Come with me

by Edel Duffy (Ireland)

A leap into the unknown Bolivia

Let me take you on a journey. A seemingly endless, tiresome, boneshaker of a bus adventure. You will travel through the night and any time your eyes close and your head droops into a gentle slumber, you will be jolted upright and a bag will bash your head as it crashes from the overhead compartment. You are welcome to snuggle into the grotty seats and curtains that thousands of smelly, unwashed backpackers have slobbered on before you. They and their manky, damp dogs left their opulent “eau de mould” to add a certain “je ne sais quoi” to your trip. When you alight, crippled and cranky from the bus, I will treat you to breakfast. I will entice you with a wonderful array of egg dishes, all of which you are most certainly allergic to. You may have to subsist on biscuits and coffee. What more could you ask for? Onwards you will travel anxiously, in a jeep full of similarly worn out strangers. They won’t become friends for life, but you will strike gold by falling in with a Mexican who is out to impress and a Bolivian tourism student. Your basic package will be upgraded to deluxe – money couldn’t buy you the rich insights into Bolivian culture and customs you will receive. Pachamama, a goddess revered by the indigenous people of the Andes will be looking after you today. You will gradually settle into the rhythm and atmosphere of the jeep before dismounting at your first destination. Before you, will be a scene that will more than reward you for your previous travails. Your eyes will feast on a magnificent expanse of nothingness; nature at its most majestic and magical. Don’t be fooled by the blue, cloudless sky and the blinding sun as it bounces from the bright, white surface of the salt flats. You haven’t died and gone to heaven; this is real. You will experience wonder and excitement as you marvel at the endlessness of it all. You won’t be alone but the sights and sounds of your companions will be tempered by your amazement. You will feel more alive than ever before. Your hands and face will be dry and brittle from the freezing, arid air. Your nose and throat will be frozen from the cold, high altitude. None of this will bother you. The altitude sickness that you have had since you arrived in this country will have been long forgotten about by now. Before you leave, take some time for photographs. Play with the optical illusions provided by nature. I wouldn’t recommend researching your photos but don’t be too disappointed that yours won’t match up to the people on Instagram, who evidently did. Yeah, they’re able to lift jeeps……but did they gasp in amazement at scenery they had never imagined was possible? This land was formed by something more powerful and mystifying than you can understand; science or Pachamama? You will be in awe of and respectful to both. As you travel for the day you will see bumpy, bubbly surfaces which will contrast with the seemingly man-made, perfectly tessellating hexagons and the pristine, smooth surface you first encountered. Your next stop will bring you to a desert island. You’ll have to huff and puff your way to the top of the gentle incline to fully appreciate the scene but as you wait for your high altitude stressed heart to return to normal you can wander gently through the cacti and muse at how the past has changed this landscape unimaginably. Here you will feast on a quinoa, tuna and tomato salad. Whether you normally regard it as basic local fare or celebrity super-food, it will be divine. Eventually you will return to the jeep. The promise of reaching your lodgings for the night will be bittersweet. Your weary body can’t compete with your exhilarated and enthusiastic mind. You’ll need an early night, wrapped in your two sleeping bags to set you up for tomorrow’s adventures. You will sleep soundly, safe in the knowledge that there is plenty more to come. What more can I offer you? What more could you ask for? Come join me to find out!