A rush of hydrogen and oxygen relieve my clammy face the minute Kat wins her struggle against the rusted window. Stagnate heaviness quickly dissolves with the burst of fresh, tropical air laden with the smell of green. The roar of the engine and wind fill the space. Our bus rumbles down the narrow, unpaved path with just inches between the worn wheels and crumbling embankment.The route from La Paz to Chulumani allows the easy juxtaposition of the great concrete, teeming city and the fertile, thriving Amazon. Descending from the clouds of La Paz, our bus driver navigates the road as if following an invisible current. The feeling of pure excitement spreads through my spine as a shiver and sparks all of the muscles in my face to tighten into a massive smile. For the past three months, I have remained separate from nature. In a dusty city, I have found a new appreciation for nature’s vitality.
Bolivia offered John, Kat and I a different glimpse into South American life. While Bolivia has its political problems (it has changed governments 200 times in 188 years according to Lonely Planet), its people could not be more warm, welcoming, and generous. With each day, I grew more and more fond of everything – the food, the people, the sights, the amazing landscapes.
I am having trouble uploading my videos…here are the highlights of my trip and also the entire batch of 498 photos! I needed to open a new Picasa account for these photos. You can now find my photos in the links in my past blog entries and also the links below.
Trip Dates: October 22nd - 28th (Calama schools closed for elections during this long weekend)
Locations: La Paz, Chulumani, Copacabana, and Ururo
People: Ayquina crew reunited: John (Washington State), Kat (Boston), and me
Highlights with captions: http://picasaweb.google.com/CatinSouthAmericaPart2/GoingToBoliviaHighlights
All photos without captions: http://picasaweb.google.com/CatinSouthAmericaPart2/20081029GoingToBoliviaAllPictures
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