| Thu, 17 Jan 2002 hi to everyone, we have been in la paz for about one hour. like nothing i could have ever imagined, it is fantastic, scary <traffic), sad, beautiful etc etc. shocking flight over because so long, but now, having just had delicious breakfast, are going to have a sleep. finding and using telephone is very difficult. not sure when will find another internet, this one is in the hotel torino which is our home base (we will be here for two days, then fly to peru). we will return to the hotel torino about four times during the next six weeks, and will contact you every time we are here, plus whenever we come across an internet cafe. what a great place trenton has brought me too. love carolyn} ps key board is in spanish - hence the typing style. |
| Thu, 17 Jan 2002 John, Grate to be back
in Bolivia, I walked into the hotel and an old friend from the place came
up and said Ah Symos. We had a nice day in L A but I couldnt beleave
how expensive the states is, a cheep Chineas meal for 2 $ 40. The yanks are a crack up its a fun place to go. Carolyn cant beleave her eyes in Bolivia its grate to watch it though her eyes, Where off to Puru in a couple of days to see Doug. Love Trenton. |
| Fri, 18 Jan 2002 Hi all, we have been here for 24 hours. It is an amazing place, like nothing I could ever imagine. Still dealing with altitude sickness which makes you feel heavy, light headed, unbalanced, and sleepy. Tomorrow morning taking a bus to Cuzco in Peru. This key board is in Spanish so is challenging to type with speed and accuracy. I still haven´t found the question mark. We are staying in a hidiously old hotel, absolutely beautiful stonework with quaint little balconies. Wait for the photo´s. We have already had our first roll of film developed. The photos are bueno. Love Carolyn |
| Mon, 21 Jan 2002 Hi from Copacobana, a sleeping
little village on the edge of lake titticacca. We are about to board a
bus for Cuzco (will take about 14 hours!) where we are
planning to meet Doug on Wednesday so probably won´{t hear from us until then. Still very interesting but the loo{s are a spin out (big yuk) where everyone seems to want you to see what they{ve done .... , often they don{t flush, and can{t put paper into them so everything is left in a stinky waste paper basket {al fesco{. Better head for the bus before they leave me behind. Miss you all. >Love Carolyn |
| Mon, 21 Jan 2002 Dear John We are hold up
in Puno, Peru for three hours on route to Cusco where we will meet Doug.
Trenton is getting more and more excited the closer we get (as you can
well imagine). On our last night in La Paz we were woken from a nap by
the sound of gun fire. Went outside to see a truck full of riot police
following a demonstration. As they moved down the hill, every intersection
was cut off with five or so riot police.
It's great to be back in South America. Yesterday I had to use my first squat toilet. I was absolutely busting and couldn{t find the Banos anywhere, so by the time I found it I was in such a hurry, I ran in and yelled which way do you go as even though things seem obvious, in this place lots of things are back to front. Unfortunately Trenton was in the mens side and heard me, and after a fit of hysterics finally made his way to the bus. In the 24 hours since he has told about 350 people, none of whom think this very funny, but he is convinced that they do and continues to get a big laugh himself. I feel like an idiot, but what can you do. Next thing I know it will be in your bloody newsletter. Trenton{s spanish is coming back full swing and makes live so much easier. I don{t know how anyone could cope without his level of comprehension. The Bolivian economy has done better than the Australian economy in the last four years. Soon we wont be able to go anywhere without have saved a fucking fortune. But poor old Argentina has not fared so well. The surrounding countries are worried about mass unemployment as six million of their people will return home from Argentina. There are new power stations and roads in Bolivia and Peru, with big gutters thanks to Peru{s ex president Fujimori. Now he is back in Japan in exile. love us. |
| Thu, 24 Jan 2002 Hola from Cusco.
This is one of the most 'fairytale' cities I've ever
visited. It was built by the Inca's about one thousand years ago, and rebuilt by the Spanish about five hundred years ago. Basically the Spanish have knocked the top off the buildings leaving the Inca foundations which are made of large square shaped stones. The layout of the city is as the Inca's built it (in the shape of a Puma). The Inca's used the shape of animals as the layout for many cities. The roads are made of cobblestones, the buildings are rendered in white, and often painted in bright colours such as green, blue, yellow and red, with a distinct mediteranian feel. This morning we were woken at 6am to the sound of firecrackers and a brass band which is still playing some three hours later. The band and several locals are standing outside a local church. When we walk through the main streets we are continually hassled by little kids wanting to shine our shoes or sell us lollies, postcards or really bad paintings. By the end of the day we are totally fed up with them, but some of the kids are irresistable such as one boy who, when trying to sell Trenton some postcards, said "this is my mother, this is my father, this is my sister" etc when flicking through the postcards. Trenton was cracking up and had to buy the postcard as he liked the checky way the kid hung on to his story even though it was obviously 'bullshit'. Tomorrow we are walking the Inca trail which will take four days (about 88kms) and end up at Machu Picchu. Hope you are all well and the weather is not too hot. Every day is sunny here, but freezing in the evenings. I am glad I bought some woolly thermals and have also bought a thick woollen coat which serves well as a pillow on bus trips, and as an extra blanket at night. Yesterday we met up with our friend Doug who has been travelling down from Mexico for the past eight months. It was great to see him, and he is so happy to be with people who know him well. We have been swapping travel stories and catching up on gossip. We will probably travel together for the next few weeks. Today we are going to hire motorbikes and take a spin around the Inca ruins. Chao Carolyn and Trenton. |
| Thu, 31 Jan 2002 Hi from Cusco, We have
arrived back to torrential rain. We`re advised not to do the Inca trail
due to bad weather so have been staying in tiny villages while looking
at various ruins including the absolutely amazing Macchu Piccu. Some of
the villages were built by the Inca´s and remain pretty much in their
original state today with narrow cobblestoned streets full of kids, pigs,
dogs and urine. Today we had `cuy` for lunch (otherwise known as guinea
pig) which is a common food amongst the Indians who have guinea pigs running
around their yards eating food scraps. As soon as they`re fat they
throw them into the pot. Today we went shopping in a market which was full of great bargains compared to Australian prices but you have to learn the art of haggling. I confess I tend to loose my patience before the deal is done, but Trenton is quite persistent and uses a couple of ploys including `we no gringos` which means we`re not Americans (everyone hates Americans here) and also `we`re camposinos` which means that we are farmers just like the people selling the goods. At the very least this usually gets a laugh. This morning we walked down a mountain after looking at ruins around a village called Pisac. The walk down took two hours and we are exhausted. But is not as bad as the walk up to Macchu Piccu which took two hours and included about 2300 steps. I have never climbed so many steps in so short a time. The Inca´s certainly liked a good view (but their real motivation for building on the side of mountains was for defence). We will stay in Cusco for a couple of nights and then head back to Bolivia. Despite rumours we have not been killed in a plane crash in South America. We are alive and well. Have not been sick, and are really enjoying our adventure, which is almost half way through. What is the weather doing over there? Has anything exciting happened? Love Carolyn and Trenton. |
| Thu, 7 Feb 2002 Hi everyone, We seem to be stuck here as there is some unrest further into Bolivia towards La Paz. Apparently the farmers have blocked the roads in protest at the US destroying their coca leaf crops. Last week the Bolivian government kicked one of the farmers' representatives out of the congress and in response they have called an indefinate strike. We are out of harms way and quite safe here, and will wait until we hear further information before proceeding toward La Paz. If the situation does not improve we will simply fly to our next destination. It's just as well because my cold has quickly developed into Bronchitis and I am basically staying in bed all day. Yesterday Trenton tried to organise for a Doctor to come to our hotel. Next thing you know an ambulance shows up and I have to get into it and be driven to the hospital. This is quite amusing for us as I sit in the front seat with the driver (dressed in casual clothes) and Trenton sits in the back with the other ambulance driver. So when we get to the hospital everyone thinks he the sick one. The only equipment in the ambulance is a good stereo (which they put on for us) and a couple of seats. At the hospital (which Trenton said was like the Leogatha hospital) they did the usual temperature, tongue and chest listening exercises and then prescribed some antibiotics. As soon as we went back out into the corridor to get the presecription filled, the Doctor followed us out and lit up a cigarette! It was good that we could go to the hospital (which was equivalent to outpatient departments) because the pharmacies are all closed due to the strike. So I am taking lots of medicine and reading books, and Trenton is playing with Doug and trying to get reports about Bolivia from other travellers. Hope all is well with everything. Love Carolyn and Trenton |
