My first day in Bolivia was in sunny Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. That rain at the border crossing was clearly just an early trick to try to get me to drop my expectations. Sorry Bolivia, but that failed. I met the coolest old American hippie on the way to my hostel who shared his life philosophy of avoiding processed food and corporate America (which I found quite amusing when he shared that he owns properties in 5 different countries, including the US, and runs businesses – I didn’t dare ask doing what – that brings him enough money to maintain all the those properties and travel the world with his random collection of instruments as he sees fit). I met him again at the top of the Cerro Calvario in the afternoon and got to be his official YouTube cameraman when he needed his hang-playing (flying saucer-like Swiss instrument) recorded. And then, as I was walking up the main street I suddenly heard someone calling my name and since the hippie and I hadn’t exchanged those formalities (he apparently doesn’t believe that names are important in people’s interactions with each other. I didn’t tell him but I strongly disagree because I actually prefer Gunilla to hey lady, gringa, guapaaaa and whatever else people of Central- and South America refer to me as) I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on until saw that it was one of the Swiss people I crossed the Ecuador/Peru border with! Small world. So we decided to catch up for dinner again that evening which was really lovely.

The next day I headed to Isla del Sol. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay one or two nights there so I brought all my luggage. Which wasn’t the most clever decision I could have made. I got the boat to Yumani on the southern end of the island, where most of the hostels are located. But it’s up a pretty steep hill. So at an altitude of 3800m I had to carry my 30kg of luggage up a significant number of stairs. I was about as exhausted as could be when I finally made it up to the affordable hostels, found myself a room and got to deposit all of my stuff. I quickly threw a daypack together and set off for a bit of trekking. And this is when I realised the biggest flaw with that island isn’t the steps up to the village. It’s the fact that none of the trails are signposted. Or very obvious. Because I walked around for about 4 hours, made it up one of the highest points and to Challa but for about 90% of the time I was on random terrassed fields or paths made by donkeys and sheep but definitely not on actual trails. The weather was a bit rainy so I abandoned my plan to walk all the way to Challapampa on the north end of the island and went back to Yumani and got a menu del dia and a beer with a view over the lake. By then the sun had come out which was awesome. My Swiss border-crossing mates came past on their way to catch the boat back to Copacabana so we got in a final goodbye (at least until next time we randomly run into each other again? Unlikely but we thought that in Chachapoyas too) and then the German girl from my Colca Canyon trek came past as well so we had a quick catchup that we didn’t think we would have when we finished the trek in Arequipa as she’s on a 3-week trip so moving at a much quicker pace than I am. I caught the boat back to Copacabana at 10.30 the next morning – there was just not enough happening on Isla del Sol for me to want to stay an extra night and the weather was just a little bit too inconsistent. I made it down the hill to the docks without any twisted ankles (it was close a few time though. I hate my luggage) and crammed onto the boat with so many other passengers and luggage that there is no way we would all have survived if that boat had started to sink.

After another chilled afternoon in Copacabana, I headed to La Paz on a colectivo which took a route that involved a 20min trip across part of the lake on what can only be described as a few planks of wood tied together. Maybe it helped save some time because we were in La Paz well within the 3 hours it supposedly takes. Safely dropped off by the cemetery, a French couple on the same colectivo asked if I wanted to share a taxi into town which was great as the one thing I hate about big cities is the necessity for taxis – an annoying drain on your budget when travelling alone. And in La Paz, potentially of questionable safety, according to the stories. Once checked in at my hostel I went looking for a supermarket (my granola bar stash needed replenishing – and I learned that those things are crap quality and expensive in Bolivia!) and some travel agencies to enquire about the trek up Huayna Potosí. My free city map from my hostel had only one agency on it so I went there. And who was sitting in the little café next to the office but the lovely Swiss couple I’ve now managed to run into very regularly since we left Vilcabamba together over a month ago! And let’s remember now that La Paz is a rather big city so the odds were really not for this happening even though we’d been in Copacabana at the same time a few days earlier! So we covered onward travel plans again and while its now looking very unlikely we’ll run into each other again, with our track record I’m tempted to leave it as never say never. But in case we don’t see each other again, at least I will catch them on their blog – with better photos than mine but in German so the writing is beyond my comprehension. But probably better than mine too.

I was so excited to be back on my planned timescale when I got to La Paz that I really let myself take my time enjoying the city. Because it’s actually really lovely – lots of markets, museums, shopping and food for every budget. Not everyone shares my opinion on La Paz but I had a fab time there. I went on the free walking tour (we interestingly got followed by some people that claimed these guides were acting illegally by giving free tours and that we were depriving them (official guides) of business. There is probably an element of truth to their arguments but none of the people who go on the free walking tours would ever book an official city guide so I think the business they are losing is minimal and the bigger question is the business taxation of an organisation that relies on tips. But I don’t know enough about them to make any kind of judgement on that), finally bought a woolly jumper (at a fraction of the price in Peru) and took out as many US$ in $100 notes as I could so I’m ready for the black currency market in Argentina.

And then I went on a little bicycle ride down a road that may be a little dangerous (ok, maybe the world’s most dangerous. It may have ‘death’ in its official name). It’s obviously a massive tourist thing now so you can debate the true dangers associated with this trip (you could still fall over the edge for sure but I think you’d need to be taking some unnecessary risks or be so bad at cycling you shouldn’t have let yourself get on a bicycle) but it was definitely an adrenaline rush and crazy to think that actual cars and vans used to use this road regularly (pure insanity). Og mor, fordi jeg ved du googler om cyklister nogensinde er kommet galt afsted så lad mig lige sige at jeg tog med det agency der får bedst feedback om deres udstyr og sikkerhedsprocedurer. Og jeg betalte dyrt for det selvom det gjorde lidt ondt på budgettet. Det må jeg få nogle point for!

On the bus trip back to La Paz, we celebrated our survival with rum and coke in a way that made our Bolivian guides proud! Deserved, we felt. Obviously I hadn’t had my share of adventure in La Paz yet after that, so I confirmed my 3-day trip up Huayna Potosí. Ice climbing to just over 6000m, that can’t be hard right? Turns out it was, in fact I’m pretty sure I found the limit to my physical ability.

The first day, we got to practice on the glacier with all our equipment – crampons, harness, ice-axe- which was so much fun. We got paired up in 2s and assigned a guide who pretty quickly spotted that I had some trust-issues with the crampons which he kept reiterating you cannot have. As the alternate option was sliding down the mountain, I decided I was going to jam those tiny metal spikes as far into the ice as my strength would allow me. On day 2, we walked from base camp to high camp with all our equipment, a pretty hardcore 2 1/2 hour walk with ca. 15 kg of extra weight on your back, where we spent the afternoon drinking serious amounts of coca tea. Like, so much that we might have impacted the country’s cocaine production for the next year. At 7pm it was bedtime so we’d be ready for ‘breakfast’ at 00.30 and our subsequent departure for the top.

Me, my assigned buddy and our new extra buddy (one of the guys wasn’t feeling well when we were due to leave so he returned to base camp and our team gained his buddy as an extra member) left camp with our guide at 1.30, roped together with all equipment on and started the walk up the glacier. Our guide put me as the first of the three of us, rightly guessing that I’d be slower than the boys and could set the speed. There were definitely times along the way when our guide was really wanting me to be faster but we didn’t get overtaken by the teams after us and we kept up with the team in front so I reckon we did alright overall. On the way down, our guide did point out that he was happy we had stuck to a consistent pace and noted that on the day I had been ‘la primera chica a la cumbre!’. But there were only 5 girls making the ascent that day and I was the first of us to leave camp so the odds were really in my favour.

I didn’t get a headache or nausea in the altitude but my legs felt so heavy and there were definitely times on our 4 ½ hour ascent when it took all the mental strength I could muster just to keep going. But all the effort was worth it for this view, 6088m up on top of the glazier:

It’s right up there with some of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Below are a few other ones from our practice on the glacier and the climb itself. Just because it’s probably one of the only things I’ve done in life that I can use to big myself up. So just be prepared for that happening next time you see me.

I got back to La Paz yesterday, had a few celebratory drinks and re-packed my bag, ready to head off tonight for lower altitudes further south.

So far, I’m liking Bolivia. Except for the mosquitos which have left my left ankle looking like I’ve been attacked by a flesh-eating virus and the fact that indoor smoking is legal which means you wake up the morning after a night at the bar at Wild Rover feeling like it’s Edinburgh after a student night in 2004. And the fact that its cold enough that I have to wear socks every day. But those are small things compared to the awesomeness of the nature, the colours of the textiles, the organised chaos of public transport, the daily will-it-won’t-it-make-me-ill food gamble at the markets, the clear blue skies I’ve had the fortune of having characterise my time here so far. It all just makes you feel alive and it’s hard for me not to take a liking to that kind of place.

Today I’m listening to: Alt-J – ‘Dissolve Me’