Branks in BoBo!

Well friends, the odyssey continues in South America, this time with a lot of good times in Bolivia! (With my Brit friends; me being the yank, we together make up Branks :p) We arrived to Uyuni, back to civilization, on Monday morning. We got all our stuff, tipped the worthless Jorge, and headed out together to discover a new city! We were so excited to connect back to the world, but poor Uyuni had NO electricity! We had to use the ATM powered by a generator...good ole Bolivia! We spent the afternoon enjoying ourselves with lunch (I had a llama steak) and the Train Cementary.

We got ready for the 7 hour, 65 mile journey to Potosi that evening. The trip that left at 7 was long, and long. For

traveling less than 70 miles, that comes out to an average of 10 miles an hour on a rugged, unpaved road. TIB!! This. Is. Bolivia! We got to Potosí early in the morning, and took a taxi to the hostel. The sleep was long and

wonderful. We spent the next day updating our lives (finally, wifi and internet!). Sam and I decided to take the mine tour that afternoon. A fun adventure into an active mind in the highest elevated city in the world! (altitude of 13,500 feet!). The tour was SOOO physically exhausting; climbing out of the mine I was the most physicalllytired I have ever b een in my life! We emerged from the caves, blew up some dynamite, and headed back home!

Sam and I enjoyed some Bolivian hamburgers, relaxed in the evening, and headed to bed. Wednesday we went to the Royal Mint (Potosi was the richest city in the world in the 16th century) and enjoyed some more sites before heading to Sucre. We took a taxi for this, and the price was $4 for a 2 hour trip. Amazingly cheap!

We got to Sucre, purchased our bus tickets for Cochabamba, and enjoyed the day in Sucre. We spent some time in the plaza, in an internet cafe, and headed to the station for the 12 hour journey. Sleep was plentiful, and we arrived to Cochabamba at 6 a.m. Nothing was open, so we waited for breakfast. We explored markets and saw sites, and left the same day for La Paz. We were quite dirty, so we showered in the bus station for $1. We

arrived to La Paz Friday and checked into the hostel. We spent the day in more markets--and we reunited with K. Bo and T Grif from our Uyuni tour! We had lunch, spend the afternoon together, and said bye that evening.

Saturday was Sam and mine's adventure on "The Most Dangerous Road in The World," a bike ride from 15,000 feet to 4,000 feet in about 20 miles. Aka, a really steep trip down a crazy road! We left at 8 a.m. and spent the whole day on the trail. What an amazing experience. From rain and cold to sun and hot,

the temperature was as varied as the trail! We got back that evening and finished up Christmas shopping for Sam. I think we found some fun stuff, and of course got great deals on the gear!

Sunday I said bye to Sam after 2 weeks...what a great travel mate! However, my GCC professor friend DK was coming to visit that same day! I woke up and headed to the airport, ready for a new, but different adventure with my US friend! Thanks for reading and commenting!! ~~Benjamín