SO last time we wrote we were waiting for the train in Santa Cruz which was delayed by 10 hours. Finally it left at around 10.30pm, 10.5 hours later then the schedule. WE had ¨first¨ class seats so didn¨t have to queue to get a seat or anything altho we did cos everyone else was so we thought we better as well. The train is pretty grubby but good leg room and the seats were ok. ALso could open the windows all the way so was great for sticking your head out and looking around. Managed to get some sleep in between ticket and drug checks which happened every couple of hours or just when we had always managed to fall into a deep sleep!
There was quite a few Mennonites on the train as they have population centres around San Jose De CHiquitos and places like that. Quite strange seeing them all dressed up identically in their nice smart overalls and shirts and hats and dresses for the women. THink they found us strange too as they stared at us a bit and there wasn{t that many backpackers on the train maybe 4 of us all up.
The train stopped at EVERY little place for the 600kms between Santa Cruz and the border. AT every stop, hoards of local kids and women got on the train to sell lemonade which was really good and a variety of empanadas, bbq meat, and other various dishes. GOod entertainment!
THe highlight of the trip was passing by the area of Chocis which has got an area of sandstone plateaus that look really cool. WOuld love to check that area out for walking sometime. Reminded me of a cross between KIngs Canyon and the Budawangs in Australia but really green since its the wet season. Very beautiful tho and will post photos at some stage. THis was the bonus of having a late train otherwise we would have passed this area at night time!
EVentually got to Puerto Quijarro around 8pm on the friday night after a long hot day sweltering on the train. WE stank and were pretty exhausted. FOund an ok place to stay and some dodgy food to eat and slept like logs. Puerto Quijarro is a hole - typical dodgy border town with plenty dodgy characters and just not a nice place to be. IT was dusty as hell when we arrived and an hour later got a huge storm so everything turned into rivers of mud.
THe next morning we headed to the border early. WAs stinking hot ... probably mid 30s at 8am and we got covered in mud walking across the border. HEaded to COrumba which is in BRazil and experienced a kind of time warp sensation as Brazil and COrumba is clean, dry, well off, nice cars, paved streets, no mud, happy well dressed people and just about as far from BOlivia and Puerto Quijarro as you could imagine. Was really strange feeling. Of course the prices jumped about 600percent once we crossed the border as well!
GOt our brazilian passport stamps at the bus station after having to walk about 2kms wityh out backpacks as the taxi prices were outrageous. Arrived drenched in sweat and stinking. THey stamped my australian passport, didn-t even look at DUnks visa and off we went.
Booked a bus to Miranda where our pantanal tour started on monday. MAnaged to miss the bus as I had gone to town looking to an ATM as we had no reais. We forgot that BRazil is an hour ahead!! anyways the very sweet and amused ticket seller changed our tickets no hassles! COst us 15 euros each for a ticket which is about 10 times more expensive then BOlivia BUT when we saw the bus we knew why. I have never been on a better bus anywhere in the world. IT was amazing! Air-con that was properly cold, beautifully clean and loads of space with the most comfy seats ever.
HAd a great view of the pantanal from the bus, managed to see caiman, jabiru storks, spoonbills, deer, etc and we hadnt even started the tour. In Miranda, the tour guys picked us and we stayed with them for sat and sunday. THey cooked us some great traditional food and it was good to chill out after the epic journey from Santa Cruz. WAs ridicously hot on the sunday gain ... probably getting near to 40C and humid too. I was melted!!
OK next post will tell ya all about the Pantanal!
BTW we did a tour with Explore Pantanal.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Still in Santa Cruz waiting for the train ... SIGH
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
La Paz to Cochobamba to Santa Cruz
Spent 7 hours on the bus from La Paz to Santa Cruz, as per usual just turned up at the bus station and paid half the price they asked for. Also incredibly the bus left on time but as per usual with La Paz buses spent an hour filling the bus in El Alto (which is a really poor city on the rim overlooking La Paz). First 3-4 hours was driving along the vast expanses of the altoplano (not very exciting) altho did get a very tasty kind of mashed pototo filled with something snack from one of the local vendors who get on the buses along the way. The drive then heads over a high pass (damn cold, bits of snow lying plus raining) before descending down to 2500m to Cochobamba.
Cochobamba is a friendly little place, some good bars and restaurants. Spent a couple of hours in the square (well it was more like a roundabout with gardens) watching the newly married couples getting all their photos done plus watching out for the local shoeshine boys didn´t swipe nything from us (dodgy little muppets). Stayed in Hostel Jardina which was basic but fine. Got good mexican for dinner!
Next morning headed to the bus station for 6.45am ... managed to just about get on the 6.30am bus for a cheap 25 bols (we could have got the 7am but it costs more the earlier yo buy your ticket!) for the trip to Santa Cruz. Its 10 hours but the first 4 hours are incredibly spectacular. Cochobamba is still very dry and sparse and brown but has a few trees and from there head up over another ridge of mountains until suddenly everything turns green and from sparse altoplano landscape into cloudforest. Really sudden and surprising. The road then winds down thru steep valleys of cloudforest until a couple of hours later it hits the lowlands which is all very tropical and green. The temperature also goes from about 10C in La Paz, a pleasant 20Cish in Cochobamba (called the city of eternal spring) to a humid 30C in the lowlands. Bit of a shock to the system but nice to be back in hot weather and shorts again!
Santa Cruz is a lovely city, very modern, clean and feels more like a 1st world city then anywhere we have been so far. Staying in a great hotel for 9 eur per night for an ensuite, pool, fan and cble tv (which is pure awful 100 channels of poo but occasionally I get to see premiership highlights). Food is great here too. Huge portions tho - it baffles us how much food they can eat here in one go!! speaking of which off to some brazilian style buffet for lunch to stuff our faces for a couple of euros each and then it will be siesta for the afternoon!
Leaving on the train to the border tomorrow ... 20 hours on the so called ´death train´as its so slow and boring you risk dying of boredom! From there trying to sort out some panatal tour which could be interesting as sounds like lots of people trying to rip off gringos there.
Cochobamba is a friendly little place, some good bars and restaurants. Spent a couple of hours in the square (well it was more like a roundabout with gardens) watching the newly married couples getting all their photos done plus watching out for the local shoeshine boys didn´t swipe nything from us (dodgy little muppets). Stayed in Hostel Jardina which was basic but fine. Got good mexican for dinner!
Next morning headed to the bus station for 6.45am ... managed to just about get on the 6.30am bus for a cheap 25 bols (we could have got the 7am but it costs more the earlier yo buy your ticket!) for the trip to Santa Cruz. Its 10 hours but the first 4 hours are incredibly spectacular. Cochobamba is still very dry and sparse and brown but has a few trees and from there head up over another ridge of mountains until suddenly everything turns green and from sparse altoplano landscape into cloudforest. Really sudden and surprising. The road then winds down thru steep valleys of cloudforest until a couple of hours later it hits the lowlands which is all very tropical and green. The temperature also goes from about 10C in La Paz, a pleasant 20Cish in Cochobamba (called the city of eternal spring) to a humid 30C in the lowlands. Bit of a shock to the system but nice to be back in hot weather and shorts again!
Santa Cruz is a lovely city, very modern, clean and feels more like a 1st world city then anywhere we have been so far. Staying in a great hotel for 9 eur per night for an ensuite, pool, fan and cble tv (which is pure awful 100 channels of poo but occasionally I get to see premiership highlights). Food is great here too. Huge portions tho - it baffles us how much food they can eat here in one go!! speaking of which off to some brazilian style buffet for lunch to stuff our faces for a couple of euros each and then it will be siesta for the afternoon!
Leaving on the train to the border tomorrow ... 20 hours on the so called ´death train´as its so slow and boring you risk dying of boredom! From there trying to sort out some panatal tour which could be interesting as sounds like lots of people trying to rip off gringos there.
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