YOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!
So where i last left off, I was about to head off to Lake Titicaca. They recomend in our guide book that you go to the docks yourself and book a ride. This way, the locals actually make a profit, rather than a travel agency. So Joey and I get to the docks, find a captain who says he is going to Uros (the floating islands) for 45 min, and Taquila (a bigger island with about 400 families) for 3 hours and that he will charge us 25 soles fo go on his boat. Dope deal - we did it. We get onto a boat full of food and supplies which are going to the islands. The boat is packed with locals, and after looking around a bit, we realize we are the only white people on the boat…. and it smells. The boat moves at the dramatic rate of 3 mph. Two hours into the ride, we ask some of our local friends when we are getting to Uros. He tell us we aren´t going there, we passed it 1.5 hours ago. FUCKKKKKKKKKK. Two white boys got hustled!!!!!! He also said it was another hour until we get there, so joey and i passed out. It was complete overcast when we left, but when we woke up - It was the Sunniest sun, the blue-est skies and the turquoise-iest water!!!! So fucking gorgeous. Little fluffy clouds scattered the skies and i felt i was in a painting. The captain approaches the us and tells us his Marinero (shipmate) is going to show us around the island since he is a local. At this moment in time, he is changing into traditional clothing from the island which we thought was just for us, but it turns our, they are all very traditional on this island.
We get to the island he the air, once again, is so thin that we can´t breathe. I was already used to it, but joey was freaking out but manned up and we made it to the Plaza de Armas. The Marinero didn’t really talk to us but asked if we wanted to eat at a restaurant, mind you Joey and I have been trying to save money because we know how expensive Chile is and so we have been eating nuts, fruits, and bread. The island is awesome, 400 families, all farmers. One problem i had with this island is the touristy aspect. We pay to see their homes, which is awesome, but we just invade their land. You can also pay to sleep in one of their houses overnight, which we did not do. The Marinero asked if we wanted to see the ruins, we said yes, and he just told us where they were because he had to go to something else. Joey and I walked a little bit with him and asked him the importance of the clothing. Its all in the hat. Red and white means you are single. Blue and red means you are married. And all colors means you are a respected elder. We checked out the ruins but didn’t know the importance of them but snapped some photos and left back to the dock, praying our captain didn’t leave without us.
Going back to Puno, we entered the Floating islands. With the other 30 people on the boat, he asked if we wanted to stop so that just Joey and I can get off. We heard from other tourists in our hostel that the islands were dissapointing and almost embarrasing, the locals put on a show for you. We decided not to stop and just to continue. Driving through them was enough though. These islands are literally floating. All made from the grass which grows in the waters there, and so are the houses and boats. Everything is made from this grass. As we drove back to puno, we saw a boat with a broken engine, so we picked up all the passengers. Joey and I talked to some Peruvian students who were checking out the islands. SUPER nice people.
We get back to the hostel and ask one of the guys who works there about bus information. Peru is famous for having the most dangerous buses. Remember the one we took with the kids trying to steal our bags and where we found the fake gun? This guy is Peruvian and told us even HE would never take that company! GREAT!!!! He told us of a safe company to take.
So this was our plan - Overnight bus to Tacna (the most southern city in Peru before Chile). Take a collectivo to Arica (Most northern city in Chile) Stay there one night - Overnight it to San Pedro, do a 4 day tour of the Salt Flats in Bolivia, return to San Pedro and head to Argentina. (Originally we were going to head down Chile and then up Argentina but because of the massive earthquake in Santiago, we are going to have to skip the southern part of Chile)
So lets begin with problem 1. The company the guy recommended, didn’t have any more tickets - So we had to go with another company. I was freaking out because it was rows of three, and i was sitting next to the stranger and heard of stories of the 3rd passenger putting a gun up to the tourist and robbing them. Turns out it was an old lady, and probably the most comfortable bus i have been in yet. Except i felt we were giong off the road every second. Joey swears that they are drunk while driving. Sweet.
We get to Tacna, and the collectivo which goes to Arica is a car. Literally a driver and his car (Ford Taurus) and he waits until he has all passengers before leaving. We fill out some paper work to get into Chile, and get all passengers and just take off. This guys dashboard doesn’t work. we don’t know how fast we are going, no RPM, no temperature - and he changes gears in his automatic car as if it were a manual. We were blasting techno with the windows down and flying through the desert passing every car. I felt like i was in a Tarantino film. We get to the border and this guy must do this 10 times a day because we just flew threw customs. It was a Tarantino film. We got our passport stamped and kept on to Arica.
We arrive in Arica and can feel such a positive vibe. The city is cleaner, the people are nicer, and the girls are muchhhhh hotter. My eyes are sore from so much staring. We find a place to stay for pretty cheap 4,000 pesos each which is about 8 dollars. We go out for lunch an had the best meal yet. This town is awesome, everybody surfs and skates and they have little sandwich shops and beaches and plazas. We decided to stay one night and head to San Pedro the following night on an overnight bus.
Problem number 2 - The next morning, when we go to buy our overnight tickets, EVERYTHING IS SOLD OUT. We need to come up with another plan fast. We decide to go to another city to transfer - Antofagasta, which is four hours our of the way. Whatever - we do it. So after we bought our tickets, we bought bread and fruit and water, went to the beach and chilled in the sun. These skies have NO CLOUDS. Cancer capital of the world. (not a fact, just saying) I made a friend on the beach, a golden retriever who followed me around and slept next to me until he found someone else who would give him food. We showered and went to the bus terminal. The Chilean landscape was crazy. We drove into a HUMONGOUS CANYON! Down to the very bottom where there was a police checkpoint and they questioned Joey and I briefly - I thought for a second we were screwed from that dude who got us through customs but all was good. Then at 3 am, we stopped again at customs where i was questioned and searched….for fruits from Peru. I was all good. Back on the bus and transfer to San Pedro. We got to San Pedro (15 hours later. finally) and go to book the tour.
Problem number 3 - American citizens have to pay 135 dollars just to enter the country of bolivia! Even if we are leaving 3 days later! Why does everyone hate us? After thinking how much that would hurt us financially in the future, we decline the tour. Now we are in San Pedro, and they have other tours that are all lame and things we can do for cheaper elsewhere. This town was a tourist trap, i felt like i was in a disney town. We decide one hour after leaving, that we are going to get the hell out of there, that night if possible. Argentina is much cheaper and we are right near the border.
We go the to the bus station - Problem number 4 - ALL BUSSES ARE BOOKED UNTIL A WEEK LATER!!! No effing way we are staying in this town, doing nothing, paying over 10 dollars a night, waiting for a bus in a fake Disney tourist trap. We have 2 options - Pay a private company to drive us to Salta, Argentina for 120 US dollars each ORRRRRRRRRR HITCHHIKE. Guess which one we decided to do. Lucky for us, the customs stop for all truckers and drivers is in this small town. We get our money back from the hostel we checked in to and head over there. The locals say its very common to do this. We ask every single trucker which all seem so shadyyyyyyyy. Nobody wants to take two guys. There are like 7 other people attempting to do the same thing. You need to get your passport stamped before you leave or you wont get into Argentina. We think it would be easier to get a ride if we are already stamped so we try to get it stamped. The officer threatens to arrest us if we get our PP stamped and we are still there in the morning. We don’t stamp it. 6 hours of asking and no ride, we decide to call it a night and head back into town and somehow get a 15,000 pesos a night hotel for 7,000. Best rest yet.
The customs guy also told us that all truckers going to Argentina have to stop overnight and will be leaving at 8 when they open up so we are not worried. The next morning we head back to the stop and all 7 people have a ride except for us 2. There are like 15 trucks all heading there and all say they don’t have space, aren´t going to Salta or just straight up no. An hour later, Joey and I are sitting there with our thumbs up our asses until a SUV pulls up. It is two males and one young female. Joey walks straight up and asks. He seems interested. I reassure him we are safe people and we can even tie the bags on the roof with the rope i have. He says YES!!!!! We go with him to get our PP stamped and off we go. Turns out this guy is going to drop his daughter off so she can catch a bus to go to college in Buenos Aires and just asked his co-worker to come along. Turns out these guys are the coolest! We basically got a private tour. He takes us through the Argentinian Customs and then stops in El Parque National De Flamencos - You go off roading in this area and there are rock formations randomly in the middle of the desert. Then he takes us to the salt flats in Argentina which is nuts. It just is a desert full of salt, if you can even imagine that. Then we got to go through the mountains which they charge 70 US here to do, called the Train to the Clouds. We stop for lunch and they bought us a bottle of wine! We also passed all of the other hitchhikers HOURS before because they were going in trucks and we were in a car with leather seats and air conditioning. The landscape is so amazing. I can´t wait to upload photos. We arrived in Salta and said our goodbyes and Joey and I somehow found an awesome cheap hostel. We splurged a little on dinner because we considered we saved so much by hitchhiking. A nice fat steak dinner with wine. SO GOOD!!!! So now we plan on staying here a few nights, then heading to Tucuman, Cordoba and then finally Buenos Aires! So excited to be here! Again, the women are so beautiful. We met a guitarist last night and are going to her bands show tonight. Good times thus far in ARGENTINA BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The driver who took us, Neno, said some very cool things. One is, “It´s best never to plan, things will always just go with the flow” I believe in this very much, look where it has taken us thus far.
Miss, love everyone. Write me emails!
Robert
