Road to Bolivia with Nomadic Road – Adventures of Santhosh

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear “Bolivia” is, “The place where Earth meets the skies” and “The vast white salt flats of Uyuni”. When Venky from Nomadic road announced Bolivia specifically for our group known as the Baikal Boys, I signed up straight away without hesitation. Joy, my close friend had told me that he would like to join me on these expeditions. When I asked Venky if I could bring Joy on board as my partner, he readily agreed and we signed up as a team. The usual gang members Neeraj, Deepak, Mittal, Ram, Ashlyn, Ajesh, and Jos had all signed up and we had new members, Joy and Gopal join the gang

The preparations started well in advance in April when we were told to secure our air tickets and start with the visa formalities. As the expedition was beginning in Santa Cruz de la Sierra and ending in La Paz, we had to book our tickets accordingly. Since Emirates doesn’t fly directly to Bolivia, we had to change planes with their partner airlines from Sao Paulo. And since we had an overnight layover in Sao Paulo, we even booked hotel rooms in the airport hotel. Armed with the tickets we were able to apply for online entry permits with which we would get visa on arrival. The days passed by and we were told to get yellow fever vaccine within 10 days of our departure. Time flew by, all preparations done and here we were ready to board our flight.

14^th September 6.30- We, the Dubai boys, Ashlyn, Ajesh, Jos, Joy, and I assembled at the airport, and there was a surprise waiting for us. The counter staff were not sure about the visa on arrival in Bolivia, and we were sent to the profiling section where the US flight check-in takes place. We decided not to go back in case we were not allowed to board the flight, instead book tickets to one of the visa-free countries and fly there(Hahaha). Fortunately, we were allowed to board and soon were in the comfort of the upper deck of the mighty A380.

The lounge bar in the A380 was a solace for the long 15 hour flight to Sao Paulo, and we even managed to buy playing cards from the inflight duty free and played rummy in the lounge. For a change, the long flight felt comfortable amidst the camaraderie of our group, and Joy blended in with the group seamlessly.

As per schedule we landed at Sao Paulo, checked in at the Wyndham hotel within the terminal and settled in our rooms. The best part is the hotel has an open smoking area and its free for the hotel guests. For others had to pay 30$ to access the smoking area. Now the challenge was adjusting to the 8 hour time difference that too which is behind our time. We all had dinner in one of the restaurants in the terminal and played cards in the room to kill time. We had not bought any Alcohol in Dubai airport as Venky had warned us that they don’t allow Alcohol to be carried if you are transiting through Sao Paulo airport. So in the morning we went shopping for Alcohol at the Sao Paulo duty free before boarding our flight to Santa Cruz. The crew on the flight were kind enough to serve us some fantastic Brazilian wine throughout our journey and we landed in Santa Cruz in high spirits.

We signed the disclaimers, insurance forms and rental agreements and these monsters would be our babies for the next 10 days. The pickups were fully equipped for camping. We had individual roof top tents fully furnished with bed sheets, pillow and sleeping bags. There was a full set of cutlery, kettle, gas stove, 2 cylinders, vessels, emergency equipment and even a deep freezer.

The visa on arrival took a while as there was only one guy who could speak English and was assisting us. We were greeted by the local nomadic team when we came out to the arrivals area, exchanged some local currency and were transferred to The Courtyard by Marriot which would be the best hotel for this trip. As usual we were welcomed by Venky at the hotel entrance. On this trip Venky had made sure that we didn’t have to share rooms and we had rooms for ourselves. We met our partners in crime who courteously came down to meet us and the lobby was quite noisy by then. We were told to meet later in the evening at the lobby if we wanted local sim cards.

Venky had already spread all the goodies on the bed in the room along with a nice thick Jacket. Once our sim cards were sorted, we were introduced to our beasts, a good looking convoy of Nissan Patrols, and our partners for the next 12 days. We were briefed on the vehicle health and signed the vehicle agreements including the deposit block on our card. Hence forth we would be addressed as Nomad 1 for all team communications.

A beautiful dinner with drinks and local Bolivian cuisine was arranged at the hotel for the introduction of the local team and expedition briefing. Fortunately our local team leaders Mauricio and Rene could speak fluent English. The introduction and Briefing went on very smoothly along with local beer and cuisine. We also got a small goody bag containing local artifacts and wine.

We decided to sample the nightlife of Santa Cruz and decided to meet at 10pm in the lobby. Only Venky, Mittal, Neeraj and I turned up and we tagged along with Mau to a beautiful open night club. I think we were early as the crowd of young Bolivians was just building up. But whoever were there didn’t hesitate in showcasing their Latino moves.

As we had decided to vacate the place by 12 and the party scene was just building up, we decided to extend our duration by one more hour. It was really worth extending that one hour and we too got to shake our legs with the Bolivians. Finally I had to drag the guys out from there as we had an early start and we didn’t want to be late on the first day of the expedition.

Day 1, 15/09/23- A beautiful start for a long expedition. All were ready and lined up near the cars after a good night’s sleep and a sumptuous breakfast. Joy is not very big on driving and I grabbed the opportunity. I told him not to hesitate to ask me, if he wanted to drive to which he readily agreed. We being nomad 1, followed the lead and began the journey heading out of the city. We headed south west towards Amboro national park, situated at the elbow of the Andes. It is the place where the majestic Andes range meets the amazon forest. The drive was quite good as we were on good tarmac roads combined with good conversations on the radio and getting firsthand information from our local lead as we passed through pretty towns and villages. Everything turned exciting once we took a diversion form the tarmac to the dirt roads.

Within a few kilometers, Mittal bust his front tire and we had to take a break by the road when the tire was replaced. While waiting there, we got the first view of the Andean Condor, the biggest bird in South America flying high in the sky. After an hour’s drive on the dirt roads, we again took a detour down into the valley. The roads were narrow and steep and the Nissan patrol felt gigantic for the roads. Managed to safely negotiate this steep and lovely trail, a dream for every off roader, for our first nights stop at Refugio Los Volcanes passing through some coffee plantations. The drive was a little challenge for some drivers, but managed to do it. Our stay at the eco lodge at Refugio Los volcanes was absolutely amazing in a valley surrounded by steep red rocky cliffs, tropical rainforests and crystalline streams. To connect with nature in this perfect oasis of tranquility, we went on a 2 hour hike along with a guide from the lodge. The scenery is so beautiful that you need to be there to believe it.

Every step we took was worth the hike and the pictures etched deep in the memory. Finally when we reached the view point, the surrounding views rejuvenated all our tiredness and got us back into an awesome mood. The dogs at the lodge were very friendly and playful and kept us company.

It was a perfect day to unwind and relax in the green pastures of the lodge watching the Milky Way in the darkness. As the place was so remote, there was no network and all mobiles were in the pocket and we could all spend time together talking, drinking and singing.

Day 2 16/09/23- It was a pleasant morning, and after a good night’s sleep, we were ready to depart from this beautiful place. We drove back on the same route, but the uphill drive was easier compared to the downhill drive, and without a stop, we reached the main dirt road and stopped at the viewpoint. The view from this vantage point was mesmerizing, and we located the eco lodge at the bottom of the valley in the midst of a beautiful green meadow.

Our next stop was at the town of Vella Grande, where we refueled our beasts and continued our drive towards La Higuer, heading south, along the Ruta Del Che (Che trail) through a rugged journey that was spectacular. For lunch, it was packed pasta by the roadside under a tree which most of us didn’t have. As we continued our drive on the dirt road, the rolling green hills and fields turned to more arid topography with the altitude rising steadily. Along the way, we passed by a beautiful village called Pookara. This place became famous as it was recreated to film the biopic of Che Guevara and his struggles. Driving uphill, we passed by the memorial for the soldiers who fought alongside Che Guevara and died.

Finally we reached this beautiful property where Che Guevara last stayed before he was shot and since, it has been turned into small hotel called La Casa Del Telegrafista. The hotel is made off 2 small blocks with a common toilet but had a lot of character to it. The rooms, the furniture, the bar, the French team running this place, the kitchen, everything had a story to tell. As we still had day light we went to explore this small village.

La Higuera was small village where Che Guevara’s dream of leading a continent wide revolution ended in defeat and death. We took pictures at the larger than life statue and were lucky enough to enter the place where he was shot by the Americans and has since been turned into a museum.

Luckily we had our English speaking guides with us and they were able to translate the oration given by the museum curator which was quite fascinating to listen.

Back at the hotel, the French team had set up dinner in the open along with a pretty large Bonfire. It was again magnificent to listen to the stories told by them, sitting by the fire, sipping the spirits and having Bolivian food seasoned with Indian spices. It was again a beautiful day well spent. Went to bed in this cozy place thinking about the chaos at the one and only bathroom in the morning.

Day 3. 17/09/23- On day 3, the start was delayed. First the serving of breakfast was late and secondly one of the cars was not starting. Bidding good byes to the French people, the drive began.

It was uphill drive on the dirt roads and the early morning crisp air made the drive a pleasure. We continued the drive through some scintillating and winding dirt roads, crossed the new bridge being built on River Grande and drove uphill until we reached the town of Tomino, where the beasts needed filling up.

The view into the valley was beautiful throughout the drive. The coloration, the trees, the cacti spread all over the area looked different from the valleys we had been to before.

From Tomino the tarmac road was of top quality and by evening we reached the city of Sucre, a world heritage site and the former Bolivian capital. Sucre sits in a valley surrounded by low mountains and enjoys much milder and more comfortable climate. The city has many cultural attractions like the cathedral, the second oldest university in South America and the highly authentic Trabuco Market which makes it very delightful. Our stay tonight was in the center of the city at Su Merced Hotel.

The hotel has no parking, hence Venky had organized private parking and the team took our cars to be parked over there. The hotel was really good and comfortable. We walked around the town square in the evening and we were back for dinner at the hotel. Later in the night we decided to try out some night spots in the city, but couldn’t find one suitable for us. So we gathered on the roof top of the hotel and continued our drinking session over there, where we were cajoled by some guest for being noisy.

Day 4. 18/09/23- A good breakfast always gets the day going great. It was not the case today, the vehicle which was having trouble starting the previous day, refused to start. So Venky decided to leave the car behind for repairs and the occupants and their luggage reshuffled in to other cars. And by the time we could negotiate the city traffic we had lost 2 precious hours which would impact our arrival time at Uyuni. As the roads were good, we did good distance and driving through mountains, scenic and winding roads and through the highlands of Bolivia, we reached Potosi one of the highest cities in the world located at an altitude of 4090mts. The city lies at foot of the mountain Cerro de Potosi also known as the rich mountain which contained and still contains the highest deposit of silver ore.

The Spanish used this place as the location of Spanish colonial silver mint. A considerable amount of the city’s colonial architecture has been preserved in the historic center of the city. Venky had organized a surprise lunch for us at an ancient Hacienda which has been curated into a luxurious hotel now. La Hacienda Cayara is now Hotel Museo Cayara which dates back to 1557. The place is beautiful and the ambience refreshed us.

We were welcomed with a delicious cocktail and we preferred to have lunch before getting a tour of the place. The table was fully set up like a fine dining place and the food lived up to the expectations of the décor and ambience. Venky also got us an expensive bottle of wine which went very well along the lunch. After lunch as we were running short of time, we only visited their museum and chapel. It was worth the visit as we got to see things almost 500 years old.

If time had permitted we would have loved to spend little more time here with the beautiful hostess and heir to this Hacienda. We still had to drive 160 kms to our destination and it was evening by the time we reached our hotel, Hotel Jardines de Uyuni, a rustic hotel but with Andean décor and modern touches. It also had a swimming pool and sauna.

Dinner at the beautiful restaurant was good with some local drinks and Venky did the next day’s briefing during dinner as it would be a long day tomorrow. Also got the good news that the car we left behind in Sucre was repaired and it was on the way to join us. As the rollout was for 6am, we hit the bed early without wasting much time.

Day 5. 19/09/2023- It was supposed to be a long day as nobody was sure of the distance we would be driving today and was estimated to be anywhere between 300 to 400 kms, hence an early start was announced during the nights briefing. The night was comfortable and we were ready by 6.00 am. We were delayed till 6.45 as the vehicles were parked in a private property and had to be brought to the hotel. The temperature hovering around 0 degrees kept us on our toes till we were in the warmth of our cars. The early morning drive was really beautiful. For breakfast we stopped at a small town St.Christabel, where we went to the community center food court. Although we had our packed breakfast with us, we got fresh coffee and eggs which made the breakfast better and us happy. We continued further west, deviated from the tarmac towards the high altitude Siloli desert located within the Eduardo Avaroa reserve.

Most of the desert is at an altitude of 4500m above sea level. On the way, negotiating the sandy and gravel roads, we passed some beautiful lagoons white and grey in color.

The white color comes from sedimentation of Borax settled on the lake bed and gives a feeling of snow. It’s said that the water is so toxic in these lakes that it is not even fit for animal consumption. But surprisingly the flamingoes of the area have adapted to this toxic water and survive in these lagoons. Finally by lunch time we reached one of the awaited attraction of Bolivia, Laguna Colorado or the Red lagoon. The place looked spectacular even from a distance. Once our permits were sorted we drove to the vantage point, a hillock on the shore of the lagoon where we had an uninterrupted view of the full lagoon. We spent a lot of time admiring the beauty of the lagoon with its numerous flamingoes.

The lagoon has a deep orange-red hue from the red algae and other microorganisms that thrive in this toxic water. Surrounding the lake are large white deposits of borax contrasting the red color of the water which makes it interesting with a beautiful back ground of rolling grasslands and purple mountains. After having our packed lunch at this beautiful location, at 2.45 we left the red Lagoon heading back towards the desert. The team lead gave us freedom to drive by ourselves and we went berserk. We were driving at 160km/hr making our own tracks in the desert and the beasts were responding to our rush of adrenaline. We stopped by the beautiful rock formations created during the volcanic eruptions long ago. To our surprise we saw animals resembling rabbits, but with tails, coming towards us.

They are called Viscachas and native to South America. Then the local guide told us that the character Pikachu was derived from the viscacha. We were told that these are very shy animals and very rarely get to be seen but here they are used to the tourists feeding them and come close to humans. We fed them fruits and snacks and they were not shy to come and eat from our hand. As we were there Ashlyn and Ajesh who had gone further returned with a fully busted tire and again we had to spend time with the viscachas till the tire was fixed. Also at the same time came to know that Charles too had crashed his drone and it was in shambles. Driving through the beautiful dune formations, at 5 pm the vehicles came to halt on the top of a dune and when we came down from the cars, to our surprise we saw a beautiful lagoon and cute little hotel on its shore. Finally we had reached our hotel Los Flamencos, an eco-lodge, one of the most remote hotels in existence at an altitude of roughly 4300mts.

There is literally nothing anywhere within many miles of this place and it’s the only settlement in the Siloli desert with epic landscapes in all of South America. The lagoon is also known as the smelly lake and nothing other than flamingoes survive in these waters and there were plenty of them on the shore just behind the hotel. As it was still early and once we were settled in our rooms, we went for a walk along the lake admiring the beauty of the flamingoes. Also we witnessed one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen and you should see it to believe the after colors of the sunset. High altitude was already playing havoc with some of the participants.

A beautiful candle light dinner with lama meat was served and it went very well with the spirits we were having, very apt for a stay at an eco-lodge. Even though very remote, they still had Wi-Fi and it was given to us only for an hour. The other drawback was hot water, which some got and the room heaters were not working and it became the coldest night of the expedition. But this is what you get when you travel to remote places in any part in the world. We have slept in places where the conditions were 100% worse than this. A long day, but very memorable one.

Day 6. 20/09/2023- Not many could sleep well because of the high Altitude. In the morning came to know that Ram was badly hit and had to be treated with oxygen as he was hallucinated. Thankfully he was fine by morning and we could continue on our drive after a lovely breakfast at the Los Flamencos eco hotel. It was more of a day of driving today. We passed a lot of Volcanoes on the way and Mau was very helpful on the radio telling us about the names of the volcanoes.

By mid-morning we were at the foot of a live volcano, at 693 mt high spewing steam into the sky that goes by the name Carina volcano. Mau gave us a good explanation and were happy to be in the midst of people as there were a lot of tourist here. Mau had arranged a surprise for us at the small café here. We had hotdogs made of lama sausages with some fresh coffee which was really good and I had to opt for a 2^nd serving.

Driving north we reached one of the Chile-Bolivia border crossings where we took a break. We were allowed to cross the border by foot and take some pictures so that we could say that officially we had set foot on Chilean land. Turning right from the border post we continued our drive on the dirt road got to drive through a salt flat which gave us a glimpse of where we would be tomorrow. There was an old railway track in the middle of nowhere and it was difficult to figure out whether it was in use or abandoned. We decided to park there for lunch break. While the team was setting up lunch with camping chairs and tables, the beer we bought at the lama sausage cafe came in handy.

The place was beautiful and having a picnic lunch in the midst of the salt flat besides a railway track made it a memorable day.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving through interesting and mesmerizing landscapes till we reached our place of stay tonight, hotel Tayka De Peidra, meaning hotel of stones. It was a beautiful hotel completely built with local stones.

The issues of hot water was soon sorted and we were comfortable in the fully equipped huge rooms. Also got time to touchup the color on the mustache and the night was spent in the restaurant as usual drinking and talks of humor.

During the briefing, Venky reminded us that tomorrow would be a historic day in our life and we were ready to wait till morning to know about the significance of the historic day. Also we were told that there is no fuel around the place and the fuel had to come from Uyuni in cans in the morning.

Day 7. 21/09/2023- Finally the much awaited historic day had arrived. It is historic because we would be traversing the breadth of the famed Salar De Uyuni, which is around 10500sq.kms in area and the world’s largest salt flat at an elevation of 3650m above sea level. Once the vehicles were fuelled, we were on the dirt road raising clouds of dust from the convoy. We drove north from San Pedro De Quemes toward Puerto Chuvica, which is the entrance to the salt flat from the western side which is less touristy, passing through some quinoa farms. From a mountain top we got the first glimpse of humongous salt flat which looked like a sheet of snow in the middle of mountains.

The Salar was formed as a result of a pre historic lake going dry leaving behind desert like landscape of bright white salt, rock formations and cacti studded islands. Though wild life is rare in this unique ecosystem, it harbors many pink flamingos. It is said that the salt crust has a depth of 130 mts and has an extraordinary flatness with average elevation variations within 1 mt over the entire Salar. Following rain, a thin layer of dead calm water transforms the flat into the world’s largest mirror, hence known as the place where earth meets the sky. Hexagonal formations on the surface of the Salar de Uyuni is a result of salt crystallization from evaporating water. Unfortunately we were there in the dry season and missed witnessing one of the nature’s best natural wonder. You must have seen it in the videos. We all drove in an orderly fashion till we reached our first stop on the salt flat at Del Island.

We were advised to park our cars at a good distance from land as the salt at the edge of the island can be soft due to less thickness and the cars can dig themselves in the soft salt. It’s a small island mountain in the midst of the salt flat with many towering cacti which could be a few hundred years old. We didn’t attempt to reach the top, hiked for a few minutes, took pictures with cacti and created some wonderful memories.

From a height, the views of the crystal white salt flat can make any nature lover crazy. Once the drive resumed, we drove in formation so that the film makers could get some beautiful drone footage. The drive on the salt was smoother and less bumpy than the dirt roads and we were cruising hitting speeds of 140 to 160 km/hr. The endless white desert is now home to some of the most unique and breathtaking scenery on earth. Finding words to accurately describe Salar De Uyuni is no easy task. It’s a truly unique and awe inspiring part of the world and one has to see and experience it to be believed.

History repeats again, Nomad 3 had clutch issues and the vehicle refused to drive normally, but somehow managed to reach the hotel. After some lifetime driving experience on the world’s largest salt flat, we headed to Tahua, located on the northwest bank of the Salar at the foot of the majestic Thunupa Volcano. Our stay tonight was at Hotel Tayka De Sal (Salt hotel), as the name suggests, it is entirely made of pure salt blocks from the Uyuni salt flats.

As it is strategically located, it had mind boggling views of the salt flat. As we were used to having packed lunch on most of the days, it was nice to have a proper lunch at the restaurant. The jinxed Nomad 3 had to be parked at the hotel to be left behind as it was beyond immediate repair and the shepherd car was renamed as Nomad 3. Post lunch, we drove to the view point on a mountain. Once the cars were parked we had to hike for around 30 minutes to reach the spot. On the way up, we stopped by a cave where we saw some mummies close to 2000 years as per our guide. We got to hear the explanation of the mummies as to what the legend goes by from Mau.

Further up we reached the view point where there was seating arrangement and the Q’owaku ritual was organized. From this point it was breath taking to see the mesmerizing expanse of the salt flat. The Q’owaku ritual is a communal practice to give thanks to Pachamama (Mother earth) and to ask the ajayus(spirits) of the great apus and achachilas for protection of crops from weather phenomena such as hail or frost and abundance of products and animals. The ritual was conducted by our local team and the lady ranger of the area where they burnt the fetus of a lama with some herbs and the firewood we all had carried up the hike infused with alcohol, which we sprinkled in turns on the fire.

Back to our cars, we were told that after a short drive westwards on the salt flat, there was water on the salt flat which would provide some beautiful reflections and we drove immediately in the direction. We found the spot which was amazing, but unfortunately it was windy and there a lot of ripples in the water which was distorting the reflection. While we were there at the water spot, the support team went ahead, selected a beautiful spot for an interesting sundowner. The arrangements were fantastic with red chairs on the white salt and tables arranged with wine, local drinks and snacks. When we arrived at the spot, it was a heavenly feeling and we had a fantastic time with a beautiful sunset.

We too did what all the tourists do on the salt flat- trick photography. Mau showed us how to do it and in a few minutes we all became masters of trick photography.

As the sun went down, the cold nipped in and we were back in our cars driving back to the hotel. Something felt a little fishy as the local team were acting strange and trying to restrict our movement in the hotel before dinner. Actually, a surprise had been planned by them for us during dinner. A special local traditional performance with music and dance had been organized and they burst into the dining room when we were all present on the table. It was good entertainment and we too joined the ladies in dance and had fun.

It was nice to see, meet and understand the local people and their culture in spite of the language barrier. It was truly an interesting and historic day which went on very well etching memories with in forever. I carried a few big crystals of salt from the flat as souvenirs. The night was beautiful out in the flats and few of us ventured out on to the flat to view this beautiful and rare phenomenon of our milky way against the shining salt flat.

Day 8, 22/09/2023- As it would be a long day of driving ahead, that too around 350kms on predominantly dirt roads, we left early in the morning from Tayka De Sal. We again got a chance to drive on the magnificent salt flat and driving early in the morning with windows down was heavenly. After half an hour of driving on the salt flat, again we were on dirt road and it felt really uncomfortable and bumpy. The journey took us through the second largest salt flat of Bolivia which is lesser known than Salar De Uyuni and called Salar De Coipasa. We stopped on the salt flat for a coffee break before we continued our drive as we entered the wild altiplano in the middle of an arid landscape, surrounded by volcanoes close to the Chilean border on some treacherous dirt roads. We passed by dead coral field which was a thriving under this huge lake millions of years ago. It looked like we were on a totally different planet.

Again one car had a flat tire and we had to stop in the next village to fix it and also the vehicle need some welding. By noon we found a bridge on a small stream and the team decided to have lunch there. It turned out to be like a picnic as the place was beautiful and we had to finish the beers in the cold boxes as we had run out of ice. We passed many cute isolated villages on the way and during a stop in a village Joy found a shop selling stuffed Armadillo and dried Lama Meat. I refused to buy it and you will read further down how this armadillo played havoc with us. By evening we reached civilization and tarmac roads. We filled up the vehicles at the first available petrol station and continued our drive. Now the highest mountain of Bolivia Nevado Sajama (6542mt) was in full view and looked magnificent with its snowcapped top.

It seems many climbers from all over the world come here for climbing as it is a single mountain and not a range. By 7.30 we had reached out place of stay, a very basic accommodation, Sajama hostel. It had cute small cottages which was quite nice. Even though the dinner was not great, we had a good time with the full team together sharing our bottles. During the discussion that night, few of the participants who were affected by altitude requested to skip the next day’s outdoor camping at Araka, which was at a much higher altitude. Since majority opted out, Venky decided to skip next day’s program and take us back directly to La Paz. Luckily, we got rooms in the same hotel where Venky had booked us in for the next day, but we had to pay for that extra night. We missed experiencing the outdoor camping at high altitude. It was cold that night since we were at high altitude. Don’t know how my room door opened, I woke up from some sound and to my shock, found the hotels huge German shepherd dog standing next to my bed and staring at me. Drove it out of my room, locked the door and went back to sleep.

Day 9, 23/09/2023- Even though the guys were happy that they would be staying in a comfortable hotel tonight and experience the city life of La Paz, I was not so happy as we were doing it at the cost of an outdoor camping at high altitude and couldn’t help it as majority always has the final say when you are in a group setting. The hostel was located at the foot of the Nevado Sajama Mountain and you wouldn’t want to miss the morning views of it. The snowcapped top shone in the morning sunlight and it looked majestic towering upon us. It was time to bid goodbye to this lovely place. The final day of driving had arrived a day early and we were really proud of our beast which never troubled us during this extreme expedition. It took the tarmac, treacherous dirt roads, steep climbs and drops, deserts and salt flats all in one stride without troubling us or the mechanics. The drive from Sajama to La Paz was on good tarmac roads covering 200kms and the aim was to reach at lunch time and we did. La Paz is the highest capital city in the world at an altitude of 3650mt. Due to its altitude, it has an unusual subtropical highland climate with rainy summers and dry winters. It is located only 68kms from Lake Titicaca and is set in a canyon created by the Choqueyapu River. It is in a bowl like depression, part of the Amazon basin, surrounded by the high mountains of the Altiplano. Overlooking the city is the triple peaked Illimani Mountain. Its peaks are always snow covered and can be seen from many parts of the city. The drive into La Paz, coming down into the canyon itself is beautiful.

Checked into the beautiful Atix hotel, settled the luggage in the rooms and went for lunch at a nearby place which had choice of restaurants. We preferred Italian for a change and enjoyed the food with beer and margaritas.

Evening was free, and at night Venky planned the farewell dinner in the hotel restaurant itself. As we had time, we walked to the city center, bought some premium local liquor, Joy bought mixed sausages and meat products and we were back in the hotel, right in time for dinner. The setting for the 6-course dinner was beautiful, along with some Bolivian wine. As usual Venky raised the toast to yet another successful expedition and there were appreciations from the participants as well. The time in between the courses was really long and we started to get impatient and finished dinner skipping the dessert. As planned, we all went out to sample the nightlife of Bolivia and visited 3 nightclubs with Mau as our guide, and by the time we were back to the hotel, it was morning.

Day 10. 24/09/2023- When you return to the hotel in the morning from a night out, your day is ruined. Luckily enough, it wasn’t a bad hangover and we were up before lunch time. I spent the afternoon organizing and packing my stuff as we had early morning flight. We visited the famed witches market and bought some souvenirs along with a ukulele. Also managed to get the Lamasutra t-shirts for fun while joy bought some lama skin rugs. The rest of the evening was spent with the mallu boys in the rooms drinking. After all the rough treatment the body had received in the last 10 days, it required some pampering. So I had booked a nice full-body relaxing massage in the hotel spa, which really rejuvenated the body. We all again met at the rooftop bar for a few drinks and bid good bye to our friends as we had flights out at different times of the day.

Day 11. 25/09/2023- Venky had arranged transport to the airport and the vehicle was on time. Since Ashlyn was flying to Mexico from Bolivia, it was only joy, Ajesh, Jose and me back to Dubai. Check-in went on smoothly, we had a good breakfast at one of the restaurants, went through the security check and sat at the gate for boarding for our domestic flight from La Paz to Santa Cruz. A few minutes later, the police came in search of me and asked me to accompany them to the luggage hold. Since Joy and I were on the same pnr and luggage was together, we both went with the police. When we reached there, they pointed at Joy’s bag and said there is a “Kirkincho” inside. Instantly I realized it must be the stuffed Armadillo that joy had bought in a village. They asked me to leave and took Joy inside for questioning. They even off loaded his luggage and took his hand bag which was in the waiting area. The main problem here was the language barrier since all the people in the airport spoke only Spanish. I immediately called Mau, our local guide and informed him about what happened and he assured me that he would take care. I was in a fix not knowing what to do as the final call for boarding was announced. Just then Mau called and said Joy has been taken to the headquarters for questioning and asked me to board the plane to Santa Cruz. By the time we landed in Santa Cruz, I had made up my mind that I wouldn’t be flying to Dubai without Joy and was ready to take a flight back to La Paz. I called Mau and he gave the good news there won’t be any issue and joy will be released after signing an undertaking. Meanwhile Joy had got his phone back and messaged me that he was released and was on the way to the airport. Anyways we would miss the Dubai flight, so I immediately called emirates and asked to postpone our tickets by a day and told Ajesh and Jose to carry on. Fortunately they could do it at an extra charge. Meanwhile Joy was trying for tickets from La Paz to Santa Cruz and unfortunately there were no flights in the evening and he booked in for the morning flight. Since things were falling in place, felt a sense of relief and checked into the hotel close to the airport and Joy checked into the airport hotel at La Paz. Spent the night alone with a nice dinner at the hotel. Morning after breakfast went to the airport and it was a relief to see Joy there. We checked in for our flight from Santa Cruz to Sao Paulo and spent time talking about yesterday’s ordeal. Things went on smoothly from there. Spent the 4 hours layover in the lounge at Sao Paulo airport and the flight to Dubai was pleasant in the upper deck of theA380.

What a way to end an expedition. The whole expedition lived up to its expectations. When you have a team that is like a well-oiled machine, everything moves perfectly. Deepak, Neeraj, Mittal, Ram, Ashlyn, Ajesh, Jos, Joy and Gopal were this team. It’s always a pleasure to travel with this team along with the usual Venky, Charles and Paul (second photographer). Also thanks to the local Team of Mau, Valario, Reny and Roberto, who made our life easy with translations and explanations in English. Looking forward to many expeditions with this exceptional team. One thing I noticed with the team was, the appetite for adventure was diminishing in some (may be it is that way after you hit 60 haha) . The perfect example is the cancellation of the outdoor camping. So not sure how long this team will last in terms of adventure expeditions.

Signing out now and hoping for more.