Last night in Patosi was like huge cold slap in face. In the morning I found on my tent not only hoarfrost but big patch of ice! That explained why I dreamed about pieces of meat on hooks in freezer… I need to run as fast as possible because if winter gonna catch me on 4 thousand above the sea I can change into stone and someone else will need to transport me to home…

 

I handcuff hood from my ice grave and went to highway control point. 10:1. That was ratio between persons who wanted cash for ride for those who didn’t wanted. I think that only because they don’t know nothing about money and they still barter corn for sheep.  And that indignation: “But why You don’t want to pay?”. Well I need to say that I have huge problem with that. Because from one side I don’t stand on roadside with thumb and my smile up to pay. But from other side amounts which they want for ride absurdly small and only symbolic. Paying for ride is theirs tradition and habit, and fight with them for me is a little bit incongruous. Especially, because in conviction of Bolivians every gringo have backpack full of cash. So why they don’t want to pay few cents for us? Hitchhikers problems.

Fortunately some Belgian who’s living here since 21 years, took me from road. Together we rolled to one from two capital ciudad de Bolivia. Two? Yes, exactly because Bolivians were to lazy to change theirs constitution after some war. Now Evo Moralez with whole government is in among Andes peaks in La Paz. But in constitution You can find that capital city is still under mountains in Sucre. Maybe that’s even better because government’s limo with chaos and rush of capital can destroy that place.

Systematized in colors and styles old city is putted on UNESCO list, and in contrast to Patosi which also is on that list, is justified. But even here all churches are closed for 4 padlocks besides one example worth to visit. Convent of Franciscans up the hill with AMAZING collection (it’s prohibited to takes pictures inside so You need to imagine that) help to move few centuries before when first missionaries came here to reclaim jungle by European civilization and souls by Cristian cross.

Oldest tree in Boliva!

After that I moved do Santa Cruz where I found place to stay in home of host in highest building in the city with private swimming pool. And in apartment I found… other guy from Poland! Michał is also traveling through South America but he’s looking for everything what is connected with football. But besides of that I didn’t found there anything interesting. Only smallest museum in which I ever been – museum of independence – which is located in two small rooms. That means that road of Bolivia to sovereignty was so quick? And museum of archeology where my leg stuck in hole in floor. And huge problems with stomach.

Line of guys who can repear your shoes on street

First time in Bolivia I met supermarket! And like in every shop here there are no prizes above products, so what made clever Bolivians? They put prize on every, single product. How many of them are in that shop? few millions maybe?

Normall thing in front of hospitals here. Trash from clinis are next to normal one.

When I looked for place to stay in Santa Cruz I met in CS platform one guy who helped me to find place to stay in Cochabamba! Road to there was like a real nightmare. Hitchhiking here generally is like nightmare!! But finally I came there and two amazing girls welcomed me. We started to explore city. Why on bones? Because We walked through greasy spoon localized above markets, where at morning in road to work everybody are sitting in fumes of api. Street graffiti, mystery tunnels from church to theater. And party in small village near to Cochabamba where we found a lot of roquette (piece of cake with glaze from eggs and sugar) and unmoral amount of chichi. I ordered smallest one and I received ceramic jar with 3 liters of fermented corn inside!

Youngest police that I ever met. They could had 15 years! Because there is not enough people to work as a police, during festivals they give uniforms even for kids.

There was also time for opera. Yeah, Bolivian opera! And I felt there like in Elizabethan theatre. Cry of kids, people’s talks, music interrupted with accompaniment of popcorn, chips and coke. And that what on stage was even worse than among audience. Opera but drama? But what can I expect in country where culture was ended in beer and reaggeton?

My sneakers were also on Death Road, which officially is the most dangerous road in the whole world. Whole road have only 64km but since 1930 when was constructed by Paraguayan prisoners many people found death there. But it can’t be surprise if we will see that in the wilder place that road have 3,9m and You can meet there trucks and buses! Is starting on 3790m ASL and ending in village Yolosa on 1200m ASL. More than 2500m with cures, serpentines and abysses from 250m to even 800m! And if we will add, that it’s ground road and during even smallest rain is changing is glaze, and some pieces of road can drop down we can meet there enough adrenaline. It’s good place to say something about drivers here generally. They are one from worst in the whole world! For them speed, signs and lines don’t exist. It’s normal here to take 2 or 3 cars on curve! Inside city isn’t much better. Pedestrians are praying before they gonna cross road. Drivers also don’t have mercy for theirs cars, engines are always work on high performance!

What is interesting is only piece of road in Bolivia where cars are going on left side and that one who are going upward, has priority above the one going downroad. Since few years next to death road is new, much more “safety” one, so now there is not so huge traffic and amount of death as in the past. But even now You can meet some cars going down and up on death road. Ambulances which are going to few houses which are constructed along road, trucks with supplies, cars and… a lot of bicycles (on information on graves You can figure out  that they mainly met there death). In La Paz there is a option to buy trip downhill on mountain bikes. But that cost from 350 to 55 pesos so to much expansive for me. I decided to walk all way down 🙂

 

And that was brilliant idea! It’s incredible how climate is changing there – on capital side dry and pampas, on Yolosa side humidity and a lot of green. But even much more incredible are view there! After 2 days of intensive trekking, and 1 night under tent in some wilder place I reached Yolosa. I had puffy legs, few thousands of flies which I even didn’t met in Brazil ate me and incredible tired. But that was worth it! On bicycles should be too fast 🙂 I had also night fight with rain who wanted to put me down into river, hiking another 600m up to Coroico and finally… road to La Paz!