After we have left the jungle going southwards direction Paraguay border, the tropical climate cools down again. But the next extreme climate awaits us already. The “Gran Chaco”with its thorn bush savanna and the dry forests. This region starts in the South of Bolivia going over to Paraguay to the northern district of Argentina.

...wherever we go the kids are very creative and leave a peace of art on our bus

The South-North extension is with it´s over 1500 km long and a surface of 647 500 squarekilometer nearly twice as much as Germany. This region is extremely hot and dry in the Summer. The area is rarely inhabitat and there are nearly no streets leading through. Most of the people which live here are Mennonite settler, working as farmers and as well Indian nomads. We want to cross the Gran Chaco on the socalled Trans-Chaco-Route from west to east. Already in Bolivia we try to get informations about the street, how are the road conditions and which way is the best to drive on. We ask several times and get several different answers. Therefore in the end we drive how our feelings tells us how to do and this is towards Canada Oruro, which is a small bordervillage on the Bolivian side. We are passing a bus with the lisenceplate of Paraguay and know in that moment: we can´t be wrong. If the bus did take the street, we will manage it as well. Before we come to the bordercontroll we have to pass a military area with the usual control. The costums officer on the border of the Bolivian side is very nice and thoughtful. He asks: “Do you have enough drinking water with you?” “Yes” “Do you have enough petrol with you?“ „Yes“ „Do you carry enough food with you along““ Yes even that” “From now on you are alone till Mariscal Escibarribia, about 270 km from here, a stretch which you normally can make under normal circumstances in about 4 hours. But if you loose your way or have a breakdown it can cause you a few days till you get there.” Wow, this are great prospects and really encouraging!!! On top of it he let us know, that in case we would like to change money, we could do that here right away. At the exit of the office his wife is awaiting us and there we change the rest of our Bolivian money which is about 10 Euros into Paraguayanos. Certainly the rating change is very high but what should we do with the rest of our money in a country where it is not valid. Now we have again 40 km to go to the actual border. Again there is a control and since it is getting already dark we ask the Comandante of the paraguayanian side if we may sleep in front of the barracks. No problem, they even offer us the bathroom facilities. Next morning one soldier comes over to our bus and want to see the passports again. As we do so, he tells us that there is no stamp which say that we are tourists. Only the exit stamp of Bolivia. In order to be allowed to enter Paraguay it is a must to have a tourist stamp. We have two possibilities: either we have to go back to Bolivia or we have to pay 10 US Dollars per person. Certainly there is nowhere such a stamp required. We did know about the corruption in Paraguay, we heard about several tricks, but never about this one. Michaela takes back from him our passports and I ask him what his name is and his rank and write it down in our book. I tell him that in case we will have to pay this 10 US Dollars we will do so, but not to him, we will pay it directly at the emigration office. Well and that was the solution for our problem, he disappeared quiet quick. So did we, you never know what comes next. After a few kilometres we see in a distance something black looking a bit like an asphalted street. Well it is not a Fatamorgana, it is a brandnew street made out of Asphalt! On some stretches they are still working to get it fixed but it is nearly finished all the 700 km down to Asuncion. We are sure, that even the very nice officer at the bordercontroll did not know about the new asphalted street.

... Pawpaws, typical trees along the Trans-Chaco Route

First of all we have to go now to Mariscal Estigarribia, 230 km from here, which is the most northerly point where people live and as well a military camp of Paraguay. There we have to get stamped our immigration papers. We go further the Trans-Chaco Route. We don´t see a single car passing by the whole long day. Maybe we are really the only one for today. There are many animals in the Gran Chaco, like jaguar, ocelote, tapir, anteaters, but it is seldom to get to see them. Snakes and tarantulas are quiet often to see on this stretch.

... Quiet often that you can see snakes on the Trans-Chaco-Route

Our next destination for today is the mennonite colony. In the year 1927 the first settler of mennonits of German origin did came from Russia to the isolation of the Chaco. In the time of communismn in Russia it was not allowed to belong to a religious community. Here in the Chaco the believers could follow their religion. Mennonits are members of a very strict protestant community which follow the rules in the bible. Nowadays there are three colonies with over 14 000 german speaking people living here. Most of them are only speaking the old low german – Plattdeutsch. The centre of the colonies is a city called Filadelfia. Friends of us have been here 18 years ago and gave us the name of a family living in this colony. We want to visit this family. We drive by farmer houses of the colony and first thing we recognice is how tidy everything is. An old German virtue. It is Saturday afternoon when we arrive and the whole city seems to be deserted. From Saturday midday onwards all shops are closed. No grocery stores are open not even an ATM machine we can spot. After a long time searching and driving through this city we see a group of youngsters and ask them in Spanish about where we could overnight here. But they only speak German and give us the answers in German. Since it is already late afternoon we decide to overnight at the backyard of a hotel and visit just tomorrow the family. It is quite strange to know that we are in the middle of Southamerika and everybody speaks to us only in German, it is like being in a village somewhere in North of Germany. Next morning we hear that the family we wanted to visit is back in Germany, since the father of the family died.
Later on we meet another person of the colony who tells us all about living here in a colony and this is very interesting.

... Streetsigns with German names for the different villages in the middle of the Chaco

We are going further on the Trans-Chaco-Route. Next to the street there are tent-villages where the Indian families are living. This tents are made out of plastic and rubbish, all what they can find on the streets. Sometimes you can see handcrafts which they are selling. We still have 460 km in front of us till Asuncion, which is the capital of Paraguay and as well the border to Argentina. After we have crossed the border to Argentina it is already dark, Therefore we decide to overnight at a petrol station. In the perolstation there is a minimarcet and we feel like in paradies. What an enourmous variation of groceries and other stuff. In Bolivia and Paraguay we never had such a variety. Now we want to go as quick as we can to Uruguay to visit the different thermal bathes where we want to stay a bit longer, to relax, doing washing as well some reperation on the car. At the town of Salto we cross the border to Uruguay.
Uruguay is a small country, landwise and as well the amount of population. Just 3,4 Millions inhabitants are living here and about half of them live already in the capital of Uruguay – Montevideo. Different then in the rest of South America there are no more native inhabitants. The people here are the descendants of European immigrants. Most of the people are living on agricultur or cattle breeding.

... A farmer house in the North of Uruguay

Oh I nearly forgot, I did bring with me a souvenir from Bolivia. Since a few days I really had pain with a corn in my big toe. Michaela look at it and says “ It is already so big, that we should consult a doctor to let it remove, especially to make sure that you don´t get an infection.” I don´t believe that this is a corn and so I take out my leatherman and cut away the skin around. Well what a surprise is awaiting us! A small (approx. 5 mm) maggot is to see. I get it out with a forceps and we clean the hole with iodine. Which beast have been choosing my toe as a nest, we don´t know and maybe that´s even better. The wound is healing quite quick and that’s good.
Our way leads us to the thermal bathes around Paysandu. At the thermal bath of Almiron we nearly stay a week. The warm water is especially good for us since it is icecold since a few days. Here we meet a very kind family: Rainer, from Switzerland who is married to Josi from Brasil with theire three kids. They lived in Brazil but have moved over to Uruguay three years ago. They invite us to visit them in a village named El Ombu near Young, which again is a colony of Mennonits. As well here in this colony in El Ombu, people speak as first language German. Rainer and Josi show us the village and I myself try to ride on Roco, the horse which belongs to Rainer. But I have a bit difficulties in riding, especially because I don´t know how to stop Roco. So I decide I better leave it. We get a sleeping place at the house of grandma “Fast” how they call the widow lovingly. Next day Rainer have to go to a hospital in Argentina for a health examination – a few month ago one of the horses did hurt his knee badly.

... Josi, Michaela and the kids

It gets around quick that two Germans are in El Ombu. Well we actually have to say, we are nearly a kind of attraktion it is quite seldom that foreigners are passing by. El Ombu is a really nice, charming and quiet village, where you have a bit the feeling that time stands still. You often see old cars which are older then 60 years. A horse is still the most means of transportation – that’s what we found all over South America. In the afternoon we get a tea-time invitation from Armin. This invitation is just the start of many others. Next day Armin invites us again into a restaurant for lunch in the near the town of Young. In the evening we are invited in Elsa and Harry´s house for Pizza , a young family with two girls. Harry did take over the smithy of his father. Today the smithy is more a workshop for agriculturale machines. It is very interesting for us to hear how it have been in 1948 as his parents did come over to Uruguay to settle down here. Some of them are not living anymore but got kids and the kids already have kids again and still it is like in the beginning of the time when they settled down. They speak German, they act German they even think in German. There are more German colonies then just this one and so they even marry German to German. Meanwhile most of them even receive German TV and radio and as well there in one computer with internet connection. Especially since Rainer is living here, he puts up the satellite dishes and he knows all about the internet. Unfortunatly we will not see Rainer any more, since the hospital in which he is, decided to do the operation on his knee right away and we are running out of time.
Yes, this journey is coming to an end, unfortunatly. We would have liked to stay here longer but our travelbudget is running short. Therefore now we have to arrange everything for our return to Europe and once we are there we will think it over what we will, want or can do next.
So first of all we drive to the German embassy in Montevideo to pick up our flight tickets which let send there to.

... Skyline of Montevideo-Uruguay

Originally we wanted to ship our VW Transporter from Montevideo to Hamburg. That would have been the best to do. Unfortunatly the shipping company could not cope with that. We have to have an agent who is arranging everything for us. That means it will cost a lot more. Therefore we decide to go back once more to Argentina – Buenos Aires because there we can do all by ourselfes and we can stay with the bus till he is in the container. It is the same company which we would have taken in Uruguay, but there it is not possible in the way it is in Argentina. All in all it is much more time what we need, especially since after we have arranged everything with the bus we have to go back again to Montevideo where our flights are going out; but it is much cheaper to do it this way. Up we go. Before we cross over by ferry from Colonia to Buenos Aires we stay another two days on an estancia. This was not planned – well what was really planned on our whole trip :-), but tomorrow is a holiday in Argentina and all offices are closed. Because of this holiday we book the ferry in advance, since a lot of Argentinians will take this long weekend for a short trip over to Uruguay and then on Monday back again. We did good, the ferry is nearly sold out when we book it. At 2.00 am we drive to Colonia, the ferry leaves at 4.30 am. First we have to get all papers stamped for the entry to Argentina. This is now the 15th time that we cross borders and this is the easiest one. In just 5 minutes everything is settled. The river “Rio de la Plata” is at this point so wide, that the ferry needs for the crossing 3 hours. With the sunrise we arrive in Buenos Aires. Because of the holiday there is no chance for a room in a hotel. The few campgrounds which are here are closed, it is Winter in South America. On the way through the city we see some military campgrounds and think it over if we should ask there for camping. We venture it, Michaela goes out of the car and asks the soldier who is standing there with his machine gun if it would be possible to camp here for one night. He smiles to us in a bit strange way and shake his head, no way. At least we tried it. (Solution for the strange smile, you will find a bit further down in the report). Michaela has another idea: we will ask at the Yachtclub Olivos, where in a guarded area the motorships are stored. We tell them that we are from Hamburg and belong there to the Yachtclub Hamburg and if by any chance it would be possible to overnight on there ground. The security officer calls for the person in charge and he decides that we are very wellcome. We even have hot showers! Since three weeks now it is really cold, even for Argentinian standarts it is extrem cold. Our heating system is more or less running all the time. In the afternoon we are in the middle of a historical event. Since 1918 it has not snowed, 89 years ago! I can´t really say that we are happy about that and longing from now on even more for the European summer.
Next morning we drive by taxi to the office of Hamburg Süd. The taxi-driver is really nice and try to be our local guide. He points out to the right and left explaining what we see. At that point we are passing the military camp from yesterday he tells us: “Well and this terrain which you see here is one of the most important for us, our president Kirchner lives here with his family”. Well we try not to lough out, now we know, why the soldier did smile to us in this special strange way. As we arrive in the office of Hamburg Süd we get to know, that the custums have new regulations for the tourists. We have to visit a notary, who then signs a paper that our passports are valid. This new rule is since two month and nobody actually know what sence it makes. At the customs office the officer tell us and a lot of other people waiting, that they have a computerbreakdown and Therefore they are not able to work out the papers. We should come again tomorrow, maybe by then the computers are fixed. We and all the others are not happy about that, but there is nothing what we can do about it.

... on the terrain of the Yachtclub Olivos we prepare our bus for shipping home

Well now we nearly run out of time, our flights are booked fix. Next day about 1 2/2 earlier as the costums office is opening we are there with new hope. We wait and hope that the officers will open the door with good news. Yes, the computers are working again and so we are really really happy. Every minute counts now. If we don´t manage to get our bus into the container harbour, then we really have a big problem. After already one hour we have all papers with the necessity signatures, no not all, one is missing. The officer tells us that the boss of the custums have to sign the papers as well, but he will arrive just at 2.30 pm. We discuss with the officer and explain that we have an appointment at the harbour, but they do not care. It is our problem. So we call the office of Hamburg Süd and ask for a second appointment. They are so nice to arrange this, but remind us that we have to come es soon as possible, since the workers are going home at 6 pm. Means, if we can´t manage till that time, that our bus is locked in the container, it would be then the next day. At 3 pm we have as well the last signature on our paper and now we have to drive as fast as we can to the container harbour which lies at the edge of the 14 million city directly next to the slums of Buenos Aires. We have to concentrate and look carefully onto our streetmap to make sure not to loose our way and end up in the slums. And certainly we did take the wrong road. But God thanks, a police car stands next to the street and so we stop to ask him the way. He shows us the way and finally we are at the container terminal of Exalgon. There is already Ignazius, a young member of the staff of Exalgon waiting for us and helps us with the costumspapers. Shortly before 6 pm everything is done, the bus is in the container and the costums seals it. Now we have to go back into town to buy a ticket for tomorrow back to Uruguay Montevideo at the ferryterminal. But how we can go back? It is already dark and most of the Taxi drivers of Buenos Aires refuse to drive out here at this time of the day to the harbour of Exalgon since it is next to the slums. Again Ignazius helps us. He organizes a driver of a security company which brings us with his car to a secure part of the town, from where we then can find a taxi. We buy the ferry tickets and go back to our hotel. Tired and knocked out we fall into our beds and sleep to the next morning.
We catch the hydrofoil over to Uruguay and then from Colonia to Montevideo we have to go by bus. Actually we have planned two days for this city, but through the lots of delays we actually just have left one day. On foot we walk through Montevideo but honestly to say, both of us don´t really feel like doing this. Actually we have ended with South America. In the evening we go out for dinner, our last Asado in South America and while we are there we recall the last seven month with all the wonderful people we met.

... view from our hotel in Monte Video

Punctually for taking off it rains like cats and dogs. With the Brazil airline TAM we fly to Buenos Aires. From there it goes on with the Alitalia to Rome. After 14 hours flying time we land from the South American winter into the European summer. Now we know where the sun has been all the time. It is really hot and we immidiatly take off our pullovers. Two hours flying time to Frankfurt. As we fly over South Tyrolia and we look down to the mountain range, we have to think of Sepp, the 72 year old globetrotter and hiker from Austria whom we met a few times: “I tell you, all over the world I have been climbing mountains but the most beautiful ones are the alps.” How true, the alps are really beautiful…..

... The dolomites from up the sky, how wonderful our earth is

The plane lands punctually in Frankfurt. In the entryhall of the airport there are already four people awaiting us. The parents of Michaela, Christian her brother and Lydia his wife are already since 5am on the road to surprise and receive us. At this time we don´t know that. After one hour of waiting were we are still not here, they get nervous. What has happened? Our luggage is somewhere between Montevideo and Frankfurt. Therefore we have to go to the lost baggage counter to inform them. Since we are not the only one without lugguage it takes quite a while. Michaela is switching on her cell phone for the first time after all this month and it still works. There is already a message on it saying: “We wait for you in Hall B 2”. What a surprise, we are wellcomed with champagne, beer and Brezn (typical Bavarian bread) and a sign saying: “.“ SCHEE DASS WIEDA DAHOAM SADS“ (How wonderful to have you back home again). It could´nt be more wonderful. It is overwhelming and Michaela cries a river of tears out of happiness. Again we once more can just say THANK YOU.

... Champagne at the airport in Frankfurt

Apart from our both families we would like to thank all of you, which have helped us on our journey and certainly for your interest in reading our diary. What we will do from now on, we don´t know till now. Travelling, settling down – we have no idea. We have learned the last two years a lot, which we never would have learnd if we would have stayed back home and go onto our normal life. The main thing we learned: You plan, you have an idea, a vision and life teaches you: live right now, enjoy and live now and here, all the other things are not in your hand.
Money is certainly an aspect which we know, you have to have it in order to realize a plan. Therefore first of all we will work again but what, how and where, we don´t know till now. Before we do that we have to come down in our thoughts, we have to settle our thougts and get ideas what we could and want to do next. But for sure you will here from us soon.
And don´t forget to look into our category „Friends“, here we have some pictures from people/friends we met during the trip in „Northern Europe“ as well than „South America“.
As well don´t forget the Irish proverb

“There are no foreigners, just friends we don´t know till yet.”

Michaela und Raimund
Here the map of our complete route through South America

Anna and Victor, the owner of the hostel, made it quiet difficult for us to leave this wonderful place. As a good bye present they gave us a little figure: Pachamama, the goddess of the Inkas for a save further on journey. Nowhere else in South America we felt so much home as we did here in Sucre, at the Pachamama hostel and that was the reason that we did stay such a long time.

... Michaela and Anna

But even so, after 18 days here, it is time to get to know more about the rest of the world. Our way leads us further on through the highlands of Bolivia. The first few kilometres after Sucre are still asphalt, then it is gravel road. First through a wonderful mountain range till the way is then leading along the riverbed.

...shortly after Sucre, the way is following the river (left in picture)

Very often, half of the street is gone down the slope. In front of us there are some trucks standing in line. We have to stop, what is the matter? Caterpillars remove the rocks, stones and gravel which are lying on the street. Last night there was a rock fall. We are lucky, after half an hour we can continue. But the street is getting worse, for the last 60 km we needed three hours. Well, but on the other hand, we see the landscape much more intensively.

... View up from the pass, down to the riverbed of the Rio Caine

Now we know, why the streets in Boliva are as bad. The population of Bolivia don’t care about the streets, since they anyway can’t afford to own a car. There are just a few on the streets, most are trucks or overland buses and they drive predominant during the night.

... a farmer house on our way

We drive along farm houses, which are miles and miles away from each other. Rarely that we can find villages. This landscape reminds us to the advertisement for coffee, which years ago have been on German TV.

... Highland, where the coffee grows

A young farmer installs a box for the energy-counter. In the next days he will receive electricity for his house. His two baby kids are running round the house, dressed only with a T-Shirt and underwear and this after all, that the sunset is already 20 minutes ago and for our opinion it is ice-cold. We are still on an altitude of 3500 m. The young farmer give us permission to overnight on his piece of land. It spreads like wildfire “ two strangers with a small transporter have been landing here on the Altiplano” All kids from the near district have made their way and observe us from a secure distance. In the early morning before sunrise we can already hear them in front of our bus. In that moment we open the door, they are all gone with the wind.

... Indigena-farmer on her way home

Next where we stood with our bus, there is the place to thresh wheat. Together with the neighbours they still do the work by hand like hundred years earlier in Europe. It is Sunday morning, 8.00 o’clock and both of the nearby neighbours come to the threshing place for work. Unfortunately we have to go further, since we still have a long long way in front of us. Our destiny for today is Samaipata. For a while the street leads us above the fog and we are like floating on clouds.

... above the fog

The fog comes from the rainforest of the lowlands up to the ridge of the Cordillera Oriental only to “lay down” in the valleys of the highlands. Later on the way leads us down again and now we are in the midst of the fog. Five hours of drive through fog on roads which nobody in Europe would call a road so much of mud on it. Very often the street is as wide as one car and the slope is vertical next to the street.

... Mud and fog, we hardly can see anything

We think it over: should we continue or just pull aside and wait? But what if it rains even more? Can we then continue or could it be that we get stacked in the mud? Lot’s of questions are in our head. What is the right thing to do? We decide to continue. Whenever it works, we stop for a short time just to clean the dipped headlights, to make sure that other cars and trucks can see us. The few trucks which passes us, are mostly without lights or just one working. Now we understand, to drive in Bolivia is not just adventure it can get very dangerous. It is already afternoon when the fog clears. How great it feels for the eyes. We only have now 30 km in front of us till we reach Comarapa and there the asphalt starts again. The leftover 120 km till Samaipata are easy to do.

... A woman sells medicinal herbs

In Samaipata we stay a few days on the campground of Pieter and Margarita. They are originally from the Netherlands but already 20 years living in Bolivia. They not just have a campground as well a herbal farm with medicinal herbs.
Before we will leave the Altiplano we want to do a daytrip through the fog forest of the mountains.

... “Mountain-fog forest” without fog

For this hiking tour we need a guide (it is not allowed to do hikes without one), to make sure we come back safely. Pieter is organizing this tour and calls up a friend of him, Frank, who lives here in Samaipata since seven years; before he moved over to Bolivia, he worked in a bank in Hamburg.
Next morning, Frank picks us up with his jeep. Heidi and Sonja from Erlangen, Germany are joining the tour. Heidi the mother of Sonja, is on a vacation here in Bolivia to see where exactly her daughter works in the jungle. Sonja works as a volunteer down in the rainforest in a small village as a nursery school teacher.
After one hour drive we are somewhere in the jungle. From now on we have to go on foot. Frank leads us through and certainly have a bush knife with him.

... Frank, Michaela, Sonja and Heidi in the jungle

The peculiarity of this mountain fog-forest are the huge ferns. On our way to the edge we pass different zones of vegetation. Up on the peek we have a terrific 360° panorama over the other peeks of the mountain range and as well down to the ferns. On normal conditions you have lots of fog around you, seldom enough that there is no fog. Well, we are lucky and have one of this very seldom days without fog. Animal wise we do not see more then different kind of beautiful butterflies and parrots. On our way back, Frank shows us a fresh footprint of a Jaguar, which is even for him a highlight, since even the footprints of a Jaguar are very seldom to see. After six hours of walking we are back at the jeep and start our way towards Samaipata again.

... back from the jungle

Over six weeks we have been up here on the Altiplano. Our next destination is the area of the missions from the Bavarian Franziskaner in South-Amazonian. For this stretch of 480 km we guess that we need about two days of travel, since most of the stretches are asphalt, according to our street map. In the end we need more than that, since again the street card of Bolivia is not right.

... Good bye Altiplano, early in the morning we go further

In the early morning we continue our travel. On our way, we first stock up our fruit and vegetable store, with one of the farmers selling there harvest here. The first two hours we continuously drive downwards and arrive the suburbs of Santa Cruz, which is a town with over a million inhabitants. Normally we try to avoid driving through big cities like this, but in this case there is no other way leading around the town. A few times we loose our way and again we have to ask for the way up to the North a thousand times. Here as well then in the rest of Bolivia you hardly can find street signs, which tell you where to go. It is already late afternoon as we recognize outside of Santa Cruz a sign showing “Delicatessen of Austria – 300 m”. We want to know what this is all about and follow the sign onto a cattle farm. The dog of the farm already greets us, but other then him nobody seems to be at home. We ring the bell, we shout out, nobody shows up. In that moment we think about leaving again, Elfriede comes out of the cowshed. We ask if we can buy some of the delicacies of Austria. Certainly, she shouts out and tell us how it have been, as she together with her husband Andreas and there three kids have been moving over to Bolivia to settle down. Since a few years they have as well a small restaurant, where Elfriede cooks on Saturday and Sundays specialities of Austria, certainly with there own meat. The most favourite meal for the Bolivians is Surhaxn (roasted pork leg) with Sauerkraut Elfriede invites us for coffee and cake (self-made certainly) and tells us that originally she is from the Rhineland Palatinate but been already a widow at a age of 21. Then she met Andreas from Austria and did move with him over to Bolivia. In that moment Andreas enter the restaurant and says: “If you want, you can stay with your bus on our ground” Sure we love to do that and as well we are definitely not cooking tonight, we have Surhaxen (roasted pork leg) for dinner.

... Surhaxen (roasted pork leg) in the middle of the jungle

Later in the evening Andreas comes to us and we sit together. Now we hear the whole story of his life which is truly interesting. He is already over 70 years old and still working on the farm. Time is running and the next look onto our watch shows already midnight.
Next day we drive further. The street gets a nightmare again, since it is not looking at all like a street for over 10 km. In the end the “street” ends in the dry riverbed of the Rio Grande. Now, in the moment the Rio Grande is just 200 m wide but during rainy season it is over a thousand meters wide. To cross the 200 m river we need to go on a wooden panel. It is quiet shaky till we are on the barrage?? Four men are pushing with their hands the barrage over to the other side.

... on our way from Santa Cruz to the mission

On the other side of the river we see a small hat, where they sell grilled river fish. We take a break and eat fish, rice and yucca for lunch. We invite a young priest for lunch who showed us with his motorbike the way through the riverbed. Then we continue our way on the bumpy gravel road. The heat and the humidity is even harder to stand then the coldness which we had in the last weeks up at the Altiplano. Well not really the heat gives us a problem but the humidity. On top of it, there are lots of mosquitoes and bugs, which in our whole life we have not seen until now. Especially at sunset and sunrise they try to come into our small house and make us mad. We realize we are coming to the real jungle. Trucks are often passing us with the load of huge trees from the rainforest.

... they still clear the rainforest

For today the sun did already say goodbye. To our destination, Urubicha, there are still 50 km to go. Since we don’t know the way, we decide to overnight here. We ask the boss of the nearby jungle airport, if we can overnight here on this ground. Certainly!

... jungle under fire, sunset at the airport field

Next day, shortly after sunrise we continue. From the town Ascencion we have to drive over red soil for about 40 km in the direction North-East. Many termite hills are along the street. If the lots of palm trees would not be here, one could think we are in Australia. It is Sunday morning, shortly before 9 o´clock. In that moment we are at the village square, the people come out from church mass.

... on the way to Urubicha

Father Walter, a monk of the Franziskaner order, who lives here at the Rio Blanco already forty years, did reanimate an old tradition. He brought back the music to the Ciquitanos, how the Indio’s here in Urubicha are called. The Jesuit order, which have been here already 300 years ago, taught the Indios how to play European music instruments. After the order have been banned, the Indios did go back into the jungle again. A few years ago, Father Walter tried again, to teach the Ciquitanos how to play and even the way of producing the instruments – which was a long tradition of the Indios – he brought back.

... Father Walters servers

Eleven years ago, he founded together with Sister Ludmila a music school, where the youngsters have now the possibility to play the different instruments. Classical music was not very well known here in Bolivia but know the Indios play the baroque style. Last year the choir and the orchestra of Urubicha have been invited by Adveniat, to do a tour in Germany in different cities. Sister Ludmila tells us, that the children can choose between eleven music instruments and the goal is, to even establish a music high school with boarding school. As well this year in November and December they will go on a concert tour through Germany.

... Sister Ludmila show us the music school

Father Walter invites us to stay here at the mission for a few days and even to stay in on of there guestrooms. The room where we are sleeping is still original from the colonial time. We feel like in a monastery. The walls of the rooms are over one meter thick and the ceiling is over four meter up. The room itself is laid out very simple, we can choose between a bed and a hammock.

... sometimes a dictionary is quiet helpful

The mission is constructed in a square. At the front side there stands the church. Around the church on the side is the weaving mill, a carpenters workshop and a carving workshop. The hospital, the school, the nursery, the cattle farm and the music school is a bit further away. As well a small shop is here, where all the self-made products are sold.

... the church of the Franziskaner order of Urubicha, left hand side the building for the mission from the old colonial time (where we live)

We have a small surprise for Father Walter. My uncle, which actually had the idea, that we could visit the mission, gave us pictures from the time when he have been in the seminar for priests in the year 1950. Father Walter have been at the same time in the seminar for priests and so there are lots of priests which he know as well. In that moment he looks at the pictures he goes back in his thoughts to that time and tells us lots of stories which have happened.

... Father Walter Neuwirth, born in the Bohemian forest as the youngest of ten kids, lives since 40 years here in Urubicha

Together with him and Sister Ludmila we sit together on that evening and laugh a lot about the stories which they tell us of the old times.
As well Father Walter have a surprise for us. He tells us, that in the next mission, about 40 km away from Urubicha, is Father Franz, who originally comes from Schwandorf. Schwandorf is the neighbouring town from where I come from. “Father Franz will be very happy to see you, tomorrow morning I will call him and tell, that you are coming for lunch” say Father Walter. This is a great idea and we already look forward for tomorrow.

... Yaguaru, the Mission which Father Franz looks after

After breakfast we drive to Yaguaru. Again we have to go on dusty streets through the jungle. We are happy that we are here during dry season. In the rainy season we could not do this stretch with our bus. The village, for which Father Franz is the pastor for the last 2 ½ years, is called Yaguaru. Shortly before lunchtime we reach the mission. He tells us his life and about his work here in the village. After lunch we drive with his jeep through the village and he shows us what have changed since he is here.

... Father Franz shows us his community

„Not a single moment I had the feeling that I am bored” For whatever he does, he first have to arrange money. No matter if it is for constructing a house, or a needed operation for someone or for schoolbooks, which most of the people can’t afford. In the short time he is already watching after the village, he did let construct already 60 houses. We could listen to him forever, but Father Franz has still a lot to do.

... Father Franz Gruber, originally from Schwandorf, Bavaria

We thank him, that he took the time for us to show us around. Especially, since in two days he is going on his first vacation for the first time and certainly that means, he still have a lot to organize. On our way back to Urubicha we both are quiet. We over think what we have heard and seen the last couple of days. Certainly not everything was right, what the church did do with their mission all over the world, but people like we met in the last days, do spend their live to make it easier and healthier for the Indio’s. We have no words for this kind of efforts which they give.

... Laundry day for the Chiquitanos

For us this days have been most interesting for us here in Urubicha and Yaguaru. We did learn a lot for life, a journey is as well always a journey for the sole.
Our journey takes us further about 250 km east to the village of Concepcion. We want to visit the graveyard of the former bishop Eduard Bösl, who is buried at a side altar in the mission church. Bishop Bösl comes originally from Hirschau, not far away from my hometown Pfreimd and have been here as a bishop in Bolivia till his death in 2000. As we meet the secretary of the bishop and tell her that we would like to visit the graveyard of bishop Bösl, she invites us to sleep in their guesthouse. We tell her, that we would be happy enough to get a place where we could stand with our bus but she just answers “Bishop Bösl would be not happy with this, please accept the invitation”. This is already now our fourth night in a “normal bed” and we nearly get withdrawal symptoms if we think about our bus.
Next day we say good bye to the area where all the missions are situated and go down further South towards Paraguay.
But this is another story.
Raimund and Michaela

A few information on the country and the politics. Bolivia is engraved in three different landscapes. In the Southwest the Altiplano, a plateau on an altitude between 3500 m and 4500 m, which is mostly deserted. In the Northeast the lowlands which is the jungle and mostly inaccessible. In the Southeast is the Chaco, a dry plateau which is as far as Paraguay up to the North of Argentina.

... Bolivian woman with her Manta, a traditional scarf for all things to carry

Over 70 % of the 8 millions of population of Bolivia are Indians. The first time in the history of the country there is a Indian elected as their president. Evo Morales, from a Aymara family has a lot of sympathies of the population and since he is the president the people of Bolivia have many more rights then before. For them he is a hero, for the Americans and the few rich people living in Bolivia he is treated like a terrorist. Even though Bolivia is blessed with mineral sources, especially with natural gas, it is the poorest country of South America. The world bank and IWF under the command of the USA, imposed Bolivia in the 90th as a condition “There will be just foreign aid and more credits from the banks if the generation of natural gas will be in private hands”. Beneficiary have been foreign especially American and European Petrol- and natural gas companies. Even the jobs to general natural gas have been occupied by foreign workers. Most of the petrol dollars did go into foreign countries where the population of Bolivia did come away empty-handed. Morales did promise to his people, that in case they would vote for him, he make sure that all companies working with natural gas and petrol will be nationalized and the benefits will be for Bolivia itself. As a result of this, the ambassador of the USA, Manuel Rocha, threatened the people of Bolivia: “In case of an election of Evo Morales as the president of Bolivia, the USA will quit the foreign aid and will close the market to Bolivia”. God thanks, most of the population of Bolivia did not let them intimidate and they voted Morales for president. Three month after the election, Morales kept his promise and nationalized all companies for natural gas and petrol. But it is just a question of time, how long Moreles will be on power. His political opponents, supported by the government of the USA, hatch plans to over through the government of Bolivia. It is not fair, if you see how and where the US Government is spinning their nets in the background and using their power worldwide. That ones which suffer are always the poor people and the kids. Already 40 years ago there was a man, which stood up for the rights of the farmers and the Indians. He was becoming worldwide a cult figure, “Che Guevara“. The 30 year old revolutionary with a beard and a black beret have been killed in October 1967 in the mountains, about 150 km east of Sucre during a fight with the special troop of the Bolivian Armies. The backer of this fight have been the US secret service CIA. But the myths Che Guevara is still alive.
This was a short introduction of Bolivia and now we like to continue our travel report.

Satelite picture of Bolivia – our travel route

Up at the Chilenian -Bolivian border control in Ollagüe we all meet again, which have been the day before on the campground in Calama. Volkmar and Gudrun from Berlin with their VW-Bully, Walter and Marion with their MAN-Truck from Warstein (west of Germany) and Paul, Joe with their four year old son and the right-handed Landover. As we are on our way to the border control, Paul is coming back and tells us in a way, just British can do so: “We drive back to San Pedro, the Bolivians don’t want us”. First we think it is one of his jokes. But it is not, Paul´s land rover is right-hand steered and that is the reason they don’t let him in. From the officer on the Chilenian side he gets a tip to try it in San Pedro, there the colleagues are not as strict. This opportunity means 300 km back on gravel roads and then they still don’t know, if they will let them into the country. We have not seen him anymore since that and normally on this stretches you see each other now and then, since the country is quiet small.

.... We say good bye to each other at the Bolivian border, knowing that we will meet each other in the next weeks or month somewhere again

Now we can start the adventure Bolivia. The next weeks we will be in the wild Southwest of Bolivia, if we will have no problems with the extreme climate, the thin air up on this altitude and the bad roads. We drive along bizarre rock formations, always the high mountains in our back, before we come in the evening to the town of Uyuni at the salt lake with the same name, “Salar de Uyuni”.

... A woman at the market in Uyuni with the typical bowler hat

In Bolivia there are nearly no campgrounds. Out in the wilderness it is not a problem to camp, but in the cities you should not leave your car unattended. Either you park it at a 24 hour watched car park or directly next to the police station. We got the tip to park and overnight at the Hotel Misthel, where you can stay for the night on the back yard of the hotel for a few Bolivianos. We are happy to got this information, since it is already getting dark. Just on the next morning we see, where we have actually parked our car.

... „Romantic Hotel Misthel“, Garbage place, garage and scrap heap

The place is anything else then a romantic place, but we are happy, that our car is parked save and we are in the middle of town, means we can do everything on foot. A few kilometres outside of Uyuni there is the so called train cemetery. Over the years they have stationed lots and lots of trains, where the trains are standing and rust. This place is not only of interest for train freaks and it is on foot just an hour away from town.

... train-cemetery in Uyuni

The main reason, why most of the tourists are driving this tiring long way up to Uyuni is, that everybody want to visit the worlds largest salt lake on an altitude of 3660 m. Certainly as well we are here for that reason and originally it was planned that we drive onto the salt lake with our own bus and overnight here.

...„Salar de Uyuni“, 12 m deepness of salt

When you drive onto the salt lake, a lot of salt stays on the underseal of the car and it is extremely hard to wash it away again and certainly the end of it is – rust. We don´t want to risk this and we therefore book a tour with a local agent for a daytrip onto the salt lake. The cost of this trip is 20 US Dollar per Person. At 11.00 am we start with a four wheel drive on the roads of the salt lake. Apart from the driver and a female chef are another 6 people on the car: a guy from Peru, one from Bolivia, a couple of Great Britain and we two. First we drive to the famous salt hotel which stands in the middle of the salt lake. Everything, apart of the thatched roof is made out of salt. From the tables to the chairs to the bed. After enjoying the salt hotel we go further on to the “Isla de los Pescadores” (the island of the fishermen)

... Isla de los Pescadores

Nobody can tell us where this island has it’s name from. There is a nice hike on the island up to the top, passing thousands of cactus. Meanwhile our female chef is preparing lunch, which is roasted meat, Quinoa and salad.

... the name „Cactus Island“ would fit better

At around 5.00 pm we go back to Uyuni and at dawning we are at our “Romantic Hotel” again. The back yard where we are, is next to the military ground, where the soldiers have their rooms and it seems they love music. Every day at 5.30 am we wake up by the wakeup call of a trumpet. Half an hour later we listen to marching music. Well that is not all, actually they play and rehearsal the whole day and the room for it seems to be right next to our hotel. Even for me, as a former Musician it is to much and I am nearly getting mad. It is so much rehearsal that we skip preparing dinner and go out for dinner to one of the various restaurants in town. Choosing a meal, Michaela is much more open to new things then me. She is ordering meat of the Vicuña and lama with Quinoa, a typical grain from the plateau, while I mostly stay with beef and French fries. For a big good meal we seldom pay more then 5 Euro. In the late evening when we go back to our night camp we can feel the ice-cold wind coming from the salt lake. We know by then, it will be as cold as yesterday. Uyuni very often is called the fridge of Bolivia and we must say, this is right. Last night we had – 15° Celsius and even in the bus it was – 2° Celsius.

... frostige Nächte bis – 15°C

The only thing which helps after such a cold night is a pot of hot tea and the best is not to leave bed before sunrise. But in between an hour the sun is changing the frost to over + 20° Celsius. Shortly before we leave Uyuni we meet a Belgium family with four children, one of it is a 6 month old baby girl and they travel with a remodelled truck. They as well want to go over the salt lake with their truck. A few days later we’ve been told from other travellers, that they drove over the salt lake, but broke into it. 72 hours they had to wait, till help came and could pull them out again. After four days we leave now Uyuni and heading towards Potosi over the Cordillera de Chichas.

... Indigena-woman on the field

Next to a little village, at a lagoon, we find a place to camp for the night. Next day morning we look out the window and think we have problems with our eyes. We stand in the middle of a herd of about two hundred lamas. A female shepherd is just bringing them onto the field where we parked the car.

... female shepherd at the morning with her lama herd

In that moment we are warmed up again from the sun we start to continue our travel. We pass small villages which are along our way. Most of the farmers here are poor and live from there herds of lamas. Sometimes we see herds of donkeys which are along the roads. Two times we have to pass small creeks, which used to be during raining season big rivers. Before we pass them, we always have to make sure, that we really can pass without problems. This means, we have to put off our shoes and as well the trousers and then we walk into the water. If the underwear is staying dry, we can do it with our bus as well, if not (speaking about 70 cm) we have to go all the way back in order not to damage the engine of our bus. Four weeks ago, we would not have had the chance to pass this creeks which in those times are rivers. Till now we always have been lucky. Shortly before Potosi we drive through a small canyon and then we reach the town about lunchtime.

... on the way to Potosi

Potosi, a town with 120 000nhabitants is on an altitude of 4070 m and is said to be next to the Tibetan town of Lhasa the highest city of the world. For us it is in the moment very important to know the exact altitude, to make sure we take always enough time to acclimate ourselves in order to lower the risk of having health problems.

... Potosi, a view over the city

We do not stay to long in the city with it’s silver mines. In the past time this city was one of the most important cities of the Spanish emporium in South America. The silver of the mines was covered with the sweat and blood from lots of Indians, but nevertheless it meant for Spain richness. Thousands of Indians did die in those times. Slavery, forced labour, exploitation of the people, that was a few hundred years ago. Die working conditions did not much change since the colonial time. Today the poverty let people work in the mines. We can’t believe it, that even today thousands of children are send by there parents into the mines for working. Very often they are not older then 12 years and they work up to 12 hours, starting from 7.00 pm till 7.00 am. After work they have to attend school and certainly are sleeping instead of learning. There bodies are already old by the time they reach the age of 20 and just a few of them will reach the age of 35 or 40. Most of them are dying of Silikose (dust lungs). Children’s work is by law forbidden even in Bolivia, but out of poverty the law does not count. Nobody persecute offences. We don’t want to look away and just tell you the beautiful sights and about the wonderful people we meet on our travel. This kind of themes you don’t find in any guide books. We don’t want to show you just the beauty of the country and the lovely people. In that moment you travel through Bolivia and be away from the tourist tracks you see the real country and you recognise the real live and how poor they are. Very often we get in contact with the poverty of this country. More about that during our report.

... Sucre, the day finishes, the night starts

We want to be in Sucre before sunset, in a place which Gudrun and Volkmar recommended. It is a hostel in the centre of Sucre, called Pachamama where we can park our car as well on the backyard of the hostel. This hostel is done by a Bolivian family which really have a beautiful backyard.. There even is a green field where they constructed tables and chairs made out of sandstone. Anna, the owner of the hostel did take a lot of time and love into this small garden. All over are plenty of wonderful plants and flowers. And another positive aspect is with it: We can sit outside without wearing pullover and jackets since a long time, even though Sucre lies on an altitude of 2800 m.

... everybody starts one time

Sucre is the official capital of Bolivia and the seat of the supreme court . The government businesses are done in the city of La Paz which is a city inhabited by millions of people. No city In whole South America you can´t find a city, build in the colonial style, which is as original like Sucre. It was build on seven hills, exactly like the city of Rome. It is as well called the white city due to the fact that the facades are white.

... A Indigena woman is knitting

The city enchantes us.We have the feeling it is not a typical city of Bolivia. With it´s lots of students it really gets an international flair. If you would try to find a comparison it would be the Bolivian Regensburg (where we lived in Germany). We feel really homely in this city and every day we find another way to walk through. We have the feeling it will continue quiet a while.

... over the roofs of Sucre

We ask Anna, which restaurant she would recommend for a dinner. She send us over to a restaurant called the ”Oriental” where we are the only “white” people. At the entrance there is a big plastic bowl. The size of it is so big that we in Germany would wash children in it. In there is a brown fluid which reminds us to liquid manure. All of the guests in the restaurant get one glass of it, we are not brave enough to try it. Instead we ask for two beers which the waitress is going to fetch for us over the street. There is no menu, only chicken with potatoes. Michaela order a quarter of a chicken, myself a half one. My chicken is so big that the plate where it is on, is not big enough. Michaela is starting to laugh and can’t stop to do so. We can’t remember that we ever would have seen a chicken as big as this is. The air in the restaurant is hot and sticky. At the open window, we recognize a man, a beggar, who stands there in trying to get eye contact with the guests of the restaurant. For most of them this man is invisible. I try to get eye contact with him and give him a sign that he knows, we will take care tonight for some food for him. Half of a chicken with lots of potatoes we let us rap like a doggy bag. At the exit he is already waiting and thanks us a thousand times and explains, that he need the food not for himself but for his kids. In Argentina and Chile we did feed the dogs. Here the people need some support.
Next day we meet Bruno, a French guy who is our age.

... Bruno the nurse and a "Schamane"

He lives since a few month already in the same hostel were we stand with our VW-bus. Bruno is a nurse and works as a volunteer, not even get paid for accommodation and food. He takes care about 150 children out of 2000 children which are living on the street here in Sucre. The parents of this kids leave them here in order to find a job in Argentina or Chile. Most of the parents never come back to Bolivia and so the kids have to make there own life. He tells us about his work. Michaela is one time visiting the Centre, were the kids can stay during the day and where they get warm meals and been looked after by some street workers. If they have any health problems, Bruno takes care about this. Michaela give her old shoes to the Centre, since she bought new ones and a girl which have been wearing till now Sandals during Summer and Wintertime have new ones.
Five days before we leave Sucre there is happening a tragedy. A small bus which brings Tourists from Sucre to the Sunday market in Tarabuco, get involved into an accident. Most of the tourists being in that bus, get hurt and unfortunately one Canadian girl (20 years old) dies. As well from our hostel there are some tourists involved and upon arrival of the news Anna the owner of the hostel as well then Bruno, the nurse, are heading to the hospital were the tourists have brought to, for translating and help were they can. Late at night they are back again. Bruno is doing his work as a nurse now in the garden of the hostel, while Anna is looking after them like a mother.
We are changing the theme now.

... the monastery of San Franciscans with the monastery church La Recoleta, one of 22 churches and chapel’s from the Spanish colonial time which are still here in Sucre

Late in the afternoon, when there is the sunset, we often go up to the Convento La Recoleta, a 400 year old San Francisco monastery. From up here you have a terrific view down to the city and it is really quiet, different then being down in town. We meet here Sanjosa and other Indigenas, which are selling there homemade waved textiles to the tourists

... Sanjosa and Michaela

We tell them about our families, how life is in Germany and Europe. Once we tell them, that in the very North of Europe there is no sunset for a few month, they start to laugh and do not believe us. More and more Indigenas are sitting together with us and listen to our stories and ask thousands of questions. At the end they want to know, if we will come back tomorrow again. We really have lots of fun with them.

... lots of fun together

On our journey we never stayed as long as here. The city and the people here are so friendly, so warm hearted that the last 18 days were passing by quick. But we want to see more of this country and therefore it is time for us to leave. We put this travel report in the net, before we leave, since we don’t know when we will have the next possibility.
Hasta luego!
Raimund and Michaela

On the other side of the street there are lots of plastic bottles which are filled with water. This time we stop there, since we have seen this already quiet often. Till now we always thought this is just rubbish lying on the street. Well this time we will have a closer look and we can realise that behind the bottles there is a kind of altar , with a woman lying on her back having a little baby on her breast. We don´t know what the meaning of this is and ask Jorge, who have a kiosk in the next village, what is it all about. He tells us the story of Deolinda Correa, which have happened in the year 1841. Deolinda Correa was a very brave women, which did walk through the desert just before getting the baby, to search for her husband, which she wanted to free from the armies. But right after given birth she died because of thirst. The child however survived, since the breast of Deolinda Correa still had milk. Lying on her back, with one bare breast, on her body lying the little baby, that’s how two Gauchos found her. Every year at Easter time there is a pilgrimage of over 50 000 people to the place where it is told that she have been found. The so called Difunta ( span= the dead one) is a popular saint in Argentina, even if the church do not accept her as this. Who ever believe in her will see another wonder. There are lot´s and lot´s of wonders which is said, that it was done by the Difunta Correa.

... one of the thousands Difunta Correa-Altars along the streets

She is as well the patron saint of the truck driver. Down from Tierra del Fuego up till the Bolivian border you can see this altars. One time people started to leave water there, that no travellers should die having not enough water with them like the Difunta. In former times you could really drink that water, nowadays the bottles stay there till maybe one time somebody would recycle them. We as well have a cold drink at Jorges kiosk before we continue our drive on this hot day. We are again driving on the cuarenta. The broken Asphalt is melting and mixes with the red soil. We drive through fantastic looking country with thousands of cactus. In the rear mirror we can see how much dust is behind our car. Well we wanted to have more sunny and warmer weather but we did not think that it will get this hot. We sit in our car and feel like in a sauna. we do not visit the Valle de la Luna and the well known Talampaya Canyon since it would be to much. Too many wonderful, fantastic, magic nature we have seen, our heart and eyes needs a kind of break. We drive further on with many cactus along the street through the canyon Cuesta de Miranda with it´s 800 curves till we reach Chilecito, Santa Florentina where we go this time on a campground.

... Cuesta de Miranda, cactus big as houses

New day, new luck. What would fit better to a hot day then the hot springs of Fiambala. So off we go to Fiambala which is 260 km far away. The springs are situated about 15 km east of Fiambala in a canyon 1800 m above sea level. 12 thermal springs are here one under the other in the middle od old trees which give enough shadow, that you are not feeling to hot. In the top basin the water comes out from the rocks with a temperature of 44 degrees Celsius. Through a waterfall it runs down to the next basin where the temperature is already one degree less and so on. So you have 12 basins where each of them have a different temperature. It starts to get dark and most of the people are going home, which had been here just for a day. Only a few are staying in the cabanas, which are situated next to the thermal springs. We get to know two man coming from Hamburg, with whom we stay till 1.00 am in the wonderful warm water, looking up to a marvellous sky with thousands of stars. Next day we wake up from a loud noise. The parking lot where we parked our car did become a construction site and therefore we drive as fast as we can away from here – without having breakfast. Short-term we decide to do our second passing of the Anden over the so called San Francisco Pass back to Chile. This time we are much better prepared, since we were most of the time at a height of around 2000 m. Therefore it should be not a bigger problem. The pass is at a height of 4748 m above sea level. We get first some more petrol, till we drive up the pass since the next petrol station is just to be found after 580 km in the city of Copiapo. The landscape we are driving through is just marvellous.

... San Francisco-Pass from the Argentinean side

The San Francisco-Pass is really colourful, the colour of the rocks are changing every few minutes. The only animals we see here are wild donkey. On the Argentinean Pass the street is just asphalt. So higher we come so less oxygen is in the air. For a few moments Michaela´s heart is throbbing. But she feels better very soon and anyhow, every 10 km there are small hats with the first aid kid and oxygen masks.

...Paso San Francisco, 4748 m

The Argentinean border control is at a height of 4000 m. The two people from Hamburg, which we met yesterday at the thermal springs are already coming back from the pass. They started quiet early this day since their goal was just to go up and coming back in the evening to the thermal springs to relax in them again.
Now we are nearly at the very top of the pass on 4748 m and this is as well the actual border of Chile and Argentina. On the Chilenian side there are just gravel roads. We pass at a Laguna where there are two natural thermal springs and therefore we make a short stop, to dip our feet’s into this warm water. After that we drive for hours through a plateau.

...wonderful and seclusion plateau at the San Francisco-Pass, on the Chilenian side

Around us the mountains are looking really majestic. All peaks which we see here are over 6000 m. We pass the salt lake of Maricunga where the border control of Chile is situated. Two young quiet bored border officer await us. Certainly Michaela has hidden again all our vegetables and fruits in the best way she does it always – that’s what we thought. Again the question: “Do you carry any milk products, meat, fruits or vegetables with you?” In the same moment Michaela is saying: “Sure not” a tomato rolls out the cupboard which one of the border officer has opened. He takes it with humour and all four of us are laughing about that. The tomato he still keep´s. Before we continue driving further we have a nice chat with a packet of Haribo gum bears, which we bought in La Serena in a supermarket. This gum bears of Haribo are very seldom to be found in South America.
Finally the road takes us now down direction Copiapo. 180 km nothing than just desert, only a few km before Copiapo we can see some very small villages. It is already dark when we reach the city, therefore we decide to overnight at a petrol station. Next day we drive further north on the Pan-Americana. We are already at the southern foothill of the Atacama desert, one of the most driest and hottest deserts on earth. In some parts it have not rained for the last 100 years. At Chanaral we go direction the sea where there is a small national park called “Pan de Azucar”, which means sugar loaf.

... Overnight place at the national park „Pan de Azucar“

The peculiarity of this national park are the cactus, there are twenty different ones here to be found. The second peculiarity is – at least for us: Ingo, Joli and Reni are as well overnighting there with their car. We have a wonderful evening together and next day we do go further on the Pan-Americana while the trio is still taking another day in the national park.

... back from the „Pan de Azucar“ to the Pan Americana

About 1000 km long is the Pan Americana going through the Atacama desert. It is Sunday and just a few cars are on the road. Mostly trucks which are on their way back to the South. They deliver goods into the sparsely settled North of Chile. Wherever we look there is just desert till the horizon in all different shades of brown. In the far distance we can already see a bigger city that must be Antofagasta. One of the few bigger cities in the north. As we come nearer to it, we recognise this were just knee-high bushes. It was a Fata Morgana, which happens through the heat. Later in the afternoon, finally a cool breeze is coming from the ocean and we are sure know that we must be near Antofagasta

... Sand sculpture at Antofagasta

300 000 inhabitants are living in Antofagasta along the coast for about 15 km. Since the price for copper has been rising on the world market, the town at the edge of the Atacama booms. There are lots of copper mines in the hinterland and the copper is transported from there to Antofagasta where it is brought on ships from where they are transported all over the world. We drive along the coast till Tocopilla then pass Calama direction to the desert village of San Pedro de Atacama. There are still 200 km to go. On our way there we pick up Ramon who had a breakdown with his car. The road gets very steep now. To steep and that’s why after another few kilometre we have to stop. The temperature of the cooling water did rise. So we have to wait together with Roman till the water cools down again. Actually we don’t know why it happened because both ventilations are running properly and it was enough water in it. Could it be that it is all because of the thin air here up in 3000 m height? Well after half an hour the engine cooled down again and we can go further. After a few kilometres we are at the top of the hill and from now on it is going downwards. While we are driving, Ramon tells us that he is working in the world biggest copper mining in Chuquicamata which we pass on our way. In Calama he leaves us to get somebody to pick up his car. But before that he gives us his telephone number and invites us to his home which is about 100 km far from Calama. We will tell more later about that. Shortly before San Pedro we are stopping on the side of the street, to look down to the valley where there is San Pedro de Atacama and as well the Salt lake in the South. We just see a green Oases with trees and bushes, no houses, nothing. The peculiarity of the Oases is the low way of building houses which are mostly done out of loam and wood of the cactus. None of the houses are bigger then one floor (apart from the house where the police is situated) and therefore all the trees are bigger and you have the feeling when you look from a far distance that there are no houses at all.

... shortly before the village of San Pedro de Atacama

16 years ago I have been already in San Pedro de Atacama and I was feared that the village through tourism would have changed a lot. But I have to say, God thanks, it haven’t changed much and the village still has it´s flair. Certainly there is a lot of tourism and therefore lots of the houses which at that time have been homes have changed into souvenir shops, restaurants and travel agencies. Nevertheless it is charming to walk through the lanes with the loam on the street and the limed houses. One of the very few sightseeing spots is the church, called „ Iglesia de San Pedro“ from the 18th century with a roof made out of cactus wood.

... Iglesia de San Pedro

Our residence for the next days is the Hotel-Camping Takha Takha in the middle of the village where there is a blooming hollyhock garden. This is a good base for the tours we want to make into the surrounding of San Pedro and on top of it, it is just two minutes away from the pedestrian zone of the village.

...Pedestrian zone in San Pedro de Atacama

We have made up an appointment with our Swiss friends Joli, Reni and Ingo which are arriving two days later. There are some reparation to be done on the cars as well the washing and some emails and so on. We cook together and certainly there is lots to talk about. Michaela, Reni and I are doing a daytrip up to the Jama Pass on a height of 4400 m.

... Jama-Pass, 4400m

San Pedro is ideal to acclimate, since this desert village it is on a height of 2500 m. That’s why we nearly don’t realize the 2000 m more on height. First the street is constantly going up and then we are on a plateau where we watch Lamas and Alpacas, which are owned by the Indio families.

... Lama up at the Jama-Pass

Other than the small houses made out of loam and the herds, the families do not own anything else. Lamas and Alpacas are belonging to the family of the camels, that’s why they are called Andean-Camels. There are two more species of camels which are living up here on the Altiplano. The wild and very shy Guanacos and the Vicuñas. Both are more looking like a dear then a camel. The wool is said to be the nicest and finest of the world. That’s why in the 1970th there were just about 1000 of the Vicuñas left. Just in time they have been added to the protection of species and therefore over 27 000 Vicuñas are living here again.

... Vicuñas at the Altiplano

Well that’s for the world of animals.
We drive further through the plateau. To our left-hand there is the Bolivian volcano Licancabur with a peak of 5930 m. At my first visit to South America I wanted to climb up this perfect looking volcano together with another Bavarian which I met in San Pedro. Just about 300 m before the peak we had to return, because we were exhausted. Today I admire the magic of the volcano from a far distance.

... Volcano Licancabur 5930 m, in the background

We drive through inhospitable landscape. Saltplateaus are mainly here in this picture of landscape. One time the landscape looks wide and smooth and then it looks quiet bizarre. As we drive back again the landscape is different out of the light from the afternoon. The plateaus are touched by long shadows from the mountain range.

... Saltplateaus at the Jama-Pass

Half an hour before sunset we are back at San Pedro. The highlight of the day is still to come. Not far from San Pedro is the „Valle de la Luna“ (the valley of the moon). A street is leading us through this “Moon landscape”. We have just two days before the full moon and so we are really lucky. The moon is nearly round.

... the moon nearly puffed

In the same moment on one side the sun is saying good bye and the desert is touched in all different colours, the moon is making his way up. The light changes minute by minute. Some buses full with tourists are already at the parking lot at the big sand dune. About 80 “Picture hunter” are storming up to the dune and taking one picture after another.

... “Picture hunter” at the sand dunes

Certainly we do the same, just from another hill. Unfortunately the light spectacle in this clear air lasts not long and the last buses already leave the “Moon valley”. Silence is back here where just the moon is awake and take care over his valley.

... Michaela and Reni in the moon valley

Ingo and Joli did already await us since we still want to cook together. At dinner we go over the day and the fantastic things which we have seen today. The evenings out in the deserts are cold so we cant sit to long outside and go back into our warm cars. We had planned just a few days staying here, but in the end we stayed 8 days in San Pedro de Atacama. Reni´s vacation is coming to an end and Ingo and Joli are bringing her down to Calama where her flight is going back to Switzerland.
We still have our date with Roman, which we picked up the other day on the way to Calama. This meeting unfortunately never happened, why we don’t know, maybe a misunderstanding. We have been at the meeting point but he never showed up, so we just could leave a message on his answering machine.
In Calama, on the municipal camping we meet Gudrun and Volkmar from Berlin which are as well travelling with a VW Bus. Next to them there are Marion and Walter from the Ruhr area travelling with a MAN Truck. We all have the same destination which is BOLIVIA. We drive all on the same day towards Bolivia but not at the same time since all of us have a few things to do in town. But we decide, that we will meet each other on the way at about 3000 m to get the body acclimated again since next day we go over a pass with a height of over 4000 m. Michaela and I are visiting a small village along the road called Chiu Chiu. Actually we want to visit a small lagoon which is called „Inca Coya“. Well it looks more like a round waterhole in the middle of the desert and nobody knows how deep it is. Even the very famous French biologist for ocean, Jacques Cousteau has been here, trying to find out how deep it is. His divers couldn’t go further then 2000 m and it was still not the ground of the hole.

... Laguna Inca Coya

We drive from the hole with unknown depth further direction Bolivia. In the late afternoon we see already both cars in the far distance and join them. We just have enough time to drink a cup of coffee together, then all of us are going back to the car since it is to cold to sit outside. In the night we have – 12 degrees Celsius.

... Convoy, overnight place in the desert of the Atacama

Well that’s enough for today, we are near the Bolivian border. The next report will be already from Bolivia
Michaela and Raimund