I met a couchsurfer named Freddy just before I had left for La Senda Verde, who was about 27 years old, was born in Bolivia, works in a travel agency, and also studies. He speaks English very well and also used to be a Spanish teacher, so you could just imagin how much my Spanish improved by chatting to him. We played dice games at a restaurant/ bar for a few hours that was filled with old Boliviano pictures, and had large metal ornaments, such as bycicles and scales hung from the celing and walls. After eating a good cheap meal at a local restaurant he knew of, we finally parted ways. I ended up having one more night in La Paz, after catching the bus back from La Senda Verde, and so decided to meet up with Freddy again. He took me out to a local bar, as it was a Friday night, where everyone was dancing in lines with their partners, and an MC shouted excitedly from a balcony. Later, a Boliviano/ Columbian folk band played. their music was fantastic, and consisted of a few guitars, including a minature one, drums, and a couple of bamboo pipe thingys. I needed to leave early as I was feeling ill once again, so I said goodbye to Freddy, went to my hostel, and crashed out. The next morning I bagan to make my way to Arequipa. First a bus to Copacabana, then another to the border (where the Boliviano police stole my passport, and then only gave it back after bribing me for money), then one to Puno, and then one finally to Arequipa.
The scenery was magnificent on the journey from Bolivia, but I felt so glad to be back in Peru again!!
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE NOMADIC HANDS JOURNEY GO TO WWW.NOMADICHANDS.COM
