Mistakenly in Quito, too early ...

We took the overnight bus from Trujillo to Piura of Peru. At 6:30 in the morning we were in Piura. With tired bodies out of overnight bus (though we could still sleep in the comfortable Cama bus, six hour was too short) to Loja, we dragged along the street to another bus company to catch a bus crossing the Peru-Ecuador border. In the three hours of hanging-out we had our breakfast in the bus station, cleaning ourselves up briefly. Maria had a good time shopping for food and fruit in the nearby market for our coming daytime bus journey. We later went to the same market to pay a shoe-maker for repairing my nearly-falling-apart hiking shoes.

9:30 we were on the bus crossing the border to Ecuador. When we arrived Loja in the early evening and we were greeted by a rainbow. What a good welcoming from a country less known to us. Loja was a small nice town with a European feel. Before the bus in the direction of Quito (but we supposed to take off in Riobamba and then Bano for the hotspring and the Volcano there) starting at 10pm, we had some time for dinner. Here like Ecuador and Peru, most restaurants served fried chicken or salty steak (asado as they said) and it was getting too boring for us. As we were a bit hungry and we just went to one family restaurant for a chicken menu (costing USD 2, here in Ecuador people spend US dollar, which was a problem fror us due to the high rate). The soup and the chicken rice were less salty as expected and tasted soothing.


We walked a little of the downtown at night. There was a European city gate which was also a gallery and restaurant. Then we went to the bus station for the bus.


Too bad, when we woke up, we were in Quito. The bus ticket that we paid (USD 13) actually was enough for Quito and we would be losing the value if we took off at middle. However, we missed the mountain and volcano; and went into a big city that we always want to avoid.

Too early in Quito, also too early in the morning. We took some time to find a less-expensive hostel. The first one was USD25 for two of us with private toilet, it was a little expensive and the next one we found was USD20 for two of us with shared toilet, wifi and shared kitchen. Then we started finding a couchsurfing host, or else we shall leave next morning due to the high cost of living.

Afterward we went to the downtown for some museum and church visits. At first we went to the central food market, where we bought shrimps and vegetables for our dinner, then for lunch we had roasted pork and juice. We also bought some cookies in a nearby bakery; they were so crispy. We kept eating by trying a maze cake with coffee. Then we went to the center of culture where there was some contemporary art exhibition and photo exhibition about events happened in Colombia. That took us a whole afternoon.


Before dark we went back to our hostel, where we made fried eggs with shrimp and zucchini with chocolate mousse for dessert. That ended a comfortable day in Quito

Potosi, the Silver Town above the Cloud

City of Potosi in Bolivia, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is the highest city in the world at a nominal elevation of 4090m. (I checked, Lhasa, Tibet is merely 3490m, and perhaps because of the height, they are sister cities).




Once a resourceful silver mining town, its mines in Cerro Rico contributed the major supply of silver to the Spanish Empire in the colonial period. With its wealth and extravagance, it was once the largest and wealthiest city in Latin America, and the name 'Potosi' was a representation of fortune. By the end of the 18th century, it is said that the streets were ‘paved’ with silver. During 1556 to 1783, 45,000 short tons (41,000 metric tons) of pure silver were mined from Cerro Rico according to official record.


Potosi also bears the largest mint in the colonial period, exploiting indigenous and black slaves, and mules, working days and nights in poor condition, dying early due to mercury intoxication to produce 95% pure silver coins as currency for Spain and throughout the North American colonies by the time.


One theory even says that the current dollar sign was derived from the mint mark on the Spanish silver coins of Potosi. The mint mark composed of the letters "PTSI" superimposed, bears a strong resemblance to the single-stroke dollar sign.


Hence, with this background, mine tour and visit to the mint, now a museum, The Casa Nacional de la Monedato should not be missed when you visit Potosi, to learn the dark yet glorious history of the city.


Upon arrival at 3pm, we got on a minibus, which was the main public transportation of the city, named micro, costing B$1.3 each to Central.


To my astonishment, many similar micros have Japanese branding. I thought its belongs to local Japanese schools, community or corporate. But later, I discovered that they are mini bus from Japan, some 20 years ago, no longer allowed to be used in Japan due to reason of environment protection law, but Nissan, Toyota or some 'clever' merchants managed to sell them to poorer countries, like Bolivia today.

We dropped at the Central market to look for the hostel that we found advertised in the bus station. A kind old man saw us reading the map and offered help. He took us to the next 3 blocks up the slope in relaxing quick steps, but with my heavy backpack and the altitude, I had difficulty breathing, nevertheless followed him.


The Koala Den is a nicely furnished hostel, (although a bit worn out) dorm costing B$50 per head per night in a 5 person room, with wifi, hot water, toilet in the room, electricity, kitchen, heater and even breakfast, we have nothing more to ask for. Their breakfast is surprisingly sumptuous, with tea, coffee, jam, butter, bread (which most hostel meant as breakfast) but they also offer scrambled egg and fruits including, pineapple, water melon and banana. They also have a Koala Tour which arrange mining tour, for those who join, they will offer extra energizing juice and pancake.


We see most guests join the tour in hostel, which is absolutely convenience and they also accept last minute enrollment in the morning. For the 2 mornings, we saw around 10 guests joining daily. Wow, not a bad business with B$100 each.


Being offbeat as always, we went out to check other agencies for alternative.


We found one named Greengo Tour nearby. The owner Julio was tour guide and ex-miner, with good English. He explained everything about the tour, also declaring his principles and even showing us documentations of his evidence as an ex-miner and receipt from the mining cooperative that how money is shared with the mines.


He also frankly admitted that it's low season and he had no one enrolling at the moment, but 2 could make the group and he never groups larger than 8 to keep tourist safe.


Julio is very passionate about tourism in Potosi, he cares about the miners and tourist. He detests agencies who boost about showing dynamite explosions and he is keen to educate tourist about local culture. He would 'teach' miners to respect tourist as well.


After feeling cheated by our previous trips from San Pedro, we are happy to find someone that sounds more trustworthy.


The only problem is the height, I was breathing heavily and was wondering if we should go one day later in order to adapt. Adley don't have any problem. We asked Julio's advise who said we might decide later today before the agency closed at 8pm, but need to note that miners usually work from 3am on Friday morning, longer than usual, in order to exchange for more money on weekends and time with family. It's Friday tomorrow, they will finish work around 1 or 2pm and drink together, it would be a good time with chat with miners. For Saturdays, there would be less miners working and usually on Sundays, the mine would be empty.


We wish to meet miners and feel great to drink with them and also thinking 1-2 days of altitude problem won't make much difference, we decided to pay right away.


We stroll to other agency and found another one only costing B$60 for the same tour, the lady claimed they offer English guide but she can't speak much English. We do hope a reasonable rate for Greengo would means better quality.

Going toward the desert, from La Serina to Antofagasta and beyond

The bus to Antofagasta was comfortable. We saw how the terrain changed to desert. Knowing the touristy San Pedro de Acatama we would like to pass it and expected direct bus from Antofagasta into Bolivia. Originally we thought about Calama, but Diego in Santiago had some reservation about the place because it was just a town of rough miners. At noon the bus went from the desert down to the coast. There were beaches along the way and there were crowds of spectators watching what we later found out a surf-boarding competition. We thought about going there later but turned out going for more interesting place - the fish market.

The visit came from the surprise and disappointment that there was no direct bus from Antofagasta to Bolivia and people in bus terminal did not mention other way to go to Bolivia, or any bus from Calama onward.Therefore we decided to take the touristy way: the route by 4x4 from San Pedro de Acatama to Bolivia.

We bought the ticket to San Pedro de Acatama and the bus started at seven pm, so that we could have three hours in Antofagasta. We did not have the surfboard competition in mind, instead it was the fish market.It was visited by both locals and tourists. A bowl of urchin only cost 4000 peso (about HKD55). We also ate fish soup and crab meat empanada. It was a pity that we were running out of cash and could not eat more. Later we got cash from the ATM at the middle of the walk from the fish market back to the bus station, but we did not bother to walk back to take more seafood. On the way we firstly saw the Pacific Ocean in our South America trip,it was very rough. There were poor people building rusty huts with wooden board and zinc plate on the coast bank and taking the risk of being washed away by huge waves and tsunami.

Back to the bus station, we realize that there were ATM machines and we should have taken cash earlier. Anyway, we caught the bus to San Pedro de Acatama. It was 11pm of Saturday (yes it was party night) when we got there. On the quiet streets of the small dessert town we walked around to find hostel. Luckily we met the boss of a hostel who was about to go out for party and we paid only 5000 peso per person for a dominatory bunk bed (Hostel Jerere).

There we started our desert journey to Bolivia

Foz de Iguazu, starting the Brazilian side

After visiting the Iguazu, we went back to Puerto Iguazu, got on the bus and went to Foz de Iguazu, the Brazilian town near Iguazu Fall. We took off 3 blocks ahead and had to walk 6 blocks to the youth hostel. To Maria, it was really tough, finally we got the HI hostel. It was Maria's first time in a youth hostel, for shared kitchen and bathroom. (M: I had been in summer camps staying in dorm or minzuku in Japan with private room and shared bathroom, no kitchen, but camping in youth hostel, with locker is my first!) The grassland was good for camping. There was also wifi. The cost was not cheap though. For camping, it cost R$17 per person (1R$=HK$4.6). There was also a small swimming pool. The staff were friendly and could speak English well. It was a perfect place.


When we settled down it was 7:30pm already. Glad that we have self-made pizza to heat up for dinner. We rushed to the nearby supermarket, which closed at 8pm, to buy beer. We should have brought the empty bottles in the hostel so we needn't pay extra R$2 for 1L beer bottle! We had a good dinner, good shower, good sleep in tent. Thanks to God that there was no rain.


The next day, we were supposed to wake up and go to the Brazilian side of Iguazu Fall, but we did not realize that it was 11am already when we went out (we should turn the clock one hour faster). Seems a waste for the expensive entrance fee if we go to the national park for the waterfall and rush to our host family afterwards, so in the afternoon, we did window shopping in the street of Av Brazil, where Maria bought a locally made sport bra (R$26, while imported one could cost R$120).

We went back to the hostel, go online, packed and missed the swimming pool, then walked to the bus stop to Rodovianria (bus terminal) for the bus to Medianeira, where our first CS host Juracy was). So "lucky" that the bus stop nearby was blocked because of road maintenance and we did not know where the next bus stop was. We had to walk 3 blocks to find one, another torture to Maria with her heavy backpack.


Finally we were in the bus terminal, getting the ticket and hopping onto the comfortable bus, then started our new episode staying with a local family in the coming four days.