picture bolivia

looking down over la paz, boliviatrying the local beer, pacena. tastes like natty light. bleh.

visiting the train cemetary. 100+ years old!
more old train action:checking out tons of salt in uyuni

leaping in salar de uyuni! kilometer after kilometer of salt.
isla incahuasi: coral and cacti
night one we stayed in a salt hotel! salt beds:

lots of ice in laguna colorada. brrr.
arbol de piedra: (rock tree)
rocks in animal shapes! what more could one want?

our group at laguna verde. teresa, laura, cristina, esteban, edu & amaia
not like the sky is blue here or anything.dr. seuss plants!ferry ride lake sparkle heaven.lago titicaca:isla del sol in lago titicaca:

attractive outfits to go mining in potosi:miners in the mines of potosi:

besos y abrazos!

you know you're in bolivia when...

Before I go on about the detailed trip, here is a snapshot into Bolivia living...

You know you're in Bolivia when:

1. A man blows his nose in his hands and wipes it along the building he is walking by.

2. A girl pulls down her pants in the middle of the plaza with tons of cars and people around and starts going to the bathroom in front of everyone, and her mom doesn't stop her, but merely shrugs.

3. A dog that is supposed to be guarding the store front of a refreshment place pees on the 2L bottles of pop it's supposed to be protecting. The owners see it and don't flinch.

4. Your guide just never shows up on the island she is supposed to be showing you around, and when she finally finds you the next day, she apologizes by giving you an assortment of yogurt/flavored milk in bags.

5. When on a bus ride, 10+ people that didn't by tickets are picked up in tiny towns along the way and squished in the aisle.

6. When on a bus ride, a women breastfeeds her child on your lap.

7. When on a bus ride, a man's knife falls from the overhead compartment, almost slicing your leg open, and he doesn't even acknowledge it.

8. When on a bus ride, a woman asks you to open your window to throw her bag of puke out it, dripping said contents on you.

9. Items 5-8 all happened on the SAME bus ride.

10. You order a restaurants "homemade cream of corn soup" and it comes out 3 minutes later, nothing more than just instant, packet made broth soup.

11. When #10 happens more than once, in different restaurants.


More later,

Besos y Abrazos

sigh

Being back in Minnesota is so wonderful I have had trouble trying to bring myself to post about Bolivia.

Now that I'm home I've gotten to share all the stories I couldn't tell my family about for fear my mother would have a heart attack...like:

1. Masked gunmen outside our house in "safe" Jesus Maria
2. Getting robbed at night during Semana Santa in Ayacucho.
3. Roomates and I Getting attacked by a gang of young guys in Lima Centro.

You know, the usual stuff.

No, in all reality, there was plenty of scary stuff that went on in Peru, and although my blog has focused on the beauties of the country, there definitely is an uglier side.

I promise to do Bolivia posts soon (mainly for you, Uncle B!)

B y A