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If I remember rightly, I think I’ve been in Bolivia for 2 weeks now. I decided to rest up in Sucre after the cold climate of Uyuni and Potosí. After the relative easy life in Argentina I was taken by surprise by the freezing conditions you find in the Bolivian Highlands. We’re talking between 3,500 to 4,000 metres.

I’m now well rested, seen everything I think Sucre has to offer and I’m now ready to head up towards Santa Cruz. I hear this town is the wealthiest in Bolivia and the residents have ambitions to break away from the poorer regions of the country. Make me think the people living there are fat and greedy. That puts me off visiting. What does attract me is the possibility of doing the El Che tour. That would be cool!

And the weather in Santa Cruz is hot, so I’m told. I like hot!

I’m now in Sucre, Bolivia. Just two or three weeks ago there was a chance of civil war, now the most hassle I get is from taxi drivers or bus company workers trying to get me to travel with them.

The Salar de Uyuni tour is stunning. I went to see it with a very varied group: a Japanese, a Swiss, a Belgian, a Frenchman and myself, a Scot. The group used three languages, as we all didn’t share one in common. We used English, Spanish and French. The only downsides to the tour was the accommodation they expect you to stay in is very very basic (which is annoying considering the tour has been going for years now) and it gets very cold outside (and inside). It was around -20 degrees centigrade when we set off at 6.00 a.m. on day 2.

When I got back to Uyuni I decided to rest up before moving on. The problem with that idea is that the climate even during the day is pretty harsh. In the sun you’re nice and warm, but move into the shade and it’s much cooler. Stay there for half an hour and you’ll start to freeze. One interesting side-effect is that no-one uses refrigeration is Uyuni. All you need to do is keep stuff in the shade.

After mucho boredom hanging about Uyuni I took the bus to Potosí. A fellow traveller recommended the town to me, so I guessed it was worth a look. When I discovered that it’s over 4,000m above sea level I groaned. It’s not the prettiest of towns, but what it lacks in charm it makes up in vibe. When I was there, briefly, the streets were filled with people hanging out, and the day before I left there was a large evening street parade, right outside my hostel door. It was nice to watch the guys and girls jump about and wave their handkerchiefs in the air. I enjoyed listening to the bands that followed the dancers, for the wrong reasons. It might not be nice to say, but they were repeating the same few notes over and over, you’d think that after a whie they’d begin to play in the same rhythm.

Although my room wasn’t as cold as in Uyuni, I did freeze my buns off in the shade and at night, when the sun went down. I also discovered that even in a heated restaurant the locals don’t take their coats off, and the local cinema doesn’t use heating - they expect you to wear your coat. I froze while watching “Man in Flames”. A good film!

Also, at 4,000m I found myself constantly out of breath: lying in bed, walking up the street, drinking, etc. So, it wasn’t soon before I found myself on a bus to Sucre!

It’s been quite a week of travelling. I made my way up from Salta, through Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca, then Iruya, with a brief hike up to see the village of San Isidro and finally arriving in La Quiaca this morning.

The highlight of the whole journey was definitely Iruya. It’s in the very north of Argentina, very much off the beaten track. Just getting there is an adventure in itself. The 3-hour bus journey winds down through the mountains then up again. I tried not to look out of the windows, as I tend to imagine 100 ways to fall off the cliff face to our deaths. On the way back we started off at 6 a.m. and I made sure I kept my head down and my eyes closed.

If you’re fit the trek up to San Isidro isn’t too bad, it’s not that far but the terrain is rocky, and you have to cross over the river several times, dancing from stone to stone. When I got back I was pretty beat. Although I’m much fitter now (I’ve been up to see the Caves of Waira around Tilcara - the guide almost ran up, and the hills south of Humahuaca offer a spectacular overview of the town.) I still find it hard, perhaps in hind sight the 5 Kg of junk in my rucksack made a difference. Next time, I’ll unpack my crap before I set off!

La Quiaca, on the frontier with Bolivia doesn’t seem like much. The hostel I’m in is very nice, and there are Cybercafes aplenty. Besides that it just looks like a depot for good in and out. Tomorrow, I’ll say goodbye to Argentina, which feels a bit like home now, and start my new adventure off up towards Uyuni and beyond!

After 4 weeks in Salta I managed to get myself organised and out of there. My friends mentioned some places to visit on the way up to the Bolivian border. So, taking their advice, I bought a ticket for Purmamarca - from La Veloz. Lucky for me it was a nice day when I arrived at the “stop”, because the bus company put me down on the main road, some 6 km from the village. No taxis, no buses. Nothing. Anyway, I started walking. Fortunately, after about 20 minutes I managed to hitch a ride with the Gendarmaría - the local police. Yeah, I arrived at the village in style! (What I should have done is get the bus to Jujuy, then got a bus direct to the village from there.)

My first impressions of Purmamarca is: it’s really very small. Quite a shock after 2 months in Córdoba, and Salta. I guess it’ll take me a few days to adjust to the down-shift. One good thing is I’ve come across very few people who speak English, so I’m getting lots of Spanish practice, for a change!

I woke up early today. The weird guy who normally spends all day playing computer games in the hostel wasn’t lying comatose in the bed next to me (I’m in a dorm). I was woken by the Japanese guy stomping about at…. I looked at my watch… 8.42. Jesus, that’s early. I lay in bed for another 20 minutes thinking about life, the universe and eventually - getting up.

Sitting at the computer was weird guy playing computer games. Did he actually go to bed at all? After showering, I decided to make myself a cup of tea, before venturing out. Sergio who works in the hostel, cheekily invites himself to have a cup of tea with me - with my tea! (You have to understand that breakfast is supposed to be included but in all the weeks I was there he made me a coffee once.) Anyway, we had a nice chat. He showed me pictures of his girlfriend and a poem she wrote for him. I’m a softie I suppose.