It did not take long
for reality to hit us after stepping out of our little jeep cocoon
and leaving our adopted travelling family. Uyuni was not a nice town
and we didnt want to spend a night there so we bought a ticket for a
night bus to la Paz and hung around 8 hours waiting for it. We
checked into a hostel just to use the beds and showers even though we
would not be staying. It was only £3 each but it stank and so we did
not dare use the showers. We watched a film called Lorenzo's oil and
then went out for a pizza and bought a blanket to keep us warm before
boarding our bus. Well, I couldnt have invented a more uncomfortable
journey if I had wanted to. Firstly it was boiling hot, to the point
where I had to sit with my bag on my knee in case my laptop melted.
Secondly, the person in front put their chair back to its maximum
incline leaving my legs trapped and numb. I felt like I was getting
DVT. The roads themselves were just dirt and gravel and the bus was
so shabby that you could feel every bump. To top this off I had a
nosebleed because of the altitude (in the dark because all the lights
on the bus were switched off the moment we set off) and I also needed
the toilet because I had drunk a litre of coke with my pizza. The bus
was one of the rare few in Bolivia to have a toilet but when I went
to inspect it I decided I would have no option but to wait till La
Paz. All in all it was a hellish journey and I was uncomfortable for
the whole 11 hours. We are now in La Paz and I am shocked at how
different it is to the cities in Argentina. It is without a doubt the
poorest place I have ever been. We are very weary about what food we
can eat so I think it is going to just be a diet of fast food between
now and the Amazon rainforest tour.
p.s no McDonald's here
- the locals can't afford it.
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