Crossing the Altiplano

It was an early start today (19th August). The alarm went at 4.45am and Bolivia is an hour ahead of Peru making it feel like an even earlier start.

The first stop of the day was San Antonio, an old mining town which once housed more than 1000 people. When the minerals ran out the people moved to the new mines, with the last family leaving just over 100 years ago. The village was mostly destroyed when the people left as the workers had hidden gold and silver in the walls and now all that remains amongst the rubble is the cemetery, still visited, and lots of chinchillas!

This was the most chinchillas we have seen to date, with them waiting for the sun to fall on the ruins. As we (well I) tried to get photos of them they kept running away (as you might expect!) and pretty much all the photos I did get of them they appear extremely grumpy. I guess I was disturbing their sunbathing!

Finally, Stu convinced me I'd seen enough chinchillas (and they'd seen enough of me!) and we continued on, seeing several more ostriches running off at speed into the distance but there was more to today's trip than the wildlife. The scenery was also amazing.

So we entered the Andean Fauna National Reserve sitting in the south western corner of Bolivia. But before entering I made a new friend, a kitten with tassels put through her ears like the llamas! She walked along meowing so I bent over to give her a fuss (and to name her Snuffles). However it seems she wanted more than a fuss and promptly jumped up onto my leg and left dusty footprints all over my trousers!

The rock colours in the Reserve range from red to orange, blue to green and black to white depending on their mineral content. Today was mostly characterized by reds and oranges with the landscape making us feel like we were on Mars.

The land was also much drier here with the grass tussocks growing outward in circles in an attempt to find water making the landscape appear even more alien.

The next stop was Laguna Celeste, a 15 sq km  lake that is less than a metre deep! The lake was extraordinarily still making it look like a huge mirror.

After the lake we saw our first salt flat, Salar de Chalviri. This salt flat is a lot smaller than the one we will see tomorrow and only the top couple of millimetres is useable salt.

Before lunch Stu and I took a dip in a natural thermal bath on the edge of the salt flats. The water was lovely and hot and the view was fantastic!

After lunch we continued south to Laguna Verde which is twinned with Laguna Blanca and sits on the Bolivian-Argentinean-Chilean border. The lake was an extremely vibrant aquamarine which is caused by the high concentrations of lead and arsenic. The wind always blows here meaning this lake can remain liquid down to -21 C and due the toxic nature of the lake no-one has found out how deep it is!

Fortunately today was an unusually nice day. The wind wasn't too high making it a very pleasant stop.

However the signs of the incessant winds were obvious in the snow. It had formed into claw-like structures where the snow had partially melted under the hot sun during the day then refrozen with the winds gusting at night when the temperature regularly gets below -20 C!

The last stop of the day was Laguna Colorado a red lake gaining its colour from the algae. The lake is a popular feeding spot for flamingos. 

Unfortunately we arrived a little late (too many photo stops!) and the flamingos had already started to leave. Hopefully tomorrow we'll see more of them!

Just before 6pm, more than 12 hours after setting off we arrived at our hostel. Tonight we are in basic accommodation, no heating and limited electricity. Given it gets to -20 C outside we're in for a cold night tonight!

Onwards and Upwards

Today (18th August) we left Tupiza for the salt flats.

Before we could leave Tupiza our driver, Johnny, had to check in with the local police to register his details. When we asked why we were told it was to ensure he didn't travel too fast through the national park which is dangerous. They record the time of departure and compare it to the arrival time at the next checking, not that we saw a second check point today!

Just outside of Tupiza we came across a herd of llamas taking themselves for a walk in a big long line. There were several mum and babies and this was the first time we had heard them make a noise. It was a soft sort of murmuring which is a call for them to all get in formation and march on.

To get to the first night stop on our trip we had to driving through a dormant volcanic area reaching our highest point yet, 5000m!

Altitude affects people in different ways. Although Stu and I are both acclimatised to the altitude the jeep is quite bumpy. That combined with the altitude made Stu feel sick and headachey. I however just got really hungry at the higher altitudes but feel ill at around 2000m :-\

On the plus side Stu got to sample the local "cure" for altitude related issues: coca leaves. Although we've tried the tea (which I think is vile!) we hadn't tried chewing the leaves. Our guide, Eli, suggested Stu try chewing some leaves (the leaves in larger quantities are used in the production of cocaine). He took a handful and was then encouraged to take more. So there he sat in the back of the car, chewing coca leaves looking like a llama! Supposedly they took the edge of it but I'm not sure he's keen to chew them again!

The rock formations around Tupiza are amazing. Everywhere we've driven through today has been carved by the elements. And of course lots of llamas and vercuñas (wild alpaca whose fur sells for $100 per kg).

For lunch we stopped in a sheltered area that is a favorite munching spot for all the local llama (some travel up to 3km). Even though we were at more than 3500m the sun was lovely and warm and we only needed a jumper to keep warm while we ate our picnic lunch, quite different to Peru where we would have been in full winter gear at that altitude!

After lunch we saw a couple of llamas fighting, biting each other's legs to force the other one to the ground. This went on for around 15 mins with other llamas watching. Then they just walked off together as if nothing had happened!

Further along the road we saw our first wild ostrich grazing in amongst the donkeys and llamas. A few minutes later we saw a pair of them running in front of the jeep which showed just how fast they can run (50kph!), one disappeared off into the distance whilst the other continued to run in front of the jeep for a while before turning and running off up the mountain.

Today was full of wildlife. Last time our guide passed through this area she saw 3 condors and today we were lucky again and saw one flying above the jeep following us along the road.

We got to our night stop at around 4pm, our highest night yet at 4200m.

San Pablo is a small (250 people) mining town 25 miles north of the Argentinean border. We went for a walk through the town and along the river, encountering some more llamas and donkeys on our way.

The town consists of lots of small houses and a church made of mud bricks plus a more modern section sheltering JCBs and a football ground which was is full use.

At dinner we were given (for the first time on our trips) a pudding, and this one was good! An extremely rich chocolate pudding that tasted like they had just melted a chocolate bar in a pan and served it, delicious but too rich for me to finish. However Stu had fully recovered his appetite and had no problems finishing mine off too!

Geology Galore

Today (17th August) we visited the sites around Tupiza. As we got in really early this morning we delayed our start to until 11am.

As we got up late we had missed breakfast so went a few doors down. Stu had quinoa porridge again and I had banana and chocolate crepes. Mouthwateringly good (literally - I dribbled down my front when it arrived!).

Our first stop on the tour was La Poronga, a pinnacle rock formation made by the wind and rain. Then on to Charahota and Monte Rico. You'll notice that one of the rock formations looks like a face!

In the surrounding area there are lots of fantastic rock formations, all carved out by the elements. Surrounding them are mountains that reminded me of sleeping giant dinosaurs, the dry mud similar to their scaley bodies.

The mountains are a lot more colourful here with shades of red, blue and gold. The change in colour is abrupt, one minute red the next blue or gold.

After lunch we headed south out of Tupiza to La Torre, another pinnacle rock formation then onto Cañón del Inca which is the first place we saw other tourists and probably the best sight of the day. We scrambled through the canyon until we met a 3m wall. We attempted to climb but with no protection for my camera and no easy way up we decided it best to head back.

Seeing it late had advantages other than just extra sleep. I think the afternoon sun is my favourite light and today it made the hair of the cacti glow as if they had haloes.

The last stop of the day was Puerta de los Diablo. It appears to be what is left of a mountain. A thin section of rock in the middle of a flat area. It was halfway up here that we got the best views of the surrounding area and I could have quite happily sat up there until the sun went down. Unfortunately we were at the end of our tour and had to get back to Tupiza :-(

Once back in Tupiza we bought some oranges for our trip on the salt flats (the oranges are delicious here!). The first stall only had small oranges so I moved onto the next one. The first stall holder snatched the plastic bag she'd given me out of my hand then stomped off. Larger oranges in hand and slightly bemused we went off to get a tea/coffee.

For dinner I had a traditional Bolivian meal: pizza. However ours was pizza with a twist, it had an egg on top! Surprisingly tasty!

Well that's it for today.  Off to the salt flats tomorrow.  Will post again in a in a few days as I doubt we'll have an Internet connection.

The Long Journey

Today (16th August) was the day I was least looking forward to but I had no idea exactly what was in for us.

We were recommended to walk to the bus station as traffic is so bad in the mornings a taxi ride would have taken at least twice as long as walking. This meant a 15 mins walk, uphill, with a relatively heavy bag along the congested main road.

When we arrived were went straight to our ticket desk. Unfortunately it was closed and had a sign saying bus departure at 14h00. This was problematic. Our bus was meant to be at 8.45 and we had to be at the train station in Oruru by 14h30 to catch our connecting train (journey should take 3 hours).

We worriedly tried the other desks to ask about our bus but no-one spoke English. I found another company with a bus leaving at 9.30 so fingers crossed we could still get there. Worst case we could always take a taxi.

Eventually at 8.45, having been told to be at the bus station for 8.15 someone turned up outside the booth of our bus company. He took our tickets, then gave us a new one which said 9.30 on it. We could have had a lie in given we are going to be up all night on a train getting to Tupiza and an extra hour in bed would have been great :-( On the bright side at least our tickets were accepted even with the corrected date.

Finally we found our bus but it didn't look much from the outside, complete with Play Boy bunny sticker on the door. However we were hopeful as the other bus the travel agency had booked for us was pretty good.

Unfortunately inside was no better. Seats repaired with sticky tape, an awful swell of BO, cardboard hiding the broken TV in its stand, windows sealed shut with sealant, dirt everywhere, ripped seat covers with springs sticking through, toilet "out of order" and a driver who looked no more than 12.

Things didn't get any better when the other passengers arrived. The smell got worse and several babies boarded, sat behind us and cried almost the entire journey.

Setting off slightly after 9.30 we thought we were on our way but 15mins later we stopped on a street in El Alto. More passengers and babies got on and we just sat there for over half an hour with random food sellers getting on and off the bus.

Eventually we left, but the bus kept slowing or stopping, with someone jumping out or shouting to people on the street. Now we were both quite concerned if we would make our connection as the bus didn't look in any state to drive very fast, assuming it could even make the full journey, and the road most of the way is rough track.

All we could do was sit back, cross our fingers, cross our legs, put our headphones on and enjoy the view out of the window. It seems we were not the only people in the bus doing this...

At 12.30 we reached the half way point. So much for a 3 hour journey. Stu and a German couple jumped off in the search for baños whilst I stayed with our stuff. After a few minutes the bus driver started honking the horn and slowly driving off. Stu and co came running back to the bus, their mission unsuccessful.

At 2.30, after 5 hours, we eventually arrived in Oruru having been sin baños (without toilets) since 8am due to the misinformation provide by the tour agency. We arrived literally just in time for check-in and had just enough time for lunch before our 13 hour train journey.

The first place we stopped at for lunch only did cheese toasties which aren't really substantial given we didn't know if we'd get dinner. We took the toasties for the train then went to another cafe where I was given half a chicken and Stu half a lamb plus a plate of rice each!

We got back to the train station at 3.20 and the train departed at 3.28, the first thing since we have arrived that had left on time, let alone early!

The train was quite comfortable and the seats reclined so we had a chance of getting some sleep and even better our carriage was half empty (with no children!).

Just outside Oruru there was a massive lake full of flamingos as far as we could see. Above the lake was a flock of smaller birds that looked like a mirror as their bellies were a silver colour.

After they lake there were just golden grass covered planes and red mountains with the occasional dog chasing the train.

At just gone 4am we arrived in Tupiza, caught a taxi to our hotel and went to bed.

How to Cross the Road in La Paz

This morning (15th August) we went to pick up our bus and train tickets for tomorrow. The tour agency who booked them (you can't book online!) was a short walk from our hostel up the main road in La Paz. You'd think this would be a simple task but the uphill walk, the altitude and the pollution made it a difficult task. By the end of the day, both Stu and I had sore throats, just imagine if you lived here!

On our way to the tour agency we passed several banks. Each had at least one armed security guard. What we guessed was the "best bank" had two security guards, each armed with a pump action shotgun! At the petrol station a policeman was stationed with a pistol plus spare bullets in his holster, with one missing.

What we assumed to be the "worst bank" had a single security guard inside who looked half asleep. We wondered if people choose their bank by their security presence?

After picking up our tickets we went back to the centre of La Paz and visited the Witches Market and church. There were interesting arts and crafts everywhere and it was hard to resist the temptation to buy some very nice things!

In the afternoon we flagged down a taxi and went to the richer part of town. The difference was astonishing. Gone were the small, higgledy piggledy buildings and in came the high rise tower blocks.

We were planning to have lunch in the Radisson Hotel which supposedly had the best views in town but the restaurant was closed although we almost got invited into the Coca Convention happening on the same floor!

Slightly disappointed we weren't going to get a view with lunch we found an alternative lunch spot, but this meant crossing several roads. We have been getting used to crossing roads here. The traffic follows a few simple rules:

   1. Stop for nothing. This includes people and traffic lights.
   2. When stationary, creep forward up to the next persons bumper, hitting pedestrians on your way and then pump your horn as this surely will get the traffic moving again.

Knowing these two rules will make crossing the road in Bolivia much simpler and less life threatening. We found the following tips helpful too:

   1. Run as fast as you can, dodging any traffic and ignoring any horns.
   2. If that fails, cross with lots of other people, making sure you are furthest from the incoming traffic!

Safely at our lunch spot we had an ok lunch, our second preferred place was also closed :-(

After lunch we headed for the "park" which is meant to be a romantic spot for couples. The park consisted of a few patches of grass and lots of steps. When we got near the top there was a little electric car that took you to the top for 30p each! When we got to the top there was a large glass building with a cafeteria sign. We hopefully headed straight for it, thinking we'd finally get to relax overlooking views of the city. Unfortunately the door was locked and the room completely empty. Today seems to have been characterised by places being closed.

We went back downstairs to find a ring of young people all saying things in unison. On further investigation it was a "Preparing you for Today" convention. We skillfully managed to avoid having to join the circle and the video camera recording the day's events. Finally we came out on a balcony with some ok views and could relax, sitting on a step with our half drunk bottle of water. Ah the luxury! It was at this point we found out our bus tickets had the wrong date on them.

Feeling slightly refreshed we made our way back down to street level and attempted to hail another taxi.

For the great expense of £1 we took a taxi back to Plaza Bolivia where the presidential palace and cathedral are.

The square was reminiscent of when I went to Trafalgar Square as a child. There were little stands selling seeds and children feeding pigeons everywhere! We both enjoyed our ice creams watching the children feed the birds. Fortunately we were not accosted by pigeons as we ate, setting off for a recommended chocolate shop as soon as we'd finished.

The smell of the chocolate...mmmmm. And the taste... MMMMMM. If you're lucky we'll bring some back with us. But I doubt it will make it all the way back to the UK :-p

With enough excitement for one day, we set off back for the old town, going down the local high street selling lots of fake designer clothes.

Safely back at our hostel, we had an hour before our laundry would be ready. Hopefully this time we would get all of our socks back!

We went back to the travel agency to get our bus tickets amended which seemed a little too easy. Some tipex and rewriting the date. Fingers crossed we can get on the bus tomorrow!

Enroute to the travel agency there was a long queue outside of a government building with lots of little booths with old fashioned typewriters in them and signs saying they were personal financial advisors.

As we walked to dinner we saw another rather odd sight, someone braving the traffic, trusting they would stay stopped at the red light, playing a trumpet! She stayed just before they lights turned green, went up to a few car windows then disappeared into the crowd.

Further on, every few meters there were beggars. We had started keeping any coin change in our pockets to give to them as the equivalent of 50p would feed them for a few days.

All in all our day in La Paz was quite an experience and most importantly we survived. No taxi hijackings, no muggings and no pick pocketing. Either we were lucky our the guide book is a little over the top.

Note: the photos of the town are taken in polar opposite directions. I'll try a panorama stitching when I get home and hopefully get a better picture when we return to La Paz on 5 days time.

The Sprawling City

Today (14th August) we left for La Paz. The guide book only recommends doing this journey in daylight hours due to the high risk of hijackings on this route.

We started around Lake Titicata until we reached the ferry point. We all had to get on the people ferry while our bus got taken across on little more than a raft.

Our ferry wasn't much better with random unattached planks of wood for the floor and 6 life jackets hanging up proudly...to service all 28 of us!

With us and our bus safely across we continued our journey.

As we entered the antiplano region a scattering of houses appeared attached to farms.

Over the next couple of hours their density and complexity increased. The farm houses were single story mud brick houses. Then two story houses became the norm, the ground floor made of mud brick and the first floor of hollow red bricks.

As we got closer to La Paz compounds were becoming common with high gates. Many were unfinished yet already had political graffiti all over them.

In El Alto, the town just before La Paz, the buildings were more ambitious rising 4 stories, the walls bowing inwards due to their thinness.

Then we got to just outside La Paz. The sight was breathtaking.  The city goes on for as far as we could see with little to no space between buildings. The city is reminiscent of Cusco but on a much grander scale. Buildings everywhere beautiful mountains in the background!

I tried to get a picture from the coach using my mobile...it's not great and only shows a small fraction of the city and without the snowy mountains. However it hopefully gives you an idea of what it looks like.

Tomorrow we're exploring the city and I'll try and get a better picture!

Before I finish this post, for those of you wondering, Sparky was waiting outside our lodge this morning and was excited to see us again.

It was sad to say goodbye but it seems he must have an owner as he looked as though he'd been brushed. And before you ask, we're sure it was the same dog as we checked our photos and compared to make sure!

Sparky's Adventure

Today (13th August) we went for a walk around the lake away from Copacabana, towards Peru.

We started in the town centre after a late breakfast and took some nibbles with us for lunch.

As we walked along the beach we met one of the dogs that followed us yesterday. He trotted along beside us once again.

After a couple of kilometres Sparky, his new name, was still with us. We walked round to the end of the peninsula, scrambled up the cliff then along it until we came to the top footpath.

Sparky diligently followed us even though it seemed he hadn't been up on the top footpath before as he kept stopping and looking down at the lake then loyally running to catch up with us, weaving in between us, running ahead, then waiting for us to catch up.

When we stopped for lunch, Sparky laid down next to us and had a snooze, immediately getting up when we did. We found out he doesn't like Pringles, cheese biscuits or the local milk and sugar delicacy. However he does like lemon biscuits!

Sparky followed us for the whole walk, almost 3 hours, all the way back to our lodge.

Not sure what our lodge owners think but he seems to be minding his own business asleep on our hut's doorstep!

When we went out for dinner Sparky was nowhere to be seen. We walked along the lake to town keeping an eye out for Sparky but still no sign of him.

When we got back to our lodge, who was there to welcome us? It was Sparky!

He seemed extremely happy to see us, jumping up and rubbing his nose into our hand. Unfortunately one of the lodge staff thought Sparky was annoying us and chased him off the grounds :-(

Wonder if he'll be there in the morning?

The Llama & the Donkeys

Still feeling slightly under the weather with whatever bug I've caught we decided to have another leisurely day today.

Yesterday we walked half the length of the island, the full width and reached the highest point so there wasn't much left to explore anyway.

We took the long way round back to the port stopping anywhere that looked interesting.  Strangely the island seemed completely deserted.

As we approached the port we found out why. There were more than 50 islanders repairing the entrance steps and replanting the flower  beds.

We weaved our way down the steps feeling slightly guilty that we were obstructing them until we got to the beach.

On the beach we found a llama. A slightly odd sight to say the least as we had only seen them up in the mountains. But given "lake level" here is about 3800m perhaps it shouldn't have been quite such a surprise!

The llama seemed quite happy, munching on a pile of dried seaweed, then snoozing in the sun.

A little later I saw the llama standing in the lake and two donkeys eating the llama's food. The llama seemed quite put out and nervous of the donkeys.

Slowly, inch by inch, the llama edged forward until it was just out of the water then nonchalantly munched on the sand, slowly inching further and further forward.

About half an hour later the llama had moved a distance of just a few metres and was finally happily munching with the donkeys. However it seems a llama can only do so much munching and soon went back to sunning himself and snoozing.

By 5pm we were back in Copacabana. Whatever festival had been going on was over as all the stands had been packed up.

As we walked along the lake front back to our lodge two dogs decided to join us for the whole 2km!

They happily ran beside us, occasionally distracted by bits of rubbish or birds then running to join us again. If they got too far ahead they stood and waited. By the time we got to our lodge we had accumulated a third dog. Fortunately they didn't follow us to our room!

So once again a relaxing and beautiful day.

Off the Beaten Track

Today (11th August) we departed for Isla del Sol just off the coast of Copacabana.

At breakfast we asked for a taxi to the port but they didn't seem to ring one. When I confirmed a taxi was on its way we were told 10 mins. Low and behold 10 mins later a taxi arrived but it wasn't ours, it was for 2 of their other guests (who had been waiting for 40mins!). We were told to just get in and off we went with the other guests!

I had chosen, for some unknown reason, the furthest hostel from the port so on arrival off we set and followed our map in the Lonely Planet.

After an hour of walking and not finding our hostel we asked for some directions. We were pointed in the opposite direction to the map so thought the local was just being helpful (the guide book says locals will always try and be helpful and sometimes point in any direction just to appear knowledgeable) and pointing at the mountain with the same name as our hostel and not in the direction of the hostel as the map clearly showed the opposite way.

After another couple of hours of walking, having temporarily given up trying to find our hostel we stopped for lunch (we'd come prepared) overlooking the bay of Cha'lla. The scenery surrounding us was absolutely beautiful. Deep blue sea, green cliffs and snow capped mountains.

After lunch we decided to just retrace our footsteps back to the main town and consult a different map. It appears that the lonely planet had our hostel location on the wrong side of the island so no wonder we couldn't find it!

Tired from climbing up the 4060m hills (several times as the first time we did actually follow one of the locals' directions!) we settled in for the afternoon and relaxed overlooking one of the beautiful island bays.

Crossing the Border

We set off at 7am this morning to catch a bus across the the border to Bolivia.

The recommended bus company in the Lonely Planet had stopped doing this journey so we had to risk another random company. The bus was not quite as well kept as the previous buses we have travelled on but it was comfortable. The main annoyances were the loud, strange music played by the drivers for the whole journey and the toilet became out of order as soon as we entered Bolivia!

On the way we passed through several small towns with cattle markets and enjoyed the view of the lake from the top deck of the bus -  our seats were right at the front so we had a great view.

After a couple of random rest stops we arrived at the border. At first it was a little confusing. The driver shouted something about money exchange in Spanish. Most people got off the bus but we, along with a few others decided to wait and see what happened next.

Unfortunately this was the wrong choice and we got shooed off the bus late and "stamp" shouted at us.

On our second attempt we found the right building and got a stamp in our passports. Then we had to go next door and get another stamp (we tried the other way round which for some reason was clearly wrong).

Next we walked across the border slightly confused. We tried following others but they soon all dropped behind us so we marched on. Fortunately we led everyone to the right place and got a few more stamps before returning to the bus.

Around 30 mins later we got off the bus in Copacabana. The main delay was the odd manoeuvres the bus did. First driving up the wrong side of the street (he did this at the border crossing too!), then went down a side street. Reversed back up, with difficulty because it was up hill. Attempted a 3 point turn at a junction blocking all the roads. It was at this point a local decided to help out and guide the bus.

We went forward, this time the right way down the street then suddenly stopped and reversed the wrong way down the street. Eventually we parked outside the bus company's office and were able to get off.

Thinking we had had more than enough excitement for one day we went to get some cash. The queue slowly got smaller and smaller until we were at the front. Everyone infront had come out with slightly perplexed faces and no money. Unfortunately we hit the same problem - transaction refused and this was the only cash machine in Copacabana!

After a little investigation we found out that the cash machine only gives out money to people who speak Spanish. If you choose to do the transaction using English instructions it refused to work! With this information in hand we finally got some money and made our way to our lodge.

On arrival it seemed there was some confusion about our booking. We are staying over night then going to Isla del Sol for two nights before returning. Anyway, this seemed quite a complex arrangement and we somehow got upgraded to an apartment complete with two bedrooms, each ensuite, a kitchen/dining area and our own patio. Not bad for £32 per night!

Before dinner we went for a wander around Copacabana. Our lodge is 2km around the lake from the town centre. Since we have acclimated to the altitude (3800m) it was a lovely walk.

When we got close to Copacabana there was very much a party atmosphere. People were camping on the beach, letting off fire crackers off, having barbecues,  games machines, pedalos and trampolines. Cars and lorries were all decorated with little hats, fresh flowers and confetti. We think it's the remains of the celebration of Bolivian Independence Day from last week.

Further on in the town there were row upon row of hat shops selling quite stylish hats. If you like hats you could buy a year's supply at just £5 each!

When we had finished dinner people were still out and we were advised to take a taxi back instead of walking as the people would have been drinking and the road was unlit (we had come prepared with a torch!).

However getting a taxi wasn't easy. Most of the taxis were driverless. When one arrived we requested to be taken to our lodge but he refused and walked off (there was also a party going on in the main square which he seemed far more interested in). Finally another taxi arrived and we got back to our lodge safe and sound.