Days 205 to 207 - Wednesday 12th to Friday 14th April 2006

As we had celebrated Robin’s 21st the night before (albeit in his absence as he was sleeping of the effects of the top shelf) it was a fairly slow start to the day. Once we had acquired some breakfast and woken up our first port of call was to a viewpoint over the city, Killi Killi. Situated in the middle of the city it gave panoramic views of the basin in which La Paz is set.

Over the years La Paz has expanded so much that virtually every inch of the basin is covered in development and housing. Even the sides of the mountains, which appear to be at a ridiculous angle to build a house are totally covered, right up to the tops and even spilling over into the next valley. We sat at the top and looked out over the national stadium for a while, before walking back into the city centre for some lunch - chicken milanesa - and a look around some of the markets in the city. We also took the opportunity to collect our rented tent and other camping gear as it was our (Jon, Aaron & I) intention to head out of the city for a short two day trek over the coming days.

Having been sensible on the Monday evening when we called it a night before the bike ride, it was too much to ask to do the sensible thing twice in a row. Hence we had a few beers, which turned into a few more, and ended up stsying out for most of the evening. Which meant we were not going to be getting up early to go trekking. It wasn’t too much of a problem though, as the start of the trek was only an hour away and the first days walking was 5-6 hours.

The trail we were heading for is called the Takesi Trail and it is an ancient Inca road through the mountains, whic hwas used as a trade route. The first day was supposed to start with a gentle climb up and over a mountain pass, then decend for the remainder of the trail.

What was supposed to be an easy climb didn’t actually turn out to be all that easy. In fact it was bloody hard work. First of all we got off the bus in the wrong place place and had to walk 90 minutes uphill just to reach teh start of the trail. Secondly, the altitude became a fairly big issue. By the time we reached the start we were already at 4,200m ASL & we had another 600m to ascend before we reached the summit. I won’t lie. Those 600m were not fun. It wasn’t the carrying of our packs, it was the total lack of oxygen that was the problem. No matter how deeply I breathed, at that altitude there just wasn’t enough oxygen in the air. It was ok when I as standing still , but as I started walking I couldn’t get enough into my blood and therefore the lactic acid in my legs began to build up almost immediately.

By the time we reached the halfway point of the ascent we were all struggling. It was more a case of getting it over with, rather than one of enjoyment, which is a shame as looking back down the ravine from whence we had came was a beautiful sight. Stopping to rest for two minutes out of every five becme necessary. Even when walking we were only taking small baby steps, almost shuffling along. In case you think it was just us three who were fat and unfit, everyone else on the trail was in exactly the same boat as us!

After about 2 hours of literally trudging up the hill we finally reached the summit where we promptly sat down to have lunch in a secluded cove. One meal of procesed ham and instant mash later we were ready to have a solid 4 hours downhill walking on the Inca path.

The stone path was in supreisingly good nick seeing as it had been laid about 500 years ago, and had recieved virtually no upkeep since then. As we followed its path winding down through a valley and further on into a ravine i ewas particuarly impressed by the drainage system of the path. Even after all that time the streams still flow across the path through the specifically designed channels. Pretty impressive considering the amount by which the course of a stream can change in 500 years.

We reached a convenient spot in an opening in the valley, where a small settlement was established and decided to stop and make camp for the evening. By 7.45 we had set everything up, made dinner, ate it and were in our sleeping bags ready to call it a night.

After a mixed nights sleep we got up with first light, made breakfast and packed up before setting out. Not 5 minutes after starting we began to feel the first drops of rain. 5 minutes more and we were in a downpour which remained so for a good three hours.

During those 3 hourss the Inca path became a trecherous trail. The rocks became very slippery and I spent almost all the time looking at where I was putting my feet rather than at the scenery (which wasn’t much as it was so misty). By the time we got below the cloud and it stopped raining we were all thoruoghly soaked through! It then became a case of getting done with the trail and back to La Paz as fast as possible. So heads down, we marched on out for another 4 hours, stopping only for 5 minutes each hour.

Once we made it to a village from where we could take a bus back to La Paz we were pretty relieved. The bus took 4 hours to La Paz, which didn’t drag too much as I dozed off for most of it. Back at our hotel we were greeted wth some bad news. Due to it being Good Friday, all bars were closed and no alcohol sales were permitted anywhere in the city. So much for a welcome back beer! The other lads went out and found a little of license selling booze, but I had started to feel a bit tired so abstained and called it a night.