Costs pp: overnight semi-cama bus Trinidad to Santa Cruz 60b, Trini terminal fee 3b, taxi from Sta Cruz terminal to Samaipata bus 15b (2ppl + packs), bus to Samaipata 15b. Matrimonial room Hostal Silas 50b, El Jardin 60b room or 70b cabin.
The semi-cama bus from Trinidad was really comfortable with lots of space between the seats, only problem was that Kent went further back during the night to lie across 2 empty seats and woke with bites on his leg. We arrived at Santa Cruz and decided we didn't really want to stay in the city so got a taxi to where the Samaipata bus goes from. There we were told that there was no bus until the afternoon, but you can't believe everything you are told. We went to every tienda showing anything about transport and sure enough there was one with a bus at 10am so we sat across the road in a small park in the sun until it arrived.
When it did we found out that the place we had decided to get out at, near Bermejo, was only half way to Samaipata and we could have taken another micro for half the price across the road and they run all the time... Ah well. We went with the bus and got off when we saw the sign for 'Gingers Paradise' which is a small finca (farm) with a kiwi in the rock above it. There we met Susan an american who had come from Rurrenabaque and she told us the price to stay was 100b per person with meals (we aren't carrying food at the moment) so we didn't stay and went out and hitchhiked to Bermejo then caught another bus on to Samaipata.
Samaipata is pretty in its presentation from the main road. We unloaded from the bus hungry and tired and a lady popped up beside us with tomales and coffee - right at the right moment! Town was 600 mtrs in so off we went and met a guy on the way who invited us to his hostel called El Jardin. We went there and altho it was a little more expensive we decided to stay in one of their cabins, small round houses with mesinine floor with mattress and downstairs a table and chairs.
The town is small and cosy and offers trekking and archeological sites nearby etc but we were lazy and after exploring the town we spent the following day just sitting in the sun in the gardin until it came time in the evening to catch our (again overnight, only choice) bus to Sucre.
