La Paz

Arrived in La Paz late afternoon on Wednesday.   A bit of a shock to suddenly be on a highway surrounded by so many cars. La Paz is a big city that sits in an amphitheatre type bowl surrounded by the 'antiplano' or highlands. Had impressive views of of the area as we dropped down into the city centre. I had booked into 'The Brew hostel" because it is connected to 'Gravity', the company that Jen and I were going to do our 4 day cycle with and because it looked like fun. Besides being a hostel it is also a micro brewerey and has a nice pub/restaurant which is always a plus if you dont feel like pounding the pavements in search of dinner. That evening as I walked into the pub, the first accent I heard was a South African one ... a really nice young guy who had graduated from UCT and was travelling with his sister. They were really glad to meet a fellow South African and we had a fun evening and ended up playing poker with a whole group of people which was quite a challenge for me as I have never played before. The next morning I went in search of cycling operators to see if there were any rides I could hook up with but did not have much luck and returned to the hostel feeling quite despondent and homesick and like I didnt want to be in a big noisy chaotic city. In the late afternoon I ventured out again onto the streets and walked for hours, this time discovering some really interesting areas like the 'witches market' where they sell sacrificial mooties. Feeling in a better mood and enjoying La Paz a bit more, I none the less decided to head for Sorata, a mountain biking mecca in the mountains, for the weekend. So the next day, I made my way to the equivalent of our minibus taxi ranks and found one heading to Sorata and piled in with all the locals for a fairly hair raising 3 hour journey. Sat next to a very kind old gentleman who chatted away to me the whole way even though neither of us could understand each other!  .
Once there, I decided to walk to Altai oasis where I had booked accomodation, as the guidebook said it was just 20 minutes out of town...  What it did'nt say was that you had to go down an almost sheer path. I was pleased I had left my big bag in La Paz and was travelling light. What an oasis it turned out to be with bungalows set in beautiful rambling gardens next to a river and run by a delightful family with a menagerie of dogs, mackaws, geese, hens, a cow and a llama. Just what I needed and an Aussie girl, Di who I had met in Copacabana was also there for the weekend so, I would have some company. I had also managed to track down someone who said they would take me out cycling on Sunday, so things were looking up! Expensive to do it on my own but decided it would be my birthday present to myself! Spent the afternoon chilling next to the pool and reading. Absolute bliss. A great dinner in their restaurant overlooking the river then a drink in the pub and an interesting chat to Simon, their 25 yr old son who grew up in America and could speak perfect English which is unusual around these parts.
The next day, Di and I decided to do this walk to see this cave. Got dropped off by a taxi high up at this lookout point and set off in the direction of the cave, Turned into a tough 3 hour walk following donkey paths and scrambling through the undergrowth but eventually founnd our way to the cave which ws enormous and had a huge underground pool in it. Caught another taxi back to Altai oasis for a well deserved swim and cold beer.  That night celebrated my birthday, South African time! with some Mojitos in the bar. Sunday morning...my birthday, Bolivian time, and I woke up a little sad to be so far away from friends and family but excited at the prospect of being on a bike again and, after some phonecalls from my family, I felt much happier. Got picked up at 9 by Travis, something of a mountain biking legend in these parts and we drove for 1 1/2 hours up winding dirt roads that at times made Swartberg pass look like a picnic. Had to close my eyes a number of times! Eventually at close to 5000 metres and almost at the glacial summit we geared up and got on the bikes for for an exhilerating and challenging 2 hours and over 2000m descent down to the cloud forest where we had a picnic lunch. Then put the bikes back on the jeep and drove up to the summit for another exciting 2 hours of riding down into the town of Sorata. One of the best days cycling I have ever done and a call from Shan and Jordi just topped off what had been a very special and different birthday. Bed early in my magical room ... a tiny cabin with a view of the stars and the snow peaks. Tomorrow I head back to La Paz to do 'the Worlds most dangerous road' on Tuesday. Will stay overnight in Coroico where the ride finishes, head back to La Paz on Wed then fly to Cusco on Thursday. Thank you to all of you who posted messages on facebook and sent messages via email and the blog wishing me a happy birthday. Really appreciated it and it means so much to hear from all of you back home.