Barsteward Airline Rip offs

[rootsnall]

Aye, the Mrs has sussed the tours already. It's an overnight trip but well worth it apparently.

We did the Cuzco/Machu Pichu thing a few years back and had a cracking time.

We did that pre Arequipa hence the CBA bit with the canyons.

If you are ever out of work ( as if in the world of .Net ) and have a bit more time then look up the salt flats ( salar d'uyuni ) in Bolivia, hard work but my fav in that neck of the woods.

[NickNick]

Not overland I hope. That was quite the journey as I recall and not one to do if you get in the least travel sick.

Pisco was good fun and near to Nazca, and hence on the way to Arequipa. A flight over the lines is well worth it.

[rootsnall]

Not overland I hope. That was quite the journey as I recall and not one to do if you get in the least travel sick.

You mean the salt flats ? Yes, we travelled overland from Argentina, it was rough going. From the salt flats we were a few hours from catching the bus to La Paz when we saw a lot of very bloody dead bodies on the news, freshly shot by the army in La Paz that day. We changed our plans ! The locals just gave a casual shrug while watching the news

[NickNick]

You mean the salt flats ? Yes, we travelled overland from Argentina, it was rough going. From the salt flats we were a few hours from catching the bus to La Paz when we saw a lot of very bloody dead bodies on the news, freshly shot by the army in La Paz that day. We changed our plans ! The locals just gave a casual shrug while watching the news

Nah not that trip (I went overland to there from Chile, which is a rough ride) but I was talking about overland from Lima to Arequipa. As I recall the roads wer tortuous.

As for La Paz, only place in the world I've ever been and felt scared for my personal safety so we headed out of there sharpish to Santa Cruz, which was a world away. I saw recently though that Santa Cruz is filling with Russian Casinos.

[Pondlife]

Nah not that trip (I went overland to there from Chile, which is a rough ride) but I was talking about overland from Lima to Arequipa. As I recall the roads wer tortuous.
As for La Paz, only place in the world I've ever been and felt scared for my personal safety so we headed out of there sharpish to Santa Cruz, which was a world away. I saw recently though that Santa Cruz is filling with Russian Casinos.

Hence the post about flight costs

[NickNick]

Hence the post about flight costs

Good call that man.
;o)

[rootsnall]

Nah not that trip (I went overland to there from Chile, which is a rough ride) but I was talking about overland from Lima to Arequipa. As I recall the roads wer tortuous.

As for La Paz, only place in the world I've ever been and felt scared for my personal safety so we headed out of there sharpish to Santa Cruz, which was a world away. I saw recently though that Santa Cruz is filling with Russian Casinos.

To escape the La Paz bloodbath mentioned previously we took the bus over the Andes to Chile as a 'safe' option. Only to find out 5 mins into the journey that the same bus the day before had been involved in a gun battle on the Bolivia/Chile border.

[Svalbaard]

Scorchio!!!!!

[expat]

Nah not that trip (I went overland to there from Chile, which is a rough ride) but I was talking about overland from Lima to Arequipa. As I recall the roads wer tortuous.

As for La Paz, only place in the world I've ever been and felt scared for my personal safety so we headed out of there sharpish to Santa Cruz, which was a world away. I saw recently though that Santa Cruz is filling with Russian Casinos.

Santa Cruz? Holy tulip! When I was there (80s) it was the centre of the cocaine trade. The market sold veg for pesos and electronics for dollars. Porsches with tinted windows on the dirt streets, dead cop found every couple of days, DEA guys snooping around everywhere.

La Paz was happily relatively peaceful at that time. They just had a new government (how can you tell?), formed by newly-elected President Paz by the practical expedient of locking MPs inside parliament with no food, and telling them they got out when they chose a government.

We must do a "most dangerous place visited" some time.

[Spacecadet]

To escape the La Paz bloodbath mentioned previously we took the bus over the Andes to Chile as a 'safe' option. Only to find out 5 mins into the journey that the same bus the day before had been involved in a gun battle on the Bolivia/Chile border.

didn't the fact that the bus was "bullet riddled" get the alarm bells ringing before you got on the bus?
Or was it parked like an over priced second hand car?