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9 - El Choro Trek, Bolivia
October
5, 2003
Napaykullayki (that´s
hello in Quechua, the Incan language of the Indians), me amigos y amigas.
Well, I am still stuck in LaPaz, again, believe it or not. Got here Thurs
morning on an overnight bus from Uyuni bc the trains were screwed up as a
byproduct of these continous strikes. I am about as frustrated with my inability
to travel within Bolivia as I have ever been in any prior journies (including
India). Bolivia is proving to be my biggest challenge to date. As you know
I love a good challenge, but this is getting
ridiculous! I decided to stay in LaPaz until Monday for three reasons 1-to
finally visit the ruins of Tihuanuco 2-to ride a bike on the world´s
most dangerous road and 3-to see a soccer game. NONE of these objectives have
been able to be filled bc of this damn strike. At least I get to see a Steelers
football game at a local pub tonight. I fly to Rurrenbaque tomorrow morning
(knock on wood).
Thurs, Sept 17th was
the first of four days to hike the Choro Trek, the most
popular hike in all of Bolivia. The Choro begins in the Cordillia Blanca mnts
at about 5000 m (16000 ft above sea level) and ends in the jungle town of
Coroico at about 1700 m. The reasons behind the Choro´s popularity are
twofold. First, it´s proximity to LaPaz (only about 1 1/2 hours). Second,
it is mostly downhill, making the transition from high Andes to cloud forrest
one of the most diverse in terms of landscape and flora. That
morning, I said my hasta luego to Dave and comp. They were planning on climbing
a nearby mntn, and we would meet up later that week. I was picked up promptly
by my porter and a taxi. I immediately noticed something piculiar about the
cab. The taxi was jimmy rigged, you could see that the steering column was
once located on the right side like in England, but heh, it worked fine, except
the speedometer was on the passenger's side. Not that it matters, they never
work and if they do, Bolivians drive as fast as they can. I was a little nervous
about the roadblock and being comfronted by the locals. The driver insisted
there weren´t going to be any problems and I was happy that he was right.
We met up with the Aussie couple in another car. The drive up revealed the
beauty of the snowcapped range of the Cordillia Blanca. There were a few lakes
that reflected a red hue from all of the minerals that have been mined. Bolivia´s
the third poorest country in the America´s but it quite rich in natural
resources, namely minerals and gas. There was also a cemetary off the side
of the road which had the caskets resting on top of the ground bc S. Americans
don´t bury their dead until they have been cremated a few years after
they pass away. Me and the Aussies admired the setting. Our trek began beside
Huanya Potosi (6088m) the easiest 6000m plus mtn in the world to summit. Dave,
Chris, and
Rachel were going to attempt to ascend it in a few days. As we were organizing
our things, the guides pointed out the three small dots near the top. It was
their boss, Andolfo who was leading a summit that morning! I am
really glad I booked with him. He spoke perfect English and was the only agency
that offered to add on a 4th day to the Choro trek. That would be the most
scenic and the first day of our adventure. We would start higher
in the Andes than anyone else, and the surrounding vistas were just incredible.
The Aussie couple turned out to be as congenial as most Aussies that I have
traveled with. Zac and Belsy were both professionals in their
late 20´s that were taking a year off to see the world. Imagine that,
Aussies traveling for extended periods of time. I think that it is almost
mandatory for them nowadays, I run into so many. I originally envisioned the
hike to be me and a guide and porter, but I am glad they tagged along at the
last minute. There wasn´t much of a trail to follow, we mostly followed
this odd system of water canals that hugged the side of the mountain. Zac
and I walked over to a lake to get a money shot of the aquaduct and the reflection
of Huanya in a lake. As we scrambled over some rocks, Zac dropped his brand
new $500 SLR on the rocks and the film inside rolled out.
That´s another reason I really dig my digital camera. I don´t
waste $ money on film, I erase photos I don´t like, and most conviently,
it is small enough to carry it my pant pocket. SLRs are huge and very conspicuous.
I
prefer not to draw all of that attention. Fortunately, it did not break but
the film was exposed. The trail, if you can call it that, was a scramble over
a really steep hill. Zolander (that´s what we called him) our gui and
the two porters Elian and Ricardo were probably about 16 to 20 years of age
with huge loads strapped on their backs and they did not have any problems
or slipped whatsoever. At the top of the ridge was a sight straight out of
"Lord of the Rings". I could have sworn with the jagged, weather
scorned mountains, and odd colors we have just entered middle Earth. There
was plenty of snow covering the hillside to contrast the dark mtns and greenish
valley. We passed by a lake that appeared to be rusting and was draining into
a red river. I had never seen anything quite like it. After about 5 hours
of descending 1000 meters we made camp in a small pueblo in the center of
an arid valley. Also inhabiting the pueblo was a large group of Dutch that
were headed in the opposite direction. Before dusk, we were treated with large
groups of llamas that ran amuck throughout the pueblo reeking havok in the
campsites. Llamas are so cool! Everyone was exhausted and the
Bolivians were nice enough to serve dinner in our tents. I was feeling the
altitude, had a horrible headache and was quite hungry for the nasty overcooked
rice pudding and questionable beef, but the soup was ok. I had
some Asprin and mate de coca to help aliviate the headache.
Fri morning we actually got to sleep in til 8 am, much better than the 5am wakeup calls I have grown accustomed to! The locals were bringing tons of llamas back to the pastures back up the valley to grase. The trail was gradually descending throughout the day from 4000m to around 2000 which be our destination. I am always amazed with the great diversity of South America. You can walk from the high Andes to the jungle in about 4 hours and that´s exactly what we did. The Choro went thru a few pueblos. It was hard not to notice that were no other gringos hiking the trail but us. Must have something to do with the roadblocks or something. It was a glorious day! The sun was gettiing stronger and as we progressed we would lose the layers of clothes that kept us from freezing the night before. As this point we were entering tht Yungas mnts. The Yungas are tropical, sub 3000 m mountains that are famous for groing coca trees. The Guides said that we would actually see some coca trees the following day. Pitched tents beside a beatiful river in the trek´s namesake village of Choro. The guys built us a fire and I actually purchased a well-deserved beer from a local. Later in the evening, a few of the local cats came for a visit to the camp. It was really cool bc I was concerned with hiking with a couple for four days and feeling like a third wheel. That would not be the case here. Me and Zaca and Belsi got along famously and had a great time "taking the Piss" (that's Australian for kidding ) out of each other.
Saturday would prove
to be the most grueling day of the trek at 9 hours. We must have covered at
least 18 miles going up and down from the valley´s lush floor to a traill
that stradled the tops of the green jungle mtns. You could see the variety
of birds and butterflies were increasing and quite stunning. After a few hours
stroll, everyone took a bath in the crystal clear waters of the river on the
bottom of the valley. It was so cold but I felt (and smelled) like a new man.
We made some pit stops in some local dwellings. The Bolivians had figured
it out a while ago and if their house is on the trail, they sell coke, candy,
beer, and other snacks to the exhausted
trekkers. This one also grew bananas and had the strangest looking chickens
with long skinny necks, that were relentlesly pecking at our feet. The final
camp would be a ridge overlooking the valley and you could see the snow-capped
mtns in our wake. We were all worn out at the end of the day. As I was setting
up my tent, I noticed how I was covered in red bumps from the mosquitos have
a little taste of my delicious American, cholesteral, blood. They always seem
to eat me up! They must enjoy Gringo blood due to all of the burgers and what
not. We had another glorious fire with hot dogs and mash potatoes-now you´re
talking some real camp food!
The last day of the trek would only be about 3 hours walking back down to the valley floor. The further we got, the thicker, greener, and louder the jungle became. There were a few nice waterfalls and hanging bridges on the way down. Arrived in Chairo to get a taxi to Corioco just to find out that the road blockade was shutting down transport. After about 1 hour walking, a local drove by and we had to pay them 90 bolivianos to drive us 1 hour. It wasn´t much in $ but 90 bolivianos is a lot of dough in these parts. As soon as we got into town, I was happy to hear that the bus to LaPaz was still going. Zac, Belsy, and I searched out the first gringo restaurant we could find some pizza and completely devoured it. They were going to take the bus from here thru the jungle to Rurrenbaque (about 17 Hell hours)! Corioco is still in the Yungas mtns. Unfortunately, we did not run into any coca, maybe that was a good thing, cause we might have been shot or something. Or maybe it was there but it was pretty mellow so you would not have notice, who knows? I caught the bus with our Bolivians friends on the "World´s Most Dangerous Road." In 1995, the Inter-American Dev Bank dubbed it bc of the highest death rate in the world. Every few weeks, some unfortunate bus, car, or even bicycliest fall over the precariously steep cliffs. It is even a large draw for tourists that dare to bike the the death-defying route downhill from LaPaz (3750m) to Corioco(1750m). We were on the inside, mountainside portion of the road and I was scared out of my mind. In hindsight, I do not know how anyone even concieved on building a "road" such as that. It is way too narrow for two vehicles, there is no guardrail, and with the road being dirt, visibility is almost impossible. I closed my eyes a few times as my bus driver insisted on passing on the outside lane on a blind corner. ARGHHH!!!!!!! I survived the 3 1/2 hour drive and checked back into the Angelo Colonial hostel. I ran into the Dave and comp, which they were totally exhausted from climbing WP. After cleaning up, I checked out " Pirates of the Carribean" which was surprisingly good and got some beautiful sleep on a real bed.
Monday morning I decided
the next destination was going to be the Salur de Uyuni, a huge dried up salt
lake with surreal landscapes. Typically most tourist go down and take a 4
day truck drive and visit the Salur and the
Eduardo Avaroa Reserve, famous for it stunning landscapes of kaledeoscope
colored lakes, volcanoes, and flamingos. Made a visit to my buddy, Adolfo
to book the tour and the 12 hour transport that would be departing on Wed.
Mostly just hung out and did nothing. Had dinner with the Aussie trio at Mongo's
Rock Bottom Bar and actually got to see an American football game, right on!
First thing Tuesday morning I heard that the blockades had spread down south so there was no way of getting down to Uyuni any time soon. A pair of Germans said that they were on a bus bound for the south and sat for three hours just to get turned around by the blockade. Plan B was to go ahead and fly to Rurrenbaque to make an excursion to the Jungle. Bought a return plane ticket, destination Rurrenbaque to depart on Wed morning. My Aussie compadres had already booked for the World's Most Dangerous Road bike ride for that day, so it was our last night together. We ate at this wonderful Italian place where they actually make their own past. I had the nachi and it was out of this world! We said out farewells. Once again, I had a great time with the Aussies, they make great traveling companions bc they are so easy to get along with.
I shared a taxi with
a British couple we had been hanging out with at the hotel. They have had
enough of Bolivia and the roadblocks and were moving onto Argentina. Of course,
they had also had some bad luck as soon as they arrived in Lima about 10 days
prior. In spite of all of the guidebooks warning tourists to not visit the
beach in Lima, they decided to give it a go. The story is whe they went to
the beach, it seemed as normal as any, with people playing vollyball and swimming
in the ocean. They were approached by a group of men with knives. One of the
Peruvians had a machete and pressed it against their chest and cut off his
money belt. They lost everything: Passports, traveler's cheques, money, and
evey their plane tickets! I can 't really say I blame them for high taling
it out of here. My flight was for 130 and as we were driving up to the word's
highest
international airport, I could see a storm front moving in from a distance.
The flight was delayed until 3pm. Then at about 430pm, I found out that it
was canceled for the day and would take off manana around 6am. It was for
a really small single engine plane of about 12 folks. I was really tired of
LaPaz and did the math in my head. I would have to go back to the hostel and
check in. The next day, I would have to wake up at 4am anyway. I figured a
total of about 5 hours sleep max. So a Canadian couple, British couple, a
British guy, and myself decided it would be better just to stay the night
at the airport as opposed to returning to town. There was a Burger King and
internet in the airport. Besides, the Canadian couple was Gung Ho on the idea
of hanging out and playing cards and chess. Someone also had the ingenius
idea of purchasing four bottles of Sangini (80 proof grape Bolivian liquor)
and Tampico (kinda like Caprice Sun) grapefruit drink. We named
them pink ladies. It was a trip; 6 gringos getting sloshed, playing cards,
and crashing in an international airport. I admit I did eat Burger King four
times in a row. ONLY because there wasn't any other place open and the airline
did give us free lunch coupons. Plus it did have cable tv, and I watched some
CNN with the California gov debate- Arnold actually won(how frightening!)
It was a good group of people though, and we must had played 40 games of Shithead.
It is also amazing how quickly alcohol can take effect at that altitude. Around
1230 am a security guard came by and took the last bottle so we wouldn't be
drunk in the morning for the flight to Rurre. He also told us he was locking
the doors and shutting down the airport. It was kinda creepy but it was something
not everyone can say they did- spend the night locked inside of an international
airport.
Fortunately, the chairs did not have armrests, so everyone put a bunch together
for beds.
Around 430am, the
lights came back on and people started to feed back into the airport. The
group remained in their makeshift beds until it got too busy to sleep anymore.
We got some strange looks, I guess it was a little
weird looking, seeing us sprawled out in our sleeping bags and sleepsheets.
I was SO READY TO FLY OUT OF LAPAZ!!!! At the gate, 30 minute delay turned
into an hour, then it turned into two. Around 1030 am the counter person said
that it was raining hard in Rurre and they would know something by 130pm.
I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!!!!! I felt like I was going insane from stir crazines!
Time for some quick on my feet thinking. I saw that there was a plane for
Sucre leaving in about 20 minutes. I did the math, and I could actually fly
south to Sucre and be in Uyuni like I had originally planned in about 2 days.
There was room on the plane and it was only about $60.... Like they say, if
you can't beat a roadblock, you can fly over it. I bought my ticket for the
other capital of Bolivia and told my traveling companions bon voyage and hopped
on board in about 20 minutes exactly. Like I said before, sometimes you have
to be REALLY flexible. Adios and I will see you in Sucre!
Happy Trails,
Talbot