Bariloche remains copyright of the author danwebb76, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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The whole point of coming here was to hike the Torres del Paine national park and do a circuit called "the W". Hikers from all over the world come here to do this really amazing walk as it is world famous for its beauty. On the coach taking us to the park there were all sorts of people (mostly European or American) in amazingly expensive North Face gear, hiking boots with ankle support, walking poles and special clothing to wick away sweat and keep you cool. Obviously neither myself or Rach are particular campers so we had to go to a hire shop to try and get the gear. It was comical.

There was Rach and I sat next to all these "professional hikers" in our Primark best, two macks that you can pack away in a sack to save space, trainers, enough pasta a sauce to last 5 days and pretty ropy old hire gear.

Got off the coach and promptly got lost as we were the last people to organise ourselves (Eventually I had to tie a plastic bag of rolls to the back of my rucksack in a carier bag and stuff the tent under the flap) so couldn´t follow the professionals. However we soon got into our stride and had 5 days of hiking and camping in a place where views were to die for.

The weather was really changeable, sunny one minute, raininy the next, but we made it to the end without any blisters from our trainers (the professionals looked a lot more in pain than us amateurs). Although we now have glacier fatigue having seen another 2 during the walk.

Back to civilisation, a pizza and then 10 hours of busses to our next destination

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The whole place was pretty busy so we ended up staying in a 4 bed dorm rather than a hotel room. Not much to say about the town itself, pretty enough, but the Glacier was amazing. You get up really close and then watch in amazement as bit of it fall into the water surrounding it. We even got to go on a boat to look up at it, but the driver didn´t get us very close as I think he was worried of bit of ice falling on the ship. Amazing photos, although hard to describe - Massive - Icy? that about sums up my description. Rach reckons this is the most amazing and beautiful natural thing she has ever seen, which goes some way to showing how amazing it was.

Apart from that nothing else to say about the place

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Spent the first day relaxing before going for a hike up one of the hills. There was a cable car but I made us walk up as It cost 5 USD each! Although the views were amazing the walk wasn`t, they have these flies that are as big as your thumb here and don`t go away when you swat them, you have to kill them! When we got to the top it was such an awful walk that to get back down we snuck onto the cable car as they were not checking tickets. On the way home went to a local brewery and sampled all the local beer they brewed

Being the "adventure capital" of Argentina we went White Water Rafting the next day, not bad although try as hard as I could I couldn`t get the guide to flip the raft either acidentally or on purpose (the Americans onboard din`t think this was funny) so we will have to do it again in New Zealand. That evening we had a chocolate fondue as this place is alegedly world renown for its chocolate - Rach loved it.

Third day we went for a long hike through the forrests and hills surrounding the area before heading into town for New Years Eve. Rach was badgering me to hurry up and leave the hostel as it was nearly 9pm, but when we got to town amazingly everthing was shut! We hadn`t been told about this and it came as a surprise to find all the bars closed, bars closed on New Years Eve! Found one bar open but all the tables were reserved for a set meal so we just sat at the bar drinking. However we had no idea how we were going to eat until we got drunk and Rach had the great idea of asking if we could have the set meal at the bar. After some delibertaion they said yes but it was all such an anticlimax. Even after midnight (no chimes, no old langs aye, no kissing or dancing in circles) the town was still pretty deserted, seems all the locals go to their homes for parties so I have no idea what all the tourists did unless all the hotels lay on events. When we got up today still nothing was open, we cannot even buy water from the corner shop!

Anyway we are off to El Califate today down in Patagonia to see some glaciers do some hiking and go camping for a couple of week.

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I talked Rachel into getting the cheapest bus available to save money (well over budget at the moment) although turned out to be one of the best and we arrived in Pucon the next day. Did the usual thing of going to the hostel being touted at the bus station and because it was xmas splurged out and got an amazing room with a huge double bed with a feather duvet! Easily the best bed we have had since the UK, and it even had a bath so we had our first since leaving the UK too. The place even had a couple of puppies which kept us amused.

Next day we went on a tour up the local active volcano. It was totaly covered in snow so we had all the gear on, crampons, ice axes the works. However about halfway up this huge boulder, and I mean it was shoulder height, suddenly came over a ridge and started to roll down hill. People were diving out of the way and nobody got hit, but if they had it would have been curtains! Our guides got a bit scared also so took us right of the sort of trail through the snow and we spent the next hour hacking out a trail (it was a 5 hour ascent). Also half way up one of the guides anounced she had no water left and could somebody give her some! Not exactly professional! By the time we got to the top we were knackered but got to witness volcanic lava first hand! To get down the mountain all we did was sit on our bums and slide down using the ice axes as brakes!

Next Day was xmas so we drank all day and made a roast dinner with other in the hostel. Xmas days where you can sunbathe are not proper and we really missed England that day. Boxing day was spent sunbathing again on one of the black sand beaches that surround the local lakes and tomorrow off to Barriloche for New Years eve

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The day was spent recovering from the journey before Rach went for Dental Surgery the next day! 3 hours of root canal followed by 3 hours of exploratory surgery the next day and to be honest we spent the next few days just hanging out in bed recovering.

I won´t spoil Rach´s story by telling you what happened, but finally her brace has been removed and she can smile nicely. Unfortunately the repair is only temporary as we have to wait and see if her body rejects what has been done (it was such a high-tec surgery, they took blood from her arm and mixed it with plasma and bone harvested from elsewhere in her mouth to fix the damage! I´d like to see your local UK dentist do that!)

Met more friends in BA and hung out, so I´ll just summarise what we did whilst waiting for the dentist to OK the surgery and let us travel (we went to the dentist almost everyday). I had more Spanish lessons, we ate Parilla, had Tango lessons (I can´t dance, official) watched a Tango and dinner show, went drinking till 5am (naughty Rachel), saw Evitas grave. Basically BA is fan-bloody-tastic

Caught a plane and flew to Chile!

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Did our usual night thing of drinking Caprinias on the beach. Next day of course it was bloody overcast again! We couldn´t believe it so we went for yet another run along the beach (they have pull up bar every 100m so I have been able to do loads of training whilst here) and then went on a tour of the favellas (slums). It was really eye opening to get shown around the "communities" as they call them. Although we didn´t have an armed guard as expected, there was an edgey undercurrent whilst we were there but it looks as if they have some sort of arrangement with the ruling drug dealers not to shoot the tourists or there is a kick back invloved. Alegedly some of our money went into improving school facilities, but I wouldn´t be surprised if it just went in the drug dealers pockets. However it was amazing to see the other side of Rio and get an apprciation of how massive the slum are, and how horrible it must be to live there.

Every evening we ate in one of the meat buffet bars. It isn´t like buffets at home where you have a counter of cold cuts. They have a massive counter of salads and sushi, and then they bring you mean round on theses skewers and cut off what you want steaming and hot onto your plate, amazing steaks, roast beef, ribs, chick pork etc. We have left the place every night barely able to waddle to the nearest bar, I´m not sure all this red meat is good for my insides.

Next day it was beautiful weather so in the morning we went up Christ the redeemer. At the top all the idiot European oldies wanted a photo of them ifnron of the staute with their arms spread. Cos it is so busy they were all arguing with each other to get out of their photo etc! The statue was good, but the view of the city was better. Spent the whole day on Copacobana beech (Rach topped up her burn ha ha). There is a constant stream of people trying to sell you stuf, food clothes, even bikinis! I mean surely if you are on the beach you have a bikini and don´t need another? We drank coconuts from the shell on the beach and Rach even went for a swim, although the water is horrible compared to the Isle Grande so I didn't bother.

In the eving we went up Sugerloaf mountain to get a view of the city at sunset. Unfortunaetly the clouds came in about 30 minutes before so we couldn´t see anything, but we descended to the next mountain down to get a good view of the city lit up at night (I hate cable cars)

More food then off to the bus station for a 40 hour journey back to BA for Rachs dental appointment.

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Unfortunatley the main town is on one side of the island and the beaches are on the other! First day we had a 1 hour walk up a hill then a 1 hour walk down through rain forests to emerge on a deserted tropical beach where Rach proceeded to completely burn herself. We then had to walk home 2 hours and got back knackered!

Next day we learnt from this and took a boat trip round the island to the "most beautiful beach in Brasil". Easily the best beach I have ever been on although Rach reckoned one in Aus was better. We sat under palm trees (cos Rach was too burnt to sunbathe) and swam in an amazing ocean. On the way back we got rowed out to a floating bar to drink beers in the dying sun, ah, it felt like a summer holiday.

Third day it rained, which was brilliant cos we were too burnt to tan and it was too hot to walk otherwise. We walked in the rain through the rainforrest to a waterfall and had our packed lunch under the spray, before walking back along unpopulated beaches.

A top little break where each night we drank beer at cafes and ate local food (all the walking is keeping me thin considering all the beer I seem to be consuming. The only noghts I don´t drink are when we are on an overnight busses, beer-o´clock is comming earlier and earlier each day!). Back off to Rio tomorrow

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First day we did a tour of the city centre, OK, but like I said not as good as BA, but the evening was good, we drank Caprinias on beach bars all along Copacobana. I made one of the bar tenders show me how to do it and the next night went to the supermarket to get all the ingredients and made them for Rach and I. It was so amazingly cheap that we were already completely drunk before leaving the hotel. When I get back to the UK anybody who comes round our house will be treated to a dan made Caprinia (I´m bloody good at it according to my tastbuds)

The next couple of days were to be spent on the beach, but it was raining! Raining on Copacobana beach can you believe it, in fact it was overcast so we couldn{t even do the viewpoints and Christ the redeemer!. We did however go to the district of Santa Teresa by tram and see some of the boring sights like the cathedral etc.
Made a decison to leave and come back when the weather gets better

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Stayed in a hostel which I though had a swimming pool, but turned out they were still building it. Had dinner of beer and empanadas (which are argentinian fast food until Macdonalds and BK moved down here and in my opinion much better than everything except a big mac), my favourite way to spend a Saturday night. That afternoon we wnet to the point where the 3 countries of Paraguay, Brasil and Argentinia meet. Nothing there except tourist sellers?

Next day went to the Brasilian side of Iguazu falls which involved a border crossing on a bus to the town of Iguacu, on the other side of the border and a bus to the falls. Absolutely amazing, the worlds biggest falls, although not the highest and the photos don´t do it justice. It isn´t like the states, they have built walkways right out so you can walk under the falls and get sprayed on, top. We also took a trip up to Itapu Dam, which is one of the seven modern wonders of the world and the biggest hydroelectric dam in the world, even bigger that the chinese one will be. The geek in me had a good screen saver pictur of me by the dam.

Next day we went to the Argentinian side of the falls. This is much bigger than the Brasilian side (although they have the biggest single fall, the Argentinians have more and lots of trails through the jungle to walk. Spent the whole day there, including a boat ride under the falls. Not like the maid of the mist in the states, here you get on a speed boat which they drive under the falls until the water fills it up and drives it backwards! They give you a dry bag to put all your stuff in and everybody strips down to bikinis and swimwear. Obviosuly this was the day rach forgot to put her bikini on, so we fashioned her a rain coat made of a black binliner she keeps in her bag for emergencies (of what I don´t know). Obviously this did absolutely nothing except make her look stupid in photographs!

Good day and off to Rio tomorrow!

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Lots of emails to the insurance company followed and it looks like they will pay, but until I see the cash I am bracing myself for the worst. At least Rach will not be in pain anymore and be able to smile nicely again.

Have to say that BA is easily the best place I have visited and I love the place. The fact that the economy is still down means everything is exceeding cheap so we ate and drank loads. Luckily we met up with some friends as soon as we got back here so accompanied each other to lots of different districts.

Saw a football match (too scared to go alone so we got a tourist agency to purchess good seats for us in the season ticket holders area and drive us to and from the match). Ate parilla (which is basically loads and loads of different bits of a cow cooked and then put on a burner infront of you). If you feel brave you can play "guess the gland" with all the offal they also wack down with it, but Rach and I stuck to the big bits of meat you could guess came from which bits of the cow. We saw Tango in the street, went to the "rough part of town" (did it properly and walked there, although there were certain bits of it you don´t go at night and got the bus back) Went shopping, took busses not taxis everywhere, hung out in the park on a sunny day and got drunk on wine with friends. The list goes on, we had an amazing week, I would easily come back here to live and work (I also had a weeks worth of private Spanish lessons to get my chatting up to scratch).

However, although the town was good the dentist wasn´t. Rach went in for her first root canal to be told that she had an infection and couldn´t complete the work until antibiotics took it down 2 - 3 weeks later! Obviously this was a bit of a problem for our travelling, couldn´t stay they for a month, so we got the antibiotics and set of for Iguazu falls and Brasil

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Whale watching tours out on a boat were loads more expensive than the guide book said so to save money we had a Spanish speaking guide. Usually most guides only say a thing or two, but this lady spoke non stop for the whole day so Rach and I listened to her drone on for hours, then have a go at us when we wandered off into the park alone about not leaving the guide or something like that?

Went out on a tour boat to watch whales swimming around (although we were the only idiots in shorts and T-shirts so were exceeding cold after 3 hours of hunting aquatic mammals. Whilst in the park we also saw killer whales trying to snatch sealions off the beach (a sight so rare that the guide was jumping around for joy and got the minibus we were in to stop at an illegal place to watch them until a ranger came along and shouted at us). We also saw penguins, armadilos, Elephant seals, and other various wildlife I have no idea of the names.

Whilst in PM we also hired bikes to ride to the local sealion colony and watch sealions sunbathing (there were hundreds of them and alegedy you can watch them "eating/playing/fighting/ etc". We didn´t the lazy buggers, al they did was shuffle up the beach a bit more when the tide came in! It was really cold down south so we spent afternoons drinking tea and eating chocolate.

We also visited the town of Trelew and Gaiman, which were settled by the Welsh years ago. They still have Welsh tea houses where we had an all you can eat Tea and Cakes afternoon. Unlimited homemade cakes and proper Tea, I thought I was in heaven. Unfortunately I ate so much the suger buggered my system up and I spent the whole day feeling sick

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The first problem we had was finding somewhere to stay as all the hostels in our guide book were full! As there we not many people touting at the bus station like normal I phoned a few up and in my Spanish was told even their dorms were full! Then someone turned up touting so we went with him (free taxi) and spent our first night since getting to South America in a dorm - it wasn´t good. A few years ago we liked being in dorms, now we are married and Rach seems to have the bladder of an 80 year old so we like our hotel rooms.

Won´t go into much as we are planning to be back here next week so will expand on our BA adventures then.

Phoned the British Embassy, got a dentist recommend then set off to find him. The building had no signs and when we got to the floor it looked like the private appartment of a very rich man. However they spoke English and Rach got seen by a dentist (unfortunately the main man was at a conference) who was obviously very private and very rich. He took her brace wire off, took a couple of xrays then ground some more of her teeth away to make it comfortable. He told us that it looked like the teeth were still alive and with no fractures in the root (good news?) and to go away and come back in a week to see the main dentist when hopefully the teeth may have set and he could repair them - that will be 50 quid please. Rach is in a lot less pain now and the teeth are nearly back in line (although with a chunk missing) so hopefully at the next appointment he will be able to give us some good news about getting them finally sorted.

We spent the next day finding a hostel that was available for the following week when we had to return to the dentist (oh and obviously eating some very good meals). Off to Punto Madryd to see whales now!

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Mendoza is another very western looking city. The first thing we did after getting clean was go into the supermarket nearby, a massive carefour(?) where I finally managed to buy a wash bag after 2 months of looking. On our first walk round town what did we find though was a MacDonalds, yes Rach´s eagle eyes spotted Ronald peaking out from the trees so a quick diversion was in order and the famine was broken with a couple of cheeky hamburgers (we didn´t want to ruin our appetite for dinner!)

Although a beautiful place there was little out of the ordinary again, although it was lovely to wander round the shopping centres. That night we ate in Macdonalds again before wandering off to bed.

Next day we went on a wine tasting tour where I got to see how the bodegas worked and got to taste a few glasses of the local wine (they were very very stingy). We also had a tour of the local chocolate factory. I didn´t know that red wine would be white unless they let it ferment with the skins in the mixture and also that most new wine as they call it never sees the inside of an oak barrel. Very eye opening for wine lovers like us

For dinner that evening the restaurant didn´t have a wine list. Instead you had to go into their wine cellar and choose straight from the racks! However they seem to insist on keeping red wine cold here to preserve the flavour, but to us it doesn´t taste as good unless it is warm.

Mendoza has a real cafe culture so the following day we hung around the cafes drinking reading and practising Spanish

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Nothing much out of the ordinary here. As in San Pedro all the things to do are much of a muchness of what we did in Bolivia though not as impressive or adventurous and much more expensive. So all we did was go and have our first Argentinian Steak - wow wow wow. Easily the best bit of meat I have had. The restaurant greeted us with a complimentary glass of champagne (I was wearing a vest so felt well out of place) and we had an Argie bottle of wine (Deago Maradona has his own wine here in Argentina!)

Just before buying our tickets to Buenos Aires, we clocked a newspaper headline accompanied by pictures of rioting and decided to check it out. It was happening in Buenos Aires because Bush is in town for the Free Trade Americas meeting. To make things worse, we discovered that they`d petrol bombed what seems to be the only McDonalds in South America. We were so close to ending our 8 week Mc`Donals famine that we could almost taste it! God damn it. So we made a late change to our plans and opted to head for Mendoza(Argentina´s wine capital) instead. Easily the best bus we have been on, much better than the UK, the seats are massive and recline all the way - even at the back where we were since booking our tickets late.

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Turned up at this tourist town in the desert. Tried to book a bus out the next day to head straight to Argentina only to be told we couldn´t go for another 4 days. Oh well we spent 4 days eating the best food we have had for 6 weeks. Although the place is so much more expensive than Bolivia the food turned up on beautiful white plates ´drizzled´ with various sauces complimented with napkins and proper cutlery, such a change from the usual restaurant standard. The other noticable thing about changing countries from Bolivia to Chile is that the toilets come with toilet paper and flush!! In the evenings the restaurants have massive fires to heat the places so all our clothes now smell of smoke. It was lovely though.

Whilst we were there in the desert we hired bikes and with sandboards attached to our backs road into the Death Valley to go sandboarding. We were a tad disappointed though as the sand is so damn rough, you have to wax the board at the start of each run and as soon as the wax rubs off (which was approximately 5m down the slope!) the board grinds to a halt and you fall over! The only way to do it is point straight down the slope, don´t turn and go as far as you can till the wax has gone, then hope you go a bit further with the momentum you have built up. Also obviously there are no lifts so you have to walk up the massive sand hills each time - knackering. Wicked scenery but all in all I`d rather be snowboarding.

We went swimming and sunbathing in the local 'oasis'. This was an hours walk away in the desert sun to the local camping ground where they had a swimming pool. In usual South American stylee it was built in the 60s and we lay on cobbled stones round a pool that was chipped and cracked. Rach got burnt and I got a funny tummy from the water (I did however drink beer round a pool so for a moment it felt like a bit of a european holiday)

Went back, ate and drank then ate and drank some more till friday´s bus - we don`t really have many responsibilities here!

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Uyuni is a town in the middle of the desert where from one edge of town you can see all the way down the street to the other end! Only stayed one night cos it gets bloody freezing after sunset, ate in the only pizza place and booked a tour to go and see the vast salt lakes and desert of south west Bolivia. Easily the best highlight of our trip so far.

The 3 day tour was by a jeep over the massive salt planes, deserts and mountains. The place is amazing, scenes like nothing else on this planet, infact in wasn`t too dissimilar to how you`d imagine the surface of the moon or other planets. You also felt completely deserted seeing only faint dust tracks in the distance of other 4x4 landrovers speeding over the sand. Rach took so many awesome photos. However we stayed in some pretty basic accomodation where it dropped to -10 celsius overnight as we were at about 5000m above sea level and in the desert!

Brought wine with us so spent the evenings huddled around a candle with mates drinking wine and playing travel scrabble (does anybody know if tofus is the plural of tofu - this would resolve an argument?) We drank Chillian wine as Bolivian wine tastes like ribena crossed with cheap vodka.

Met a couple who were on another jeep. They had run across a jeep stranded in the middle of the desert because the driver was so out of his head on cocane that the tourists had taken the keys off him. He had then in response taken the HT lead out of the jeep so they were having a standoff at 10pm in the desert about what to do. Thankfully the other jeep rescued the tourists and left the driver with the car. The police came and picked him up the next day. Note - the favourite in the Bolivian prsediential race to be concluded in November wants to legalise the growing of coca plants, won´t that make Bolivia even more fun!

Didn`t wash for days as there was only cold cold water but made it to the Bolivian border and crossed into Chile - our mates had to turn back as with no passports they are on their way back to the British embassy for help.

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Woke up the next day without any altitude problems so we explored the town. Lovely city with white stone buildings and Spanish red roofs. Actually a Bolivian city that looked finished! We soon found the backpacker hangout ´Joy Ride Cafe´ which sold absolutely spot on Coronation Chicken sandwiches and wicked home brew! We bummed around for a day then went on a mountain bike tour to an area called the 7 waterfalls. Rach isn´t much of a biker so we were sold on this trip because they said that once you got out of town it was pretty much flat and then the last bit was all down hill leaving a 30 minute walk to the waterfalls. They lied, unless 'flat' in Spanish translates to 'steep rolling hills' all the way and '30 min walk' really means 'scramble up cliffs, at one stage we had to climb a vertical face to reach our destination!? Rach was knackered so ended up leaving her bike at the waterfall place and getting a lift back by car. (Being the man I rode all the way - it was pretty fun actually). The waterfall place was amazing, although instead of the crystal clear blue water we`d been led to expect it was a cold and brown lagoon as it had been raining! We still braved the water and went swimming though.

We also visited the local cement quary where they have discovered huge dinosuar tracks. It is a really important discovery, but this being Bolivia, the company just keeps on blasting the rock so the tracks are getting destroyed slowly (it will cost 8 million to preserve but no one has yet come up with the money) slightly geeky but the photos look good of me by a T-Rex footprint.

We stayed in Sucre an extra day because our friend had hurt her back and spent all day in bed and couldn´t face a standard Bolivian bus journey. We used the time to have a romantic meal in the Swiss Restauarnt - had a fondue and the best Roshtie (Ruth, Spelling?) of our lives.

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We then spent the afternoon in the "100% Fake English Bar" in the centre of La Paz. They had the Portsmouth Game on (we bloody lost) but I did get to drink PG tips (5 cups although with dodgy milk) and eat beans on toast(not heinz though)! Unfortuately this made me even more homesick.

That evening we got a night bus straight out to Potosi. We had gone for the most expensive ticket we could find to get a bus with a toilet, but no, as soon as we got onboard we were told it was out of order - ahhhhhh. Another 12 hours having to ask the driver to stop at the side of the road and having to wee whilst trying to fend off stray packs of dogs.

Arrived in Potosi on Sunday morning so it was pretty dead and we spent the afternoon wandering and reading. However it was bloody cold as Potosi is the highest city in the world, nearly 5000m! However to top it all off, about midnight that night I woke up sweating, then shivering etc etc etc. Yes, you´ve guessed it I got altitude sickness again! We had flown straight in from the jungle and it only takes a couple of days for the body to readjust to sea level, so even though I was on the pills I was in bed all day. Missed the trip to the Silver mine and couldn´t eat.

However we had planned to leave the town at 4pm that day, so Rach had to pack my bag and wrap me up warm and then help me out into the cold to a taxi. It was quicker and only a couple of quid more expensive to go by taxi the 3 hours to the next town of Sucre so I held onto my guts and suffered a pretty bad journey. Worst of all because I have the best Spanish I had to try and make conversation with the driver to ensure he didn´t fall asleep at the wheel when all I wanted to do was sleep (I think I was pretty lucky to make it through the night!)

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We thought it would be quick and flat, but no, of course not, this is the Andies and the road was still just a dirt track carved out of the moutnainside so that whenever we had to pass a truck the bus was driven so close to the edge that from the window you couldn´t see the road, only the drop to your death. Also we knew that to take busses at night meant you had a deathwish, but not knowing how long the journey was (and not being able to find out) most of it was at night! Although we got there we had to stop for 3 flat tyres, 2 drug check points, some au-natural toilet breaks and some very dodgy looking engineering underneath the bus where I believe they may have been trying to beat the axle back into alignment.

Made it to Rurre in the jungle and settled in - nice town, safe good bars and really built for tourists. We got a five day jungle trip sorted and headed off into the wild. Now I´m not much of a jungle person, I am a bit like that bloke off the Fast Show who works in a zoo but jumps everytime an animal comes near him. Thats me with flying things, and believe me the jungle has some huge flying things. Thankfully I covered myself in DEET spray so avoided the mosquiotos and we sort of did quite a nice trip, no camping for us, we stayed in wooden huts under mosquito nets.

Spent 3 days on one of the rivers and then a couple trecking through thr jungle, all pretty good stuff, loads of animals, photos and things, including watching sunset at a bar which has been built for tourists in the jungle - its not really what Micheal Palin would have done is it!

The motorised canoe trip further into the junge to our camp was amazing. We saw loads of wildlife including strange jungle animals that don`t even have english names but can only be described as crosses between animals we know e.g. a pig/rat! The amount of wildlife we saw was( definately helped by the fact that our guide was fluent in jungle animal language - he literally called the monkeys out of the trees to the edge of the river!. What was most impressive (and scary considering "river swimming" was on the adgenda for the next day) was how many aligators we saw! They were lurking in the water under fallen branches and dotted about on the bank every few meters! It was even more impressive at night when the aligators eyes were bright red (reflecting our touch light). All you could just see was red eyes poking out of the water everywhere staring at you!

We heard about a couple of guys who got an unofficial tour with a mate of a mate of a hoitel owner. Their trip consisted of going out with a couple of shifty poachers who drove them by boat 7 hours into the jungle, proceeded to shoot an endangered monkey out of a tree with the gun he was for some reason carrying, then cut the thing up and used it as bait for them to catch their dinner! They had to spend the first night on their boat as it was the only place they felt safe from all the creatures since mosquito nets were not available!

To be honnest the jungle is huge, and unless you want to put yourselves in danger like those guys, you get to see all the good stuff (oversized eveything! - trees, leaves, insects!) whilst also living a bit more comfortably. Although we had a go at fishing for Pyranhs, our group had 2 guides and a cook who spent all day back at the huts preparing food for us! That is what camping in the jungle is all about.

Went back to Rurre to try and get a flight out to La Paz so we didn´t have to do the death road in reverse. Not bad, slight hitches with them wanting to put us on different planes, but we got on the same flight in the end.

It wasn´t like a normal flight - firstly the plane only had 12 seats and you sat behind the pilot so it was more like one of the planes used for a scenic New York city tour, secondly the airstrip was grass in the middle of the jungle.

We met at the airline shop in town where we got a bus with all the people that worked in the shop. When we got to the airport they then became the people who checked us in. When that was done they went outside, put on yellow jackets and guided the plane into land, next the same people unloaded and loaded the plane and then helped it take off!

It was a brillitant (if bumpy) flight over the jungle, especially as it took ages for the plane to climb up to the height of La Paz, in fact we climbed the whole way!

Rurrenabaque and the jungle remains copyright of the author danwebb76, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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They next allow double decker buses and huge trucks to use the thing. When they meet one of them has to do this sort of kamakazi reverse into the nearest passing spot, I swear I saw one lorry do this, smash into the mountain and then get almost the whole of one of his wheels off the edge, I wanted to video it incase the thing toppled over the side. Oh and where was I at the time, right beside it about 50cm from the axle holding onto my bike and praying that I lived.

To be honest some of the road is ok, nothing but dirt, but spectacular scenery. The problem we had was the mist came down and most of the corners are blind bends so not only do you have to worry about falling off, you have to worry about being hit by oncoming traffic.

To top it all off Rach was really ill that day so struggled to keep her insides in most of the journey. Obviously we made it ok and spent to night in a lovely hotel with a swimming pool playing pool with some mates. We also then got told the horro stories about other travellers by our bike guide for the day - stories of people falling off the edge or coming off their bikes to disfigure them sselves on the moutain (it is all down hill so you go pretty fast). I´m glad he only told us this at the end

Worlds Most Dangerous Road remains copyright of the author danwebb76, a member of the travel community Travellerspoint.

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Anyway we got back about 1030 and had our bus booked to La Paz for 1.30. Checked in the office at five to one to be told the bus was leabing in 5 mins, rushed back to get Rach and we jumped on the bus just in time. Then in true South American style the bus stayed put, fully loaded until 1.45?

Three and a half hours of easy roads to La PAz, only one road block outside a petrol station on the way, which the driver successfully avoided by going the back way through the village round the petrol station.

However when we got to La Paz the driver kept on stopping in radom places and asking if anybody wanted to get off. Of course we all wanted to get off at the bus station, but oh no in the end he just drove us into the centre of town. We were proper lost until we saw a mate´s head apear in the bus window and we hammered on the glass to get his attention and get him to help us to a hostel.

Spent a couple of days here, nice city, great bars and food although we are still a bit wary of all the strangle-muggings we keep on hearing about (the grab you and strangle you till you pass out then nick everything}. One couple then said that they flagged down a taxi when they cam round who must have been in on the scam cos the same guys then jumped in and took them out of town to drop off. Bloody hell i´d have been a bit scared but it was their own fault a bit by walking throuhg the centre of town at 4am drunk - Rach and I only go home after dark if we are with at least another 2 people!

Nothing much else to say about here, saw a way over the top political rally and wandered around the town centre. It looks pretty western (There is a Ritz hotel, $60 per night for a suite, I asked) which was a nice surprise, although they do like their karaoke here, there is a bar next to our rubbish hostel where you can hear the crooning going through until the early hours

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Turned up in the rain and it looked dreary. Got a hostel which was so so cheap about 3 quid. However the rain cleared up and the place had loads of nice restaurants. However it was so so cold so we sat in a place al afternoon playing chess and scrabble. In the evening we had trout for dinner caught from the lake. It was the biggest and best fish meal we have ever tasted. Wow wow wow and cost 3 quid!

Next day we took a boat accross to the Isle Del Sol. We did it independently not with a tour company, so although the boat was full of tourists we got dropped off with about 2 others at the south end of the island whilst the boat went onto the north? No real problem but then it started to rain so we thought we were in for a rubbish day. However it cleared up and we walked the whole island. It was amazing, views over lake titicaca to die for, words cannöt do justice, only the photos. However it took us ages to walk to the north of the island (passing all the tourists walking south as they were being picked up at four to go back to the mainland whilst we were planning to stay the night) didn't want to be back after dark so with another couple we haggled and got a local to row us back half way for about 80 pence in his boat. Quite a laugh and we got back to the south of the island to get some beers and watch sunset from the top of a hill (about 4500m)

I have just had my head shaved to a grade one, so whilst we were sitting there on this rock drinking beer and watching sunset this old lady with sheep in tow literally stops by me sitting on a rock and starts to rub my head and laugh - weird. We did get a photo though.

Next this old lady, and by old I mean over 70 walks past us carying a bag of sticks on her back that must have weighed 30 kg. You don't grow old gracefully in Bolivia.

Had a nice evening on the island (although bloody cold) and got the bus back to copacabana next morning)

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Went to another island in the lake to be met by a family and we stayed with them. Amazing to stay with an actual family. We ate with them etc and staying in their home. Food is good but basic, but to see the lady of the house cooking round a smoky fire was awsome. I haven't really got the words to describe this, Rach can do better. Best thing was the doors to the house, they only come up to my chest!

The evening was spent at a local dance where we dressed in the locals clothes. However the band was composed of bloody panpipes. I haven't really expressed my hatred of this instrument here, but believe me it gives me the willies so I didn't like that much. Did loads of boring dancing with our families 16 year old daughter and her friend, although it is really repetitive. I felt embarased and Rach thought it was hilarious (i made sure I held onto the camera all night sop she couldn't capture it)

Our guide for the trip was an idiot though. He made the locals demonstrate their farming techniques. This included showing us how they use a pick axe to plough the land! Big wow, hardly breaking news and it was embrassing to watch the locals having to demonstrate this just to get the tour companies to come to their village.

Next morning it was horrible weather and thwe boat to another island was rough. I made a joke about half way accross about how bad it would be if the engine died. I'm not kidding but 10 seconds later it did! The guide was down there with a screwdriver whilst the driver pured petrol neat into the carbouretter. I didn't make my knowledge of marine engines known and tried to sleep whilst all around us people were donning lifejackets. Thankfuly it started, but there was mild panic which was amuzing.

Got to the next island where we were planning to spend the night, but it was so wet and horrible we had a walk, a nice meal and went back to Puno but boat. Stayed one more night there and ate out with more locals specialities (including alpaca which tastes like a cross between lamb and beef)

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