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The journey begins ...

Poor Cecile!
We borrow one of the most rotten of the bus trip .... On the bus 20:00, our reserved seats are full! After checking the tickets, the agency She also did a overbooking! Somehow, we all find a seat after some discussion and after 9 hours of bumpy, a puncture, air currents and very little space for our big guys, we are "cool" and well prepared to extend our night in the luxurious hotel Mitru Tupiza.

We meet every four (Pauline, Olivier, and Helene Cecile) at 10:00 am for a hearty bf '. Prog
of the day: three hours on horseback to Olivier and Pauline, and three hours walk to Cecil and Helen in the quebrada of Palala.

Forward Jolly Jumper!

The Nature still seems to come from earth ...

This is "the devil's gateway " ... and with a good alignment is obtained this photo:

... only moments later! Diabolical!

In the shade of a canyon, to nearly 3268 m above sea level ... I enjoy!

Back to the hotel to not ... I almost fell trying a gallop!

What a beautiful color palette ...

We are is close to the flora ...

... and wildlife!

Last night as comfortable ... the very next day, the great four-day expedition begins: the South Lipez and Salar de Uyuni .

DAY 1.

Following the theft of backpack Olivier, some Pictures taken and stored on an MP4 player shortage for this item ...

Manual, guide and driver and Delma the range with us and Mark, a young Canadian.

Although warm in the 4x4, two in the rear seats and 3 on the bench in the middle, we enter the quebrada of Palala and Sillar or landscape scroll on high speed before our eyes (70km / h on the track) .

on Bags the roof, water, gas, food, everything is protected from dust ...

Vallee de la luna 3600

night, Delma we warm up with a hearty cena (dinner), while manual covers the engine tarpaulins and blankets because here in San Antonio de Lipez, even when there is a 4200m! Mont Blanc least 508m ... !

It's in our sleeping bags under carpet covers the head under the bonnet we fall asleep around 20:00, raise planned: 5:00!
Needless to specify that no one shower tonight! ...

DAY 2 Depart

as planned and ... dirt track!

It rolls, it rolls and it stops suddenly and almost without realizing it is above 4855m Mont Blanc!

Kerckhove's very proud ...

We will cross the 5000m even before finding such fantastic landscapes of the desert Dali: Surrealist !

Off the Licancabur culminating to 5920 m and which marks the border with ... Chile!

A Cerelios, we'll stop and will play the curious:

Ben, your mistress or is she?

We have just the ...

Tonight, new dormitory or we will have the chance to warm up around a stove.
Needless to say, tonight was no shower!

DAY 3
The car is loaded and starts the first time.
Only problem: music ...

Manuel presents for the twentieth time even folk music CD ... Fortunately Olivier had planned the coup and we released a Legal Counsel of the Los Masis "bought in a music school in Sucre .... PHEW!

One day as worthy of the lagoons ...

Here Laguna Colorada, red in color due to the presence of a microscopic alga ( as Camargue).

.

Consequence of the cold this season, the lagoon is almost completely frozen and therefore few flamingos (flamingos).

We're now in lagoons lagoons, wonder of wonders and of course Olivier will moultes photos ... (some lost ... BOOH!). Here is a small preview:

The water in the "Laguna Verde" is full of lead and arsenic, or color ...

P'tit coup d'bar!

The mountain of seven colors

tree stone .. . you could imagine in the white desert in Egypt ...

We neglected to mention the llamas!
Here are pets. Llamas are not marks on the blade or numbered ... no! It is in color on their ears around tying scraps of wool between each identifiable owner. Their wool
(coarser than alpaca) is used for clothing and meat ... of course we eat it ... a steak! (Not terrible)

We meet other animals: the vicuna, a wild and protected today.

... they are far but they are!

then passing behind an active volcano and a field of geysers.

Tonight luxury in the Salar, we sleep in a building worthy of its place: a hotel salt .

The soil is coarse salt, walls, tables, chairs, cinder block of salt ... you will sleep very well!

Needless to say everyone here has shower!

DAY 4 and final day

up early to travel on the Salar and ...

Sunrise on the Salar.

No comment ...

The island's fisherman ... an island with cacti, open salar.

the entire team ...

The salar is an expanse of salt, a remnant of a lake of sea water drained is located 3700 meters above sea level. With an area of 12,500 sq km, it is the largest salt desert in the world and represents one third of the exploitable reserves of lithium in the world. Its formation dates back 40,000 years in which the extent of salt water was a part of Lago Minchin, a giant prehistoric lake. By drying out, he left behind two small lakes still visible and two major salt deserts, Salar de Copais and the huge Salar de Uyuni.
The salt is used, with an annual production of about 25 000 tonnes is unlikely to exhaust the estimated 10 billion tonnes of ore. Tourism activity expands to explore the lunar landscape of this site. The reserves of lithium, an essential component of electric batteries, are currently the focus of attention of several multinationals and the government.

salt that takes hexagonal shapes, the eye can see, salt, salt, salt ... opportunity for us to have fun with photos!

Delmas work ...

in search of salt crystals ...

light as a feather ... ahem! ahem!

a perfect balance among the boots and backpack!

The trip comes to an end ... Salar shows us his side "holding" a worker pays 0.60 cents per ton of non-iodized salt.

"Last meal before Uyuni (yuck) or I buy an accessory in a market that will serve me for the band from Dunkirk!
Meeting at Carnival 2010!
Helene

We spend the after noon to Uyuni and jump into a night bus to La Paz, 11h travel track and roads paved.
We arrive at 7am and take the little bf in the bus terminal and in the cold Paz 3600m altitude, we do not waste time and take up another bus to Copacabana (3h30 journey).
Who says Copacabana beach in Rio said in Brazil ... but no, we are actually well in Bolivia on Lake Titicaca. (The beach of Brazil with the name of this city, gives a sailor who was rescued gone astray by praying the Virgin of Copacabana).

On the way ...

We put our godillotsetsacasdos in a hotel of a higher standard to those of usual ...

... the girls' room ...

Little detour to walk to ° popcorn ¨: lots of kinds of puffed cereals ...

We decide to stay only half a day in this city. Here
sunset on the mountain overlooking the city overlooking Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, 170 km long and 70 wide. It was divided into two "equitably" with Peru, a country neighbor.

mounted at 3966 m for the view ...

ritual with a shaman along this ascent.

Kerckhove story ...

Copacabana

The sun sets and we will soon!

We will use this fresh water to eat ... Trout! ... makes a change from potatoes and rice!
"In a good restaurant in town, we met at a French recroisons Chile and I'll share it with a fondue Trout! a treat! Aurelie talk to me then she had to climb to realize ... a peak at 6000 and some ... Believe me, I listened to the summit and set myself a target of 15 days has come to follow ... "Olivier

The next day, so we embark on the island of the sun.

Mucho frio early morning ...

Sitting on the front deck of the boat, we sail quietly along the water at 1:30 on Lake Titicaca to the Island of the sun.

Scenes of life on Lake ...

the distance, the boats built in totora, a local fiber.

Barely poses foot on land, an ordeal lies ahead: to climb the stairs of an old Inca stairway with more than 15 pounds of backpack.

It makes not pictured but the ascent was rough!

With pleasure and relief, we stop in the first inn enjoys a magnificent view of the Cordillera Real.

Olivier with the traditional costume.

When the feast is over, go back down the speakers ...

First day was to walk north a bit lost in the terrace cultivation, we reach easily the main road ...

We walk with the sun and 4000m do not know where to turn so the landscapes are contrasts aridity of the way, layering of cultures in the distance, passing under an arch of trees Mountains and still has more than 6000 who are watching in the distance.

the Royal Cordillera!

Passage of ¸ ¨ or customs it exacts a right of access to supposedly maintain the road ...

We will not do around the island today as we chat with Noah and Sandrine, two travelers that we fileront great deals on Peru, our next destination.

customs still ...

Second day was to walk from north to south, and before leaving, the doctor will make the island a little bite to the son of our landlord ... facing the Andes and in front of us ...

This day hike with Laura and Olivier Gregoire (still french!) And Cecile and Helen will prefer to go through the coastal road.

"Laura and Greg have also tried to climb Mount has more than 6000, Huayna Potosi. We speak at length. They had to turn back to 5500, their stomach was acting up ... Good signs for me to complete my preparation. This will be rice and pasta during the two days preceding the climb! "Olivier

we descend the stairs like a young Inca llama to join Copacabana or we do not resist a toothless granny who offers us his fresh trout a handful!

Since Cecile 's true in two days in La Paz, the capital to align ourselves play shopaholics and benefit from 56 kg of baggage authorized by the airline. (thank you Cecile!)

one market, one market ...

Walking the streets of La Paz inclined at 35 degrees, believe us, it's even more breathless than pollution is well presented ...

to spare the intestine Cecile, we ate in restaurants a bit better than usual ... Here's proof!

"It is with great pleasure that I meet Helen and Olivier share for the second time a piece of their journey. I left Paris with a lot of motivation to confront 35h travel waiting for me. But after many vicissitudes due to overbooking my flight Miami-La Paz, the obstacle course in the end took 56h 35h ... While waiting in Miami, I had the opportunity to re-level speack in English All the time with American Airlines officials uncooperative! During my wait, I had the chance to meet Sandy, a French woman who worked for American Airlines in Miami. His help was invaluable and his kindness made me feel better.
So it was a great relief to find Helena and Olivier in Sucre. Phew! The holiday can begin.
Having the right to 64 kg of luggage for the return, we took the opportunity to walk the streets of La Paz and shopping. So
in La Paz that I finished my stay busy and I left.
return to Paris was relatively smoothly, phew!
After a race against time in Miami at 1:30 due to delayed my first flight, I successfully mounted in extremis on the plane to Paris. Phew, no more waiting in Miami! The short half hour that I had in Miami was not enough for all my luggage is on the plane to Paris! All this is bine finally ended, I met William at Roissy and the baggage was delivered to me two days later intact.
Thanks again for giving me Helene and Olivier concocted this wonderful journey with rich and diverse landscapes in a tight timing and taking me in comfortable hotels which you are not familiar ... I was very happy
to share your journey and not just through this blog. Share your day made me appreciate the way you travel. Enjoy what you have. Thank you! "Cecile

First

foot in this city and first doubt:
"get off the bus, we're accosted by police forts nice ... we a little wary because here in La Paz, it is common that people dress up Faux police to rip off tourists, we prefer to take a taxi and we even arrive safely at the hotel ... ¨

Helene

La Paz is the capital's most highest in the world, staged a 3200m 4000m and enclosed in a canyon. 800 vertical meters high mountain climate-ac counts is why poor neighborhoods on the hills and the rich live below ...
The majority of the Indian population resides at the top in the viola. We will make a Thursday at the famous march, which says there "Feria".

Clothing, suspensions, car dashboard, DVD copy ... here everything is bought and sold.

We even crossed a marabout who boasted to the men a medicinal drinks that can greatly increase the desire of the woman (we'll spare you the facial expressions) and treat ailments feminine ...
We are looking for a bag to cram the memories!
To preserve the fragile stomach Cecile, we do not eat at the market ... reserving a good restaurant for tonight in honor of 3 ... Olivier year.

"Cecile and Helen gave me a fabulous book to read and to wear a beautiful paved Many thanks to them for this attention."

Olivier

"On 19 June morning, I have accompanies my little sister at the airport ... and soon ciao Cecilia ¨

Helene

Days of 19 and 20, engaged in the organization of the week ...
Sunday, June 21 ... At home it is a celebration of music, here c is the Winter Solstice, the longest and cool night of the year.

We did not layer it has two o'clock in the morning but the alarm clock that we raised to go to the site of Tiwanaku observe the ritual of the sunrise. The large crowd gathered and the Sun will host the cosmic energy in the ruins.

We pending cosmic energy, we almost lost our toes so it was cold!

We removed all hands on arrival from the Sun ...

It was useless! Nothing was included in the ceremony, besides, we saw nothing either! Just leve the star, the guide takes us on a run of monuments monuments, beginning even then the explanation that the group is incomplete ... you know us, we were the last and therefore has nothing to say on the site ... !

???????

After a little bf to slingshot or we had to claim our bread rebelotte visit the museum! Again we sit on the explanations and you do not know nothing about this extraordinary civilization, it seems that preceded the Incas!
Strong returns, we drop the bar and with Aurelia and Jerome, french couple had crossed earlier in La Paz and the Calcutta-Bangkok flight, we go on, or it seems the traditional dances and music are planned!
Sitting in the sun, indeed, we witness the parade of dancers and musicians of Tiwanaku. Each district of the city promotes its expertise and we are relaxed a bit! Now it is
12:00, is the rendezvous with our guide to cheap meals! By mutual agreement, we boycott the meal and stay all four in parades! Here are 3 videos

much dancing:

capios From fine!

We will return just in time to board the bus and steal a few pieces of bread in the restaurant! We are the only bus to have seen these dances, they all become trapped eat!
The grand finale of the tour! On the return trip, we stopped the bus to attend a ceremony supposedly offering to Pachamama. (Foodland). Plant on the roadside, the guide once again his circus to the side of a poor native who prepared the gifts to the earth. Big
positive, vision and the Cordillera first palpitations ...

I cross the finger for?

No tip of course and a day to forget ...
Back in La Paz where we take the time to get organized, Olivier for administrative procedures following the theft of his small backpack and two for the adventure sports that we'll unveil soon. A more