Bird's eye view as a finale

The end of the trip gave us one more day in La Paz. We had our hearts set on paragliding and it was so great! Running off a cliff and staying suspended in the wind currents for about half an hour was a perfect way to paint a smile on our faces and complete the trip.

Isla Del Sol

Inca legend says that this is where the sun was born. For us, it rained. The irony reminded us of another, "it never rains here experience", when we got caught in Mendoza, Argentina in a downpour. Nevertheless, on the shores of Lake Titicaca it is stunning. The entire north side of the island was closed due to conflict and protests, which left us only the south to explore. 

You head to the island from Copacabana, an obvious tourist hot spot in Bolivia. It reminded us of Pushkar in India. We rented bikes (well paid a girl to take her and her friend's bike for the day) and biked out of town on the hardest bike we have ever done! Biking at close to 4000 m is not easy!!!

Sorata

A little "off the beaten trail" is the little village of Sorata. Great for some relaxation and day hikes. 

Salar

Seeing the salt flats is on everyone's list when in Bolivia. It actually is sometimes the only thing people see while passing from Argentina to Peru. 
We signed up for the typical three day tour with Red Planet. With so many tour companies, it was hard to decide but we were very happy with their service. They offered some great touches that really made it a great choice.
In our car, we had our driver and guide as well as four others. Our car was really fun, we enjoyed sharing travel stories, belting out 90s hits and taking in the sights together.
The first day takes you to the salt flats, so crazy to see salt as far as the eye can see. Really a humbling experience. 
The second and third day take you through the Eduardo Avaroa national park. Although we went for the salt flats, the national park was incredible. From the world's highest desert, to lagoons filled with flamingos and volcanoes, it was so captivating!  

Sucre did not disappoint!

While researching the trip we came across Sucre. We marked it as a place to check out and were quite excited to get there. It did not disappoint! A colonial town with white-washed buildings offered a very European feel. 
We based ourselves out of Sucre to complete a two day trek in the Cordillera de los Frailes. It is a must! Hiking up to the Maragua Crater was exceptional. So different and so unique. 
We hired a guide for the hike and completed it with another couple from Denmark, Thomas and Simone. The guide only spoke Spanish which helped me to work on mine while trying to translate for the group. Thomas and Simone were great to get to know and really added to the experience.
Oddly enough, after the hike we spent another night in Sucre and enjoyed a great meal at a Venezuelan restaurant, Bienmesabe. If you are ever in Sucre, eat here!

Day two made it worth it: El Choro

El Choro is a three day trek based just outside of La Paz. The start of the trek sets off from La Cumbre and immediately forces you up to almost 5,000m. A good way to get the heart rate up! The view at the top is ridiculous. So rugged and vast. From there, you start descending into the valley. And down you go, down, down and more down. The trail winds from alpine into Inca trail over the course of the first day. 
Day two takes you into dense foliage on the edge of the rain forest. As the title of the post suggests, day two is the best day of the hike. The actual trekking is more variable and the landscape is really beautiful.
Unfortunately, day three takes you back to more descent, down, down and down some more. 
So, overall not our favourite hike of all time but the variety in the topography kept it interesting. Camping was easy albeit the areas around the campsites were quite littered which detracted from the beauty for sure (litter is a problem in Bolivia as a whole).
In order to get back to La Paz we passed through Coroico. It was so quaint, we spent the night. This was a great choice as it was so picturesque. We kicked back after three days of hiking relaxing in the cute town square watching the locals enjoy their evening. 

Touch down in La Paz

First impressions, this is crazy! How is this city built at this elevation? The city is basically situation in a deep valley with neighborhoods built on the gradual escalations of land on the perimeter.

Locals move about their day through chaotic traffic while grabbing a hot drink 

(served in a bag with a straw) and some bread on their way about their usual routine.

To me, the city feels a little disjointed. There are some interesting points but no central area that feels like it brings it all together. Chad on the other hand, loves it. He loved the spirit about it and was continuously amazed by the city's layout.

Out first night, upon the recommendation of friend's we met last year in Chile (thanks Jay!) we dined at Ali Pacha. Seven courses of gastronomy filled a wonderful evening in a beautiful restaurant with unmatched ambiance. 

A huge highlight and a MUST-DO while in La Paz is the teleferico. A cable car that offers public transportation from the city central to the surroundings. The views are breathtaking. When we got to the top, we witnessed some locals dancing through the streets, completing some sort of personal celebration, this is something we would see many times over while in Bolivia, it is really beautiful and hypnotizing. 

By day two, we were already getting ourselves ready for heading out on our first multi-day trek, El Choro.  

Bolivia Bound

Only a few weeks and we are headed back to South America. This time to explore Bolivia. Armed with a list of new treks, some Spanish lessons and a new pack, we are counting down the days until we depart.

Mardi Gras, Craw Fish and the Bayou

We don't always feature our shorter trips on this blog but this past February we flew down to surprise a great friend, Ryan in New Orleans. It was fun to check out such a neat city, chow down on some Southern Cuisine and escape the Canadian Winter for a few days. 
We can confirm that:
- People are crazy for Mardi Gras beads
- Food in the south is always super sized
- The dark shadow that Hurricane Katrina cast on the town remains ever present
- We are lucky to have Ryan and now his, fiancee, Tara, in our lives