Lake Titikaka

Once arrived from trek to La Paz I took the micro to La Paz. I got used to the local transport more or less: your backpack end up on the roof fixed together with other bags of potatos and who knows what else with ropes and covered with tilt (getting ready for India;-)). They shout to you "mochilas! mochilas!" the word that I always find funny and means just "plecaki". (When the first time I had to get on a local bus I got terrified whether we gonna arrive to our destination and that they gonna lose our mochilas).
Copacabana is a small town where you can see local people dressed in folk style and everything is for tourists. Much reacher that the rest of Bolivia we saw. It´s a port to Islas (islands). I took the boat to Isla del Sol (Sun Island). Tourists only, we visited rouins wich are related to local legends and beginings of Inkas, 3 hrs trek. In the islad, peole live preserving local culture and way of living, some good restaurants and hotels but most is very basic. Locals are very kind and friendly to the tourists as they see a way to sell anything to us. Even kids when seeing you try to sell you accomodation, asking for money etc. Quite disturbing. I stayed for a night on the Island and I really enjoyed a silence, nature, sunrise, and local, unusual life.
Once back I took a bus to Puno (together with a Spanish couple I met on the Island)- a town on the other side of the Lake in Peru. There we visited Floating Island: these are islands made by people. The way they live there is amazing. Just see the pics. Again: the islanders live out of tourism, they even make a show to present how they live! Somebody said "zoo". Although we have to apraciate they preserve local uniqe culture.

Choro Trek

From La Paz I took the Choro Trek: 3 days in Cordilliera Yunga. Our group consisted of 2 Israeli couples, me, our guide/cook and a porter. Sleeping in tents and cooking from what the porter had in the bag. We started at the altitude of 4900 m asl descending all the way to our first camping at 2800m. The first night was fxx extremely cold and I really envied the couples. Socond day we walked all together almost 9 hours, first half descending on the wet and slippery stones. At the end of the day our calves were killing us and I wondered: "am I stupid or what? paying for getting fxx tired. and Machu Pichu is waiting, scary". Socnd night was much better. But of course all together the trek was absolutelly beautiful! It gave us chance to get away from tourist. We met very few trekkers on our way, many llamas and mules or donkeys (don´t know what`s the difference) and few solitary settlements and few solitary houses build of stone and hay. I still can´t stop wondering how this people live in the middle of nowhere with very little signs and help of civilisations. I will upload the pics soon so you can see the beauty of mountains. Wiciu, jak tak szlam to przypomnialo mi sie jak chodzilismy po polskich gorach. W deszczu i jak pilismy wino - oczywiscie najlepsze na swiecie z rodzynek. Teraz to juz bym sie nie bala stromych gor!

La Paz

Now Im in La Paz - the capital of Bolivia which is by the way the highest capital in the world. However, since Potosi is the highest town in the world and after my last trip, Im fine and dont suffer anymore from altitude.
We splited with Curro as he has 2 weeks of traveling left and had to rush ahead to Lake Tikitaca and Cusco.
La Paz is extremely touristic place: everything for tourists, incredible amount of shops with artisan crafts. But its ok. a bit of easy life. And it feels like a capital. People are more up to date would say.
There is an incredible amount of travellers from Israel. Dont know why. But even there is lots of signs in hebrew. By the way there is more internet caffes and AMT machines in Bolivia than anything else. Then its so easy to eat in the street what I do sometimes, we tried all the local markets with Curro and no stomach problems or whatsever. Now Im laughing at all the advices and paranoias I read about before departure.

Salar de Ulyuni

We are back from Salar de Uyuni. 3 days/2 nights tour to famous salt desert, lagunas and deserts of south Bolivia, driving in a jeep (the only kind of vehicle to cope with the conditions as very often you crossing the desert or rocks and there are no roads)south to Chilean border. Fantastic adventure and amazing landscapes! Absolutely beautiful! I never thought then desert can be any interesting, but this one was changing all the time and it was. Ula you asking me whether Im not bored with landscapes and I have to say that I just realised that during my one month travelling I changed the landscapes and climat from humid hot beaches of Rio to dry and cold deserts at about 5000 meters asl. It´s amazing!
We slept in the middle of nowhere in the hotel where everything was made of salt: walls, floors, tables, even beds - very comfortable. Me, Curro and another couple went to the desert to see the sunset, couple of beers and splits. In the night we lay on the ground looking at the stars, which in Bolivia you can see so clear as there is no industry and no pollution and the sky is extremely clean.
Apart that it was freezing what else you can ask for. exclamation mark - cant find on this keyboard.
I took 250 pics from this 3 day trip.

Crossing to Bolivia

Eventually i left to Corumba with 3 guys from Israel and 1 Spanish guy, all from my hostel. From Corumba, which is on Brazilian side we crossed to Bolivia to a little "town" the name of which I don't remember, and stayed for a night in a "hotel" just opposite the train station. Apparntly we were advised to quee for the tickets at 5-6am. Once crossed the border I realized immediatelly: Bolivia is a VERY poor country. A lot to say about the border town. I was shocked with favellas but Bolivian towns ,appart the main square, which nornmally is charming, touristic and looked after, usually look like a big favela. It is scary but if you take it easy then you can have a lot of fun. Which we had. Eventually we got liking with the Spanish guy - Curro - and now we travel together. Once we crossed the border he got weeds and sometimes we smoke together.
On our way to Sucre by night bus i met a French girl (using the fields instead of toilet bcs toilets were so disguting) and... can you immagine? When, after 10 minutes I asked if she knows the hostel, she invited us to stay at her place with her boyfriend as they rent a big house (volunteering in Sucre). So we accepted their invitation and had good time together.
Sucre is a charming town at 2700 m asl and is on a UNESCO world heritage list.
Now we are in Potosi. 4090 m above the see level and I got a very bad headache. You fxx feel the altitute. It's so cold during the night that we decided to take matrimonial bed to keep us warm. I don`t remember when was it last time or if it ever happend that I could sleep with a guy in one bed without any silly or uncomforatble situations. Potosi is really charming town, also on a UNESCO list. It is pretty touristic although customer service in Bolivia is fucked up. Non existent.
People are so strange. Usually they dont answer your questions or answer something different or say 'no hay`- nie ma. I keep staring at the local women bcs in everyday life they wear dresses like in the pictures from the guide books and touristic adverts.
The roads are basicly non existent neither. Travelling by bus is really painful. Anybody who complains about bad roads in Poland should come to Bolivia.
From Potosi we got a bus to ulyuni. It was a real local bus (which we didn¡t know when buying the ticket). Our backpacks got on the roof of the bus and they squized as many local people, everybody with 5 bags, as possible. Eventually we arrived to Ulyuni. So FXX COLD!!!

Bonito

Just short: Bonito is the gate to Pantanal - natural forest, ecological tourism, caves and snorkelling in rivers with extremelly crystal water and fish. that´s what I did yesterday. Beautiful. Unfortunaltelly dont have with me the cd to upload pics on the website. Horse riding in the afternoon. tomorrow Im leaving to Corumba, crossing the border to Bolivia. 17-20 hours by train called death train bcs it´s so boring.
I can´t say more that I enjoy every moment here. Suddenly I got a loat of courage to do anything. It´s not even a month since I travel and you wouldn´t recognize me. I´m already a different person. I chat everybody and quite funny - everybody knows my name and remembers me.

Foz do Iguacu- Waterfalls

Czyli slynne wodospady Iguacu. Actually im in Argentina.
Have a look on the internet about it if you don`t know. These are 275 WATERFALLS on the border between Argentiná - Bolivia and Brazil.
I crossed from Brazil to Argentina (by local buses)as I heard from other people on the road that the Argenitinian side of the falls is the biggest and most beautiful and the hostel there is realy super. In fact, I will post the pic of the hostel - you would never guess this is a hostel: swimming pool, barbecues at night, bar with Spanish or Argentinian music by the pool, all great. The hostel is big and famous among travellers and yu hear about it in Buebnos Aires and in Rio. Many people from everywhere. I met the Canadian guy on his motorbike here (cant make emotion ikons as Im writing on a Spanish keyboard and its all fxxxing annoying different).

Coming back to waterfalls they are BEAUTIFUL!!! there are no words to give a justice to their beautity. You experience the power of nature and you realize how small a single man is. We are so small and nature is all mighty. You gotta admire it but never stand against. Dont fight and dont play. I took 200 pictures to chose from the best. Already deleated some and 80 is left. Will upload some on the web but they dont have USB in this great hostel so sorry you need to wait as you can`t underestand what im talking about until you see the pisc. The park is nicely preserved and looked after, good organisation, the staff is helpfull and rubish bins everywhere. We saw monkeys, tucan, and some other animal, i dont know whats that. Butterflies are everywhere, flying like anoying flies. They are boadt trip, you get very close to Garganta del diavolo. After you are complatelly wet so all you need is bikini. I spent 2 days in the park. On the socond day I met... 2 French guys. It looks that French guys like me and like taking pics together. haha. And I like them. Charming guys. I also met a couple of Irish girls and from my experice as far, the Irish are really cool and friendly people.

Anyway that`s one more picture that I wanna keep in my mind for later, when Im sad, angry or depressed I wanna close my eyes and think about flying in Rio and Waterfalls.

ps. Just wanted to say that I`m the only Polish as far and everybody is really surprise to meet a Polish girl travelling alone. And everybody´s very positive about it. Sort of `wow`. And Brazilians or here Argentinans react very nicely to me saying Polonia or Polones. Have to say: like the feeling, Im not a waitress among thousands of emigrants in London anymore.
Today is pouring down. It looks the rain folows me - awerywhere I go it rains after 2 days.

Heading south

Eventually, I left for Ilha Bella with a Canadian girl, Kim. When we arrived there it was raining and the town looked deserted. Nobody there. It felt really akward and miserable. The island was charming but not as much as the previous one. Then I went to Florianopolis - about 12 hrs night trip 1100 km from Rio. On the bus I met a girl whom I met before in Paraty - so the stories that people follow each other and just bump into each other were true;-) I heard it´s amazing beautiful place but I have to say... it´s just ok. And it´s more Europe-like. The thing is that the south of Brazil is more like Europe than Brazil. So I wish I stayed longer in Rio and Ilha Grande which I loved but there´s no point in regreting it now. I met some interesting people in the hostel. Actually you mainly meet interetsting people: an American nice guy on exchange program in Brazil, an American girl travelling aftter she got divorced, a Colombian guy recovering after cancer treatment, a nice Canadian guy ridng South America on his motorbike. I bet I will bump into him lateron as we heading the same direction and places.
Tonight I go to Foz do Iguacu - famous waterfalls, 950 km from where I am now. It´s gonna be a night ride on a bus but buses are very comfortable here with bed-like seats so gonna be perfect.