We made it to Bolivia!

Wow, I am not very good at keeping this blog up! So much has happened since I last wrote. It is hard to know where to begin! As for the photos I have about 5 CDs but it seems almost impossible to find an internet cafe with a CD Rom. Please be patient with the photos. I will add more when I get the chance. The hard part will be limiting it to 100 per day! I have literally thousands of photos!!
Okay, after our grand tour with our Swiss chauffer we spent a few more days in Salta. Went out one night with a large group from the hostel and had a great time! Oh yeah, that was the night before the horseback riding. I think I have mentioned that already!

We caught our night bus at 11;30PM without a minute to spare (my watch was slow). Tried to sleep on the bus until we awoke at 6;30AM to find ourselves at our destination. I believe the place was called something like La Quisa ?? No idea actually, it was far too early in the morning to be bothered. I can look it up in the Lonely Planet guide book later. We then walked quite a few blocks to get to the border crossing. My pack is SOOOOO big and SOOOOOO heavy. It was a bit like self inflicted torcher! We showed our passports and filled out some paperwork and presto, we were in Bolivia! In a town called Villazon (I was a bit more awake by this point).
We walked a few more uphill (or so it felt) blocks and found the bus station. Lindsay hit the lineup whilst I watched all our bags. She managed to get the 2 last seats on the bus which was leaving in 20 minutes. Perfect.

Our first Bolivian bus experience. We got on to find 2 people in our seats. We showed them our tickets with seat numbers and they reluctantly moved. (Thankfully) We had 2 seats at the very back of the bus. Possibly the very bumpiest seats on the bus! I sat between Lindsay and a lovely Bolivian woman. We chatted away in our different languages quite well. I shared my walkman with her and introduced her to Jack Johnson (the music seriously helped get through the very bumpy, scarey, torturous bus ride). She really like him (or enthusiastically pretended to)! We managed to find out that she was traveling with her husband to visit her sister in Tupiza. We learned a few other things about each other during our 3-4 hour bus ride. I think this is quite amazing considering she spoke no english and I speak no spanish (except for with the help of our Spanish phrasebook). It was an interesting introduction to Bolivia, its buses, and its people.
I must say entering Bolivia definitely felt like we were in a different country. The traditional dress was prominent eveywhere you looked. The women all wear big fluffy skirts and bowler hats, usually accompanied by colourful blanket filled with a child or goods tied to their back across the shoulders. There are so many indigenous people in Bolivia and they all seem quite friendly!
I have so much more to tell. Wow!
Okay, so we arrived in Tupiza and found a terrific hostel above Tupiza Tours (a well recommended travel agency). It had a pool!!! We were so excited. It cost us all of 25 Bolivianos which is roughly 4 Canandian dollars a night (each). We get about 6 Bolivianos to the Canadian dollar. Super value in Bolivia!!! Its very cheap to travel here and that is why Lindsay and I will spend most of our holiday in Bolivia! Chile felt similar to Canada in prices!
I think I have spent 10 Canadian dollars today (including my hostel room) and it is after lunch!

I keep getting sidetracked with my ramblings! So, we organized a tour for 4 days and 3 nights with EVERYTHING included for 105.00 US dollars. Crazy! We spent Friday and Saturday in Tupiza and caught up with some other travellers we had met in Salta. Spent a day by the pool and got the worst burn of my entire life. YES, I KNOW. YOU WOULD THINK I WOULD HAVE LEARNED BY NOW. APPARENTLY I AM NOT THAT SMART! ;)

Okay, this keyboard sucks, so lindsay and I are off to find another internet cafe. I will write more later!
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