I had my breakfast at the hotel, which was a buffet
style and you could go back as many times as you liked which I did as I was
starving! In all I
think 60 Bolivianos was great value for money, and as mentioned before I can't
believe the hotel opposite charges so much. After breakfast I walked up to the
Plaza and was soon approached by a minibus driver asking if I was travelling to
La Paz? I could see the minibus was nearly full and so I reckoned it would not
be too long before it would leave. I paid the fee of 17 Bolivianos and had the
front seat which was great. I arrived in the cemetery district at about 11:30am
and decided to walk (it was downhill!) to hotel ‘Cruz del los Andos’ again.
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Crazy La Paz traffic!
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Cemetery District of La Paz
After checking in I explained at reception
about me leaving at 4am the following morning by taxi and asked if I could
store some luggage for a week whilst I went off trekking for a few days. They
showed me my very own locker which I thought was very kind and they even said
they would get somebody to prepare some breakfast for me at 3am!
I later ventured into town for a couple of hours, and tested my Halifax debit card and it worked! I had something to eat at Luna's restaurant, which was an over charged cheese burger, and nothing special. I bought an alpaca hat to keep me warm whilst trekking over the next few days from the witches market, and finished off the afternoon with another visit to the restaurant called ‘Natural’ and had a chocolate cake and a cup of coffee. I then headed back to my hotel to sort out what I need to take tomorrow and what I need to leave behind.
At 9pm I received a phone call in my hotel room from reception, apparently somebody was downstairs wanting to see me about the Apolobamba trek in the morning? I went downstairs thinking it might be William (as apparently he lived in La Paz), and I was greeted by a man from ‘Andes Amazonia Tours' I’d met briefly in Copacabana (not Vincente), and another man who was carrying a lot of gear. I was initially confused at first but then realized the man with the gear was going to be my guide for the trek? He wasn't a young student who spoke English, but a rather an oldish man who didn't look very fit and spoke no English what so ever! Apparently William was too busy, well stitched up I thought!
I think Vincente knew he had stitched me up because I was told (with help from the hotel reception staff), that the taxi to the bus station in the morning would be paid for by my guide (Freddie was his name!), and also my fare back from Charazani. I was also told I would have an extra guide and a mule when we arrive in Pelechuco!
I am not sure what is going to happen over the next 7 days, but all I know is that I am not paying for a single thing until I return to La Paz, as the tour company has had their 430 dollars! I will be amazed if indeed there is another guide at Pelechuco!
I was also told I would be catching the 6:30am bus and not the 5am bus as it will be a little less busy? I will have a lie in at least! (Freddie left a sack of food & a sack of camping gear with the hotel staff)
I later ventured into town for a couple of hours, and tested my Halifax debit card and it worked! I had something to eat at Luna's restaurant, which was an over charged cheese burger, and nothing special. I bought an alpaca hat to keep me warm whilst trekking over the next few days from the witches market, and finished off the afternoon with another visit to the restaurant called ‘Natural’ and had a chocolate cake and a cup of coffee. I then headed back to my hotel to sort out what I need to take tomorrow and what I need to leave behind.
At 9pm I received a phone call in my hotel room from reception, apparently somebody was downstairs wanting to see me about the Apolobamba trek in the morning? I went downstairs thinking it might be William (as apparently he lived in La Paz), and I was greeted by a man from ‘Andes Amazonia Tours' I’d met briefly in Copacabana (not Vincente), and another man who was carrying a lot of gear. I was initially confused at first but then realized the man with the gear was going to be my guide for the trek? He wasn't a young student who spoke English, but a rather an oldish man who didn't look very fit and spoke no English what so ever! Apparently William was too busy, well stitched up I thought!
I think Vincente knew he had stitched me up because I was told (with help from the hotel reception staff), that the taxi to the bus station in the morning would be paid for by my guide (Freddie was his name!), and also my fare back from Charazani. I was also told I would have an extra guide and a mule when we arrive in Pelechuco!
I am not sure what is going to happen over the next 7 days, but all I know is that I am not paying for a single thing until I return to La Paz, as the tour company has had their 430 dollars! I will be amazed if indeed there is another guide at Pelechuco!
I was also told I would be catching the 6:30am bus and not the 5am bus as it will be a little less busy? I will have a lie in at least! (Freddie left a sack of food & a sack of camping gear with the hotel staff)
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