very
skittery, mules carry heaps but are stubborn). Our
donkey did well but had to be persuaded to go up the
hills. He kept stopping at every incline. I don't
blame him really. You walk past a few man made lakes
(for power generation) and eventually up a valley with
alpine lakes and tarns to a glacier lake where base
camp is situated. There is an adobe house there with
a wee plump woman selling trout caught from the lake,
and an old man on the other side of the lake that
comes around every day and collects money for staying
at the base camp. Its about $1NZ per person per
night, and for that you get some grassy ground
(sometimes flat), running water that is undrinkable
cause of all the llama and donkey crap, and toilets
that consist of rock walls around holes in the ground.
Its actually very picturesque. There are llamas and
donkeys grazing around the area, some mad very hungry
dogs that hang around every time you start the cooker,
and stunning mountains in all directions. Its a great
place to base yourself for a week or two of climbing.
We only had three full days in there. In hindsight we
would have liked to have longer. Next time.... This
is a place we will definitely visit if we come back.
Base camp is at 4600m, so quite high, but a good
height to acclimitise. When we got there, one guy had
just been evacuated with pulmanary (sp?) odema.
Pertty serious. You forget how dangerous altitude can
be until you see someone in such bad shape. Makes me
realise we are reasonably acclimitised at the moment
(despite the headaches, the hacking dry cough and
shortness of breath - that just comes with the
territory). The days at camp are lovely and warm in
the sun, and the nights freezing.
On our first day we took an acclimitisation walk up to
a saddle (popular with trekkers) and up to a rockey
peak on the side of the saddle at 5200m. Got
fantastic views of the Condoriri massive which is in
the shape of the giant condor bird. A big peak (the
head) in the middle, with smaller peaks on either
sides resembling its wings. Its up on a big snowey
glacier plateau and right in the middle (length wise)
of the Cordillera Real (the main mountain range
through bolivia). Off to each side of the massif are
great peaks, all climbable, small glaciers (all
receeding with global warming) and trekking routes
gallore.
Day two we got up at midnight and set off to climb a
peak called Pequeno Alpamayo (little Alpamayo).
5400m. Its a long glacier walk in the dark, jumping
big slots that are so deep you can't see the bottom
of... Crazy. (don't worry, not dangerous). Then
over a small peak (can't remember the name), down a
rock step, then up a georgous ridge line to an amazing
summit where we got fantastic views of all the main
peaks around us including Potosi that we climbed last
week. We had perfect weather and had a fun day out
returning to camp about 1pm. Was feeling a little
weak from not eating enough, and had pretty bad
stomach cramps from the bug I can't seem to shake.
Slept all afternoon in the sun.
Day three we got up at midnight again to head off to
climb the biggest peak in the area (the head of the
condor - cabeza del condor). I had not managed to get
hardly any dinner down and had a pretty sore tummy, so
after half an hour walking at 1am we turned around.
The thought of food made me feel like vomiting, and I
just had no energy. We were never going to make it.
So back to bed. Was also struggling a little with a
cough due to altitude, so the rest day was nice.
Managed to eat a little during the day, and also
started a dose of antibiotics to try and fix whatever
is going on.
Today we woke up to 5cm of fresh snow over everything.
The weather seems to have packed up for a few days.
We walked out three hours to the road end (no donkey
this time) and drove back to La Paz in our organised
taxi with 6 others. A very long, cramped journey.
All in all a really fun week (despite the sicknesses).
Met some amazing people and saw some great sights.
Hope the photos come out.
Now back in la paz, we're eating again. Antibiotics
seem to be working. Tummy isn't sore, and is stable,
and I even had three meals today. Need to eat lots
this weekend if we are to head to Illimani next week
to try and climb that. Thats a biggie.... 6500m and
cold. We're hoping to team up with two canadians we
met. Weather isn't looking great so we'll make a
decision tomorrow. If we don't climb, we'll head into
the jungle and try to find some big spiders and
anacondas for a few days...
Opps, seems I've written another essay. Better go to
bed I think. Its 11pm and its been a long day.
...Might visit the zoo on sunday if its fine. A nice
easy day outing (that is if we can figure out what bus
to catch).
Bye for now
Love and hugs
nicola
[back in La Paz again]
Sunday, 25 July, 2004
Hi there!
Am back in the land of La Paz again where there is
email that doesn't cost a bomb! ...Yes back to
Bolivia for more climbing. That was our reason to run
to the boarder and back. We crossed into peru and
back again to get our Bolivian visa renewed. It was
cheaper and easier than paying and arranging it in La
Paz. we spent half a day trying to do it in La Paz
and gave up so jumped on the next bus to peru. Tried
to go to peru and cross back to bolivia the same day
but the officials didn't like that. got stuck in peru
for just a night with only our wallets and a wolly
hat. Left our main packs in copacabana in Bolivia so
was quite an adventure being in another country with
absolutely nothing!!
Raced back to Copacabana (on the shores of lake
titicaca) the next morning and no real problems. Peru
boarder officials shock their heads when seeing we had
only been in peru for about 10 hours and were leaving
again. Bolivians just laughed and let us through.
Two more stamps for the passport.
Copacabana (or copa) is very resort like and relaxed.
A great wee place to laze around. Hard to imagine you
are at the edge of a 9000 square km lake and you are
still higher than the summit of Mt Cook!
The lake is great. The water so clear and clean
(although don't drink it...). Andrew went for a swim
- but cold at about 10 degrees. The island used to be
totally occupied by incas and is completely terraced.
There isn't a square inch of the island that hasn't
been worked by man at some stage. There are still
lots of villages around it too so its a good
distraction from the main road to do a one day or two
day walk. Visited a inca village of ruins. Quite
amazing to see what they have done. No idea how they
lifted some of the massive rocks. We walked along the
length of the island one afternoon (3 hours) and
camped on a secluded white stone beach in a wee bay.
Just lovely. High on the hill behind us was this inca
village which we visited the next morning. Then
caught a very slow boat eventually back to copa. Was
the most unstable boat I have ever been in and andrew
and I were quite nervous for most of the trip. Very
top heavy, and too many people. Fortunately not too
many waves or we all would have been swimming. They
are just so different at how they run things here. No
rules, no regulations. the motor of the boat was
running out of a plastic container of petrol that just
had a loose rubber tube hanging in it the whole time.
This container then fell over during the journey so
petrol everywhere, motor still going and bolivian boat
driver didn't raise an eyebrow... Most of the time on
the way there he steared the boat with his foot as he
watched out the back of the boat at the scenery or
played with bits of paper in his pocket. no life
jackets either.... sigh.... we spent most of the time
scanning for the nearest piece of coastline we were
going to have to swim to when we capsized..
the bus trip to copa was just as crazy. To get there
you have to cross a straight of the lake. Maybe 800m
wide or so. You have to get out of the bus and take a
small boat over with all the other passengers.
Meanwhile the bus drives onto an old wooden barge
thing and is slowly taken over the straight on this.
Doesn't sound too bad but when you see the photos
you'll see. The barge is barely floating, and there
are men frantically bailing water with buckets from
around the bus tyres the whole time. Quite unreal.
Wish we had a video camera for times like that.
Fortunately we made it and so did our packs...
As for now, it is a day of buying food and sorting
gear and hopefully into the hills again for 4-6 days
starting monday. A shower will be very very nice
tonight. Last shower was in La Paz a week ago.
Didn't fancy using the showers in copa as they were
the horrible electric ones that electricute you when
you use them and are mostly cold anyway.
Would love to chat more but its late and we are both
pretty tired.
Will be back online tomorrow for an hour or so to sort
a few things out (still chasing my $$$ from that money
machine incident in Sucre...).
We're getting used to this stable SA weather. Blue
skies, fine and calm every single day. Will be a
shock to the system when we get a storm.
bye for now
Love nicola
[running for the border...]
Wednesday, 21 July, 2004
Hi There
very quick message. promise to send another one soon.
Andrew and I are about to catch the next bus to Peru
this afternoon. Slight change in plans seeing as our
Bolivia visa is about to run out in a couple of days.
Investigated getting it extended at the immigration
office this morning but it was time consuming and
expensive. About $50NZ for NZers and only about $1NZ
Americans and basically any other nationality. So its
cheaper and easier to go to peru for a day or two and
then come back. Will check out lake Titicaca on the
way through.
Gotta fly cause I'm already late
love nic
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