Tupiza, Bolivia

Early Monday morning we took a bumpy gravel road to the town of Tupiza.  This sleepy town is surrounded by massive rock formations that have slowly been created through erosion during the rainy season.  Many tours offer trips into the canyons via horse back or jeep but we felt we had been driven around enough the last week so we headed out on foot.  We had a map, but it was more of a rough guide line as to where to go as it showed one trail leading to the canyon and we stood at several intersections rather clueless looking at the multiple options.  Luckily we were helped by a friendly expat who happened to pass us on his morning run. 

Once on the right trail we just had to follow the horse poop from previous tours and ended up in the right place.  The canyon was amazing, the green trees at the bottom followed by the deep red of the rock and the clear blue sky. To boot we were completely alone and after visiting the main canyon went exploring on our own, stopping for lunch with some curious goats under the only tree we could find among the cacti and shrubs.   The area we hiked is not a park so there are no regulations about where you can go, a few canyons were extremely impressive but as we looked at the looming rocks above our heads we got the feeling it might not be the safest area to be wandering, so we snapped some pictures and headed back out.

 This is our last stop before we head into Argentina and neither of us is really ready to leave Bolivia so we decided to stay an extra night.  We enjoyed more exploring this morning and know that we will not be able to afford the same standard of travel when we go to the more expensive Chile and Argentina.  For $25 dollars a night we are staying at the best hotel in town with a private room, a pool and included an excellent breakfast.  Most hotels offer breakfast but it usually consists of a dry bun with a blob of mystery jam and a lukewarm cup of tea, in comparison we are currently eating like kings.  At night we have a full meal with drinks for a whopping total of $5, not too shabby.  Unfortunately we cannot stay longer and will say good bye to Bolivia tomorrow morning as we head to the city of Salta, Argentina.

R