The Center of the World

Route: somewhere - Madrid - Zürich
Time: 7am - 5pm
Highlights: We arrive in Madrid quite on time and it's still dark. As we didn't quite exactly sleep on the flight we are rather tired (Peter almost falls asleep in the Metro later on). Peter - restless as ever - luckily insists that we go into town as our flight only leaves at three o'clock in the after noon. A good decision. The weather is beautiful and within a mere 40 minutes we travel to the center.
It may only take 35 minutes to get into town but it takes you longer to get to the metro in the first place. Madrid's airport Barajas is a big one (some terminals seem as far apart as the airport Kloten from Zürich) and then it's under construction. And since we also have to get a boarding pass for our last stub of the trip, we probably get to the Puerta del Sol after 9am. Still early enough to see Madrid deserted. Our senses are used to faded colors so getting out of the underground is like discovering a new world of colors: The buildings are almost shiny (and very well maintained). It's a pleasure to stroll around. At Sol, you'll find Spain's km zero. We find our way to the Plaza Mayor, my camera's clicking away - I still have lots of storage space. Time for a rich (healthy start) breakfast: Peter is longing for a good expresso, while I'm drooling over ham sandwiches. As soon as I order them I see they have Churros, so I add a portion of them (I probably had them more than 10 years ago, when I was in Andalusia with Oliver) with thick hot chocolate. I feel good again. Strengthened we take off to the Palacio Real. Then we slowly head back past the Teatro Real and allow ourselves a little shopping (another thing we haven't done in 5 weeks). El Corte Ingles is the place to go (Peter still needs to get a little souvenir for his daughter Palma, I go and check out the DVD section for a Spanish flick (I find Volver from Almodovar). Then back to the airport. Thanks to me we are way too early at the gate - next time I'll be more relaxed.
The last hop is a beautiful flight as the visibility is excellent all the way up. Finally, some 30 hours after getting up in Arica we're home in one piece from a extraordinary trip with many great things to remember.
Obviously, I'll be back.
Oh, we know we are back in Switzerland. The officers at the Swiss passport counters are as unfriendly as ever - I miss some of these guys in Chile. What a difference it makes to be received by a friendly greeting - or not.

Tip of the day: Madrid is a good round up of a South America trip - it's were it all started (beauty for some, misery for others). For a few Euros you get the Madrid Transportes day-pass and the underground takes you right into the city (no. 8 to Nuevos Ministerios, no. 10 to Tribunal and no. 1 to Sol; connections and frequencies are great). Do not hesitate to ask at the big Metro information center in the airport before you head into town. They are very helpful.

Intermezzo: No luggage. Don't be too quick to say, oh, these Chileans. The 8 hours of change-over time in Madrid were not sufficient for the backpack to get to the right plane. Basically all passengers from Santiago were waiting for their stuff in vain. The good thing is, we don't need to drag our 20kg sack home - it will be delivered to the door step two days later.

Temperatures: higher 20°C's (as before I have no summer cloths, my feet are stuck in heavy boots and they fell as they "a bit" swollen.
Hotel: none
Restaurant: a little bar just off Plaza Mayor
The last food note: Now I swear this is the last comment on food. A slice of Pata Negra jamón (cured ham) and some churros dunked in hot chocolate compensates for almost 5 weeks of simple meals and reminds me that I actually enjoy eating (and love Spain).

Red-eye Day

Route: Arica - Santiago de Chile - somewhere over the Atlantic
Time: 4:15am - next day
Highlights: Although we went to bed early 4:15 is early to be woken. A short shower does the trick of feeling awake (but doesn't get rid of the red eyes), while Ross from the Sunny Days is preparing a breakfast for us. What a great service. And we can enjoy his orange jelly for a last time. The taxi arrives over-punctual at 4:55. Peter packs his last things away and we are on the short 15' trip to Chacalluta. At 5:20 the airport is deserted, probably I am lucky that the doors are open. The flight is scheduled for 7 o'clock.
At 5:55 - after going over my only magazine for the fifth time - the check-in counters of LAN Chile open up. First in line, YES (I feel as if I was trying to get an iPhone the first day of sales). After I had to dump my century old clay chips (see day ???) at the hotel as I was fearing my baggage would be too heavy, I am relieved that I "just" have 21 kg (I damn these terrorists that forced the airlines to adapt all regulations, how can anyone get away with 20kg). Of course that doesn't include my 10kg carry-on luggage (of camera, batteries and other electronic gadgetry). Actually they should take into consideration the weight of the passenger - I am sure I lost a pound or two...
LAN Chile is very reliable, we have a short stop-over in Antofagasta were we arrive at 8:05 and take off at 9. Shortly after we land in Santiago at 10:35. There is no time for a a trip into town (not that we miss it) as we leave again at 12:15 after going through customs. We're set for a 12.5 hour flight. While the LAN flight operated by Iberia is comfy (and leg room is sufficient) there is only some dozing possible - luckily the film program is poor so I try to sleep as much as possible.

Tip of the day: Try to get a seat on the left side (letters A, B) to get the full views of all the mountains you have seen from below. You may have to do this when you book the flight as they couldn't change it for me.
Tip of the day 2: If you are taking the plane at the airport Chacalluta of Arica, you definitively do NOT need to be there 2 hours before. One is more than sufficient. Ross told us so, but I wouldn't listen and planned too much safety into it... And the cab ride is just 15 minutes and the fare is about 10 USD (5000 pesos).

Intermezzo: It's a tough start for Peter today. As we are approaching the airport he realizes that he misses something. So he takes the cab back to the hostal where he finds that he doesn't miss anything, so back again. Luckily there is plenty of time! Later on at the gate he cannot find the boarding pass, so back to the line at the check-in. He makes it for the flight no problem and can relax for the next hours and enjoy the fantastic views of the Cordillera.
Temperatures: No indications as we spend the day in an airplane.
Hotel: Seat 35 H on a Airbus
Restaurant: nothing worth mentioning from LAN Chile or Iberia

Strolling through Town

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Bus Revisited

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Car Inspection

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Helter Skelter

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On Inca Trails

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Jurassic Park

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World Heritage Discovered

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Banking Day

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Alive

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In Bolivia it's a bit more difficult to access the Internet. So here we are, still. In Gallapata at about 3700 m Peter fell sick of altitude and spent a night in the hospital. An experience to be detailed later on. So we have to change our plans and search for lower lands - a pitty.

We head for Cochabamba at 2500m and Peter feels better for a day before he hits the hospital again: Food poisoning picked up in Chile.

And now we are in Okinawa I, little Japan in Boliva.

Slowly we start our way back to La Paz.

The Mission

Route: San Javier - Concepción (66km) - Okinawa I (+205km) - Montero (+40km)
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God's Intervention

Route: Buena Vista - Okinawa I - San Javier
Time: probably after 12 pm - about 9pm

Highlights: The plan is to get to the Jesuit's missions, actually to the one in San Ramón (as it turns out there isn't any there, but in San Javier). But first I have to change the front right tire. A guest points it out to us (if he hadn't I wouldn't have had to do it). Great, we need to remember all details Aldo told us when we got the car. After some searching I have all pieces together that I need (including unlocking a box in the engine room, flipping back the rear seats to get the lever). By the time I have taken off the wheel, gotten the spare off the roof, to flat one up on the roof, the spare on the axle, made a short test drive, it's time for lunch which was included in the price (some holiday "special" - specially high price). Initially we were going to skip it, but the buffet was set, so have lunch enjoying the views over a plain with the National Park Amboró at the horizon. There is a large party of guests there so there is quite some action.

The map shows a main (red) road all the way through. We are dropping down to 250m above sea level. The land is really flat now, mountains, forsts gone. We find our way through Montero quite well (as usual there aren't too many signs), then we pass Okinawa I (yes, I as in One, because there are three, and yes, Okinawa like the Okinawa in Japan; that's because a few Japanese did settle in Bolivia after WWII). Then the asphalt road ends and its a two-lane dust road. Are we heading to the right direction? At home I wouldn't ask (because men don't ask for directions), here in Bolivia, I do. I stop at a bicycle rider with two girls on it, too.
This is where our destiny changes. I ask how to get to San Ramón and the monasteries. The father tries to explain but his older daughter (12 years old) takes over to explain us the best way. They are so sweet that I ask them if they want my color crayons and some paper. Then I ask them if they want their pictures taken. They love the idea, so I take some shots on the bike, in the car, etc. And not knowing what I promise I say I'll send the pictures to you (I'll describe the process another day). So I have Beatriz (the older one) write down here name. She adds her siblings, too, they are five girls and just one boy: Beatriz (12 years), Angelica (10), Cecilia, Naida, Eliana, Alejandro. I don't quite remember how come Beatriz asks her father if she couldn't go along with us. Peter agrees, so we say yes. We start exchanging addresses, their father, Juan, tells me that he entrust me with his girls as he believes in God.

To make a long story short: We go to their house (an old warehouse for empty plastic containers), where we are greeted by the whole family. While the girls pack their stuff, we take some pictures, then at around 4pm we have to drive off as we still have more than 100 km of road ahead and we need to "get over" the river Rio Grande.
With Beatriz' and Angelica's help we find the way just perfectly. We drive through a village made of "clay" houses where pigs and chicken run around freely and kids are playing with wire loops and cars mad of cans... There is no bridge. They got to be kidding, the map says so. As a matter of fact there are heavy pontoons waiting, actually just transporting a car over. We drive over the dried river bed to the edge of the water and wait and see: Over two heavy boards you drive up an angle of 45° then down into the pontoon. That mastered a few men start pushing the shipment over the river. They are hip-deep in the slow-flowing water and push us over to the other side. We strike up a conversation with them and once again you hear complaints about Evo (the president). As we learn later it's the river that swept away the kids' home last year, when it was really high!
We need to push forward. There another 15 km of dusty road ahead (and don't just mean dusty, I mean the road is made of dust) before we hit solid ground again in Los Troncos. From here on the landscape changes again, we start to get into the Cerros (rocky hills), as we climb it gets darker, when we arrive in San Ramón it's pitch dark, and we don't like the place. So we decide to keep driving. It's a torture, luckily the road is quite well marked. Nevertheless, it takes about another hour till we get to San Javier, where we pick the first best place to stay.
We get a large room with 5 beds. The girls are excited because they can sleep in a bunk bed. Before bedtime we try to find something to eat. It's the start of chicken meals. We have our dinner right at the Plaza with the mission. And these missions are nothing you would expect. They are very large and have rich decorations. We cannot wait to visit the next day.

Tip of the day: Once again we underestimate the distances (although today we just started late). Driving at night is no fun with a car with headlights that are not well aligned. Get up earlier and try to avoid night driving - this is not Europe.

Intermezzo: For me this day is one of the most gratifying. Our two guests are good entertainers as they are talking all the time and explaining things to us. In a way it is sweet, in another I start to see that religion is actually a good thing (not just religiously motivated terrorism). Beatriz explains to me that God wanted us to meet. She tells us she wants to become a nun. Her father also trusts in me because he trusts in God. I am touched.

Temperatures: Quite hot in and out of the car but windy.
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Out of Africa

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More H

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Another H Experience

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Paradise Discovered

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A food note: Don't order fish in the jungle or you'll have more fish bones than in all fish you ate so far. These bones are like nothing I have seen before: they are like tiny trees. I eat the fish in micro pieces to avoid them. Let me tell you this is no pleasure and worst of all you still feel hungry afterwards because dissecting the fish and spitting is more energy consuming than the intake.

Soroche - Sick of Hights

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