After a 7 hour overnight bus to the border of Argentina and Bolivia, I was shocked!
I was shocked at how freakin cold it is!!! Perhaps coming to Bolivia to hibernate from winter in Argentina and Chile was not the brightest idea . I planned to cross the border right away but I found myself freezing cold in the dark at the bus station with two Irish guys and no one around to ask for information. So we decided to split a triple hotel room together, get some proper sleep, warm up a little, and figure out how to get across the border. That afternoon, I crossed the border easily and jumped on a bus to Tupiza. The Irish guys stayed behind to watch the World Cup Soccer games that day.

Upon arriving in Tupiza, I got a preview of what the rest of my high altitude Bolivian escapades will bring. Freezing weather at night, hostels with no heat in the rooms, and only the occasional hot shower. Tupiza, however, is a nice little touristy place surrounded by nothing but desert. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid were killed near here after robbing a bank and the movie of the same name was also filmed in the nearby desert. The scenery is awesome and one good way to see it is by horseback. The last time I rode a horse I was in Ecuador and I had a good one . My horse this time was very stupid and the least obedient of them all. We did not get along so well but the photos I took made up for her disobedience.

After leaving Tupiza, the bus journey through the nothingness of the Bolivian desert provided some insight to how bus travel will be in Bolivia... we suffered two flat tires on the way to Uyuni, my next destination. I am meeting up with James and Marie-Claude, a couple I met a while back in Olinda, Brazil. We had a good time together in Brazil and speculated we might be in Bolivia around the same time. As it turns out, we will be in Uyuni on the same day! We're planning on taking a tour of the Salt Desert together. James and Marie-Claude are also Travelpod Members and their adventures can be found here James' and Marie-Claude's Travelpod