Cordillera Apolobamba

While Caitlin and I discussed our South America plans in early fall, we recognized we were going to have to compromise on finding time for both town days and hiking days. We spent a good chunk of our first bit time together enjoying town days and Jugos Naturales. Bolivia came along and it was time to hike some mountains. We found a hike in the Lonely Planet that was described as a climb over 5 mountain passes with views that rival hiking in Nepal. It was described as a difficult hike to get too and from, but one that was worth it. This was our hike! 

Half the adventure was finding the bus terminal outside of La Paz in order to get a bus to a northern town called Pelechuco, close to the Peruvian border. We loaded into tiny buses full of Bolivians going to and from the markets and finally made our way to Rio Secco (outside of La Paz). A fab fella in La Paz at the Andean Base Camp was helping us find a guide and our way to the bus terminal. He showed me a picture of a corner with an open door, unused bricks on each side and said – the place you buy your bus ticket is somewhere around this corner. The picture was honestly of a doorway. Somehow we managed to make our way there, buy a ticket and the following day we were on a 10 hour bus ride to Pelechuco, where it was our understanding, a non english speaking guide would be waiting. The bus was again crammed with locals heading to tiny towns along the way. Numerous times the bus would stop, ladies would head to the left and gentlemen to the right and everyone would pee on the side of the road. This was also one of those bus rides that you couldn´t look out the window – because every time you did, you realized the bus had a margin of error of about half a foot before a 200 foot tumble down a cliff. 

In any case, we survived. Upon arriving to a tiny beautiful town on the edge of a mountain, we set up camp in a hotel for the eve in hopes to hear from our guide. The following day bright and early, our Senior woke us up and we put on our packs full of food from La Paz and away we went. On our way out numerous locals asked us where we were from and where we were going. Everyone seemed excited to have Gringos around.

We hiked for 5 days through the Apolobamba Cordillera. I´ve never hiked in high altitude... it was as if we were walking in the clouds. Every day we passed ladies sheparding their lamas about and we hiked through a few tiny mining/ farming towns. The scenery was unforgettable. 

After 5 days of hiking we were excited to get to Lagunillas, where we were hoping to catch a bus. After many miscommunications we realized we would be stuck in this tiny town (where we couldn´t even get food on the first day) for 2 nights. We set up our tent in the small tourist lodging bedroom because the beds were infested .... really infested with bed bugs. We subsided off cookies, crackers and Coka Quina while we waited for the bus. Thankfully one lovely lady in the next small town over cooked us a homemade meal and served us in her Tienda for 10 bolivianas. What an Epic!!

 

 Our lovely tienda friend. 

 

Pelechuco. 

Making our way into the mountains. 

After a big climb. 

 Sending love home after an exhausting second day. 

Amazing summit. 

The senior and his senoritas.

 On our way to Lagunillas. 

Greasy because of no showers ... living off cookies and crackers. 

Eating dinner in a Tienda.