Dead Woman´s Pass (and I probably won't)
Ah crap, have much catching up to do so shall synopsize dramatically.
The most disturbing thing that I have done since I last blogged was venture into the Potosi silver mines. The dust, naturally occurring arsenic on the walls, claustrophobia, plus the hard physical effort of hauling oneself from level to level whilst breathing in pure silica made it one of the most traumatising things I have ever done. To think that the youngest person working in the mine is eight years old is mine boggling. The conditions were inhuman.
Mike, Aoife and I met up with our Budget Expeditions La Paz to Bolivia trip on January 24th. In the day preceeding this, however, we had time to book into the wrong hotel and for Mike to get pickpocketed in the middle of Alasitas (The Festival of Plenty) celebrations. Unfortunately for our opportunistic light fingered Bolivian of crime, all that was in the wallet was an expired credit card. We also got given fake mini 200 euro notes by a friendly Bolivian and wished fervently that they were real.
Our tour group is a genial mix of people, including a Welsh hating Cornish gardener and several Aussies who say things like ´blotto!´and also swim in Lake Titicaca.
We spent a night with a Peruvian family last night on an isolated island in the middle of Lake Titicaca which was an experience and a half. They cook for you and put you up and you give them food based gifts in return. Our ´mother´ Celia, very sweetly danced with us all in the community hall after we had dressed up in traditional clothing. Our skirts would twirl pleasantly but the thick felt-like material detracted from any kind of overt sexuality. As did the boys' ponchos. The lake was stunning and we had a lovely boat ride to the islands and back from Puno.
The Inca Trail on Wednesday. Apparently chewing coca leaves can thin your blood, allowing it to absorb more oxygen. I imagine that this might be necessary, particularly on Day 2 as we climb solidly uphill for four hours until we reach the section called Dead Woman´s Pass.
The most disturbing thing that I have done since I last blogged was venture into the Potosi silver mines. The dust, naturally occurring arsenic on the walls, claustrophobia, plus the hard physical effort of hauling oneself from level to level whilst breathing in pure silica made it one of the most traumatising things I have ever done. To think that the youngest person working in the mine is eight years old is mine boggling. The conditions were inhuman.
Mike, Aoife and I met up with our Budget Expeditions La Paz to Bolivia trip on January 24th. In the day preceeding this, however, we had time to book into the wrong hotel and for Mike to get pickpocketed in the middle of Alasitas (The Festival of Plenty) celebrations. Unfortunately for our opportunistic light fingered Bolivian of crime, all that was in the wallet was an expired credit card. We also got given fake mini 200 euro notes by a friendly Bolivian and wished fervently that they were real.
Our tour group is a genial mix of people, including a Welsh hating Cornish gardener and several Aussies who say things like ´blotto!´and also swim in Lake Titicaca.
We spent a night with a Peruvian family last night on an isolated island in the middle of Lake Titicaca which was an experience and a half. They cook for you and put you up and you give them food based gifts in return. Our ´mother´ Celia, very sweetly danced with us all in the community hall after we had dressed up in traditional clothing. Our skirts would twirl pleasantly but the thick felt-like material detracted from any kind of overt sexuality. As did the boys' ponchos. The lake was stunning and we had a lovely boat ride to the islands and back from Puno.
The Inca Trail on Wednesday. Apparently chewing coca leaves can thin your blood, allowing it to absorb more oxygen. I imagine that this might be necessary, particularly on Day 2 as we climb solidly uphill for four hours until we reach the section called Dead Woman´s Pass.
posted by Korrena at 3:08 PM
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