Gathering our thoughts on the farm may take us some time... meanwhile, here is the story of our 12 hour bus ride turned 30.
We got on a 5pm bus out of Apolo to La Paz (named "Suavecito"), a 12 hour ride, getting us into the city by morning and saving us a night at a hostel. We were pretty lucky to have been able to get the tickets, since there was a bus strike just before and a planned strike for just after the day of our trip.
The trip started fairly well, with the standard uncomfortable seats and odd smells (one lady was transporting a poor chicken the whole way in a heavy plastic bag). Then, only four hours out of Apolo, the bus came to a halt. At some point in the day, there was a major rock slide blocking the road.
There was little to do but to wait. There is a crew assigned to each portion of the road, and we were assured that they would be out soon enough with the back hoe...
By morning, no one had arrived, and no new news, just more assurances that they would be out soon enough. There was another bus stuck on the other side of the slide, equally frustrated and hungry. Some men got out and started moving some of the smaller rocks and brush away.
To deal with the hunger, Jon and I found a small tienda selling nothing but candy and soda. We stuffed ourselves with Cremocitas (a HORRIBLE thing to do to your stomache after 3 weeks of predominantly healthy, organic, vegetarian eating) and soda. Needless to say, I got dirahea. More on that later...
By noon, we had four buses and two jeeps full of frustrated people. The men had already started putting their back bones into clearing the road, using nothing but makeshift tools of fallen trees and a 1.24" rope to move boulders close to two tons in weight. When the work was nearly complete, four men sent to clear the road finally arrived, armed with nothing but shovels and wearing sandals. Hurrah... our saviors.
Some people have had negative experiences with Bolivians, but we´ve found that for the most part, they are incredibly friendly. Most strange reactions are simply due to the fact that they aren´t quite sure what to make of us tourists. After everyone working together to clear the road, some of the other bus riders shared their bread and fruit with us.
And finally we are off!! So, the dirahrea was slowly gurgling it´s way down my stomache when we finally come to a rest stop in a small town. We stop for dinner, only to find out that they can´t serve us all. About 10 of us didn´t get to eat (including us gringos).
When I ask for a public restroom, I am told to go around the building. Around the building is an allyway leading to a field where people seem to just throw their trash. While I had gotten accostomed to (and even sometimes prefer) "el baño natural", going in a city field lit up by a street light was something very different...
We wandered around the town to finally find a small tienda selling more Cremocitas, and luckily also some small bread and cans of sardines. mmm...
Once back on the bus, which had up until now been playing pop music, the driver decides to change the entertainment, and puts in a DVD of footage of cock-fighting... for 3 hours... definitely the biggest downer of the entire bus ride.
We finally arrive in La Paz at two AM. Luckily Jesus (a friend we made on the bus) helped us find a cab and a hostel. (There is currently a strike on all buses and taxis that started this morning, so most hostels were full and guests aren´t likely to leave anytime soon.)
All in all, NOT the worst bus ride we´ve had in South America. After the 48 hours turned 60 to Buenos Aires with no air conditioning, this ride was a piece of cake.
We didn´t take pictures of the rock slide, but we were pretty closely located this waterfall. Had the trip gone on without delays, we would have missed a lot of the scenery...
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