Ah here´s a little rant to show that it its not all fun and games on our travels. Been in Santa Cruz for 5 days now and beginning to get a little tired of ´wasting time´trying to get to Brazil.
Firstly we had to wait for 3 days for Dunk´s visa for Brazil as Aussies have to get a visa for entry there. Presumably cos the Aussies dish out the same treatment to Brazialians. Going to chance me switching from using my aussie passport (in married name and Bolivian entry stamps) to my Irish passport (in maiden name and no south american stamps at all) all in the name of saving 35 US dollars ... well every buck counts and anyways its the principal. Hopefully I wont have to go back to Bolivia and wait for another 2 days in Puerto Suarez for another visa. Maybe bribery or tantrums will be used!
Next delay was yesterday when we went to get the train. Couldn´t get a ticket without a passport so all the trains were booked up yesterday so got a ticket for today. Back to the hostel (stayed at Hotel Magdelna which has a pool, tv, huge rooms, hot water! for about 90 bobs ie 9 euros!) which was slightly embarassing as I´d had a little hissy fit when they returned our laundry SOPPING wet yesterday (ya ya I know its raining but if you couldn´t get our laundry dry why did ya bloody wash it in the first place - wet stuf tends to ferment nastily in backpacks especially when stashed for 24 hours!).
Turned up this morning and saw this omnious sign saying train to Quijarro departs at 22:00 (obviously in Spanish so am beginning to hope my Spanish is more crap then I think) when we´re supposed to depart at 12:00. Ohhhh nnooo we thinking lots of bad words now. SO we go the info booth and ask what time the train departs and the girl looks at us like we´re from outer space (ya ya my Spanish is bad and my accent is worse) and then after about 1 minute staring as us says the train leaves at 10 tonight and when I ask why she gives an even worse your a f%%%ing alien stare and blabs off 4 words in Spanish that gave us no clue. SO we asked a nice policeman what was going on (in the same pigeon Spanish since I didn´t have time to relearn my accent in the 30 seconds from the previous encounter) and he miracously understood me perfectly, explained what was going on ie train is delayed for 10 hours cos of the rainy weather. BUGGA.
So we´re now in an internet cafe burning up time as its cheaper then drinking beer or sitting in a cafe eating chocolate cake (which is what I really want to do!!). Am really hoping the train goes tonight as we want to get to Corumba, Brazil for saturday night so we can see the locals party (we´re too much of 2 pot screamers these days), then do a 5 day tour of the pantanal and then Iguazu Falls before heading to Buenos Aires. Pretty frustrating sitting here waiting but not much else to do. Other options are the road which takes MANY days this time of year or a flight for 500US (I dont think so!!).
Anyways I can imagine you all have stacks of sympathy for us sitting here on our asses with very little worries aside from how long will the train take IF and when it does go! Dont worry too much about us tho cos we have eaten our little asses fat in the last 5 days. There´s a great cuban just off the main plaza), bakery (behind the cathedral on the main plaza), german restaurant (called Casona - yummo food), Tia Lia brazilian lunch place (all ya can eat for 2.5euros and the best chorizos ever), vegie place (Su Salad) I dont think we ever eat so much vegtables in one sitting! The irish pub is pure cac tho ... full of wanna be posers drinking cocktails altho the location is nice looking out over the square.
Also Santa Cruz is famous cos of its beautiful women - the most in Bolivia ... this is a bit strange cos their not that beautiful (maybe its just cos I´m used to hanging out with such beautiful people all the time - compliment to you my friends!) or maybe its relative to the girls in the rest of the country who wear that horrible traditional dress. At first its a novelty, but then as you observe, smell, sit near, behind, get brushed closely, very closely on buses by ´ladies´in this attire you learn that this costume is a costume that masks a 1000 bad smells (llama, sheep, baby, BO, food, etc I wont get too uncharitable) and inner fat layers and that girls just tend to grow out to fill into this costume. Anyways suffice to say the dress sense here is WAY better then anywhere else we been so far.
Ok been in here now for 3 hours looking at bus timetables and trying (failing) to get cheap flights anywhere so going to console ourselves with chocolate, coffee, beer, and anything else tasty we can fit into the next 3 hours before the train leaves (fingers crossed).
Also the weather has lashed on us for the last 2 days so pretty glad we piked out on Amboro (altho mostly we did this cos of time reasons). Will have to come back in the dry season for that one!
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