Bolivia 玻利维亚之天空之镜
Feb 11-20, 2025
Another one on my list for a long time. I finally got to it. It is planned to be a more relaxed easy trip: La Paz for couple of days, join a tour for three days in Uyuni, then back to La Paz. Looking forward to the local culture and the beautiful nature Bolivia has to offer!
听说玻利维亚的天空之镜好久了，雨季1-3月。 总是觉得刚从国内回来不久就又出去，有些匆忙，但该走的旅途还是要踏上的啊，期待…
Feb 11, 2025 Fly to La Paz 飞拉巴斯
带上好朋友送给我的：私人订制的行李牌，最可爱小蛇和红手链，一起出游。All red gifts from my friends for my snake year.
Erik paid extra for premium seats. The flight attendant told us it wasn’t for extended leg room but we could extend our necks on the neck rest, which regular seats didn’t have.
老艾花钱买好一点儿的座位，以为会宽敞些，没想到一点儿没有，乘务员告诉我们，所有座位都一样，我们的腿不能伸，但脖子可以，普通座位没有架头的，好吧…
Visa on arrival. No issues. Chinese passport is cheaper! Go China! Exchange money at the airport 1:7, but nice lady on street gave us 1:11. I have to say that they had the nicest immigration officers we have ever met.
丝滑入境就地签，移民官态度超好。中国护照比美国护照签证便宜！骄傲我大中华😂 机场换钞1:7不到，街上阿姨1:11多…
Feb 12, 2025 La Paz 拉巴斯
Erik said we needed to take it easy on the first day since it was high altitude. I remembered him saying the same thing on other trips as well when the altitude wasn’t high🤔
We got up late and walked to a nearby restaurant that was highly recommended on the internet for local Bolivian food. On the way there, we saw a bunch of workers taking their lunch break eating on the road side. It was mostly rice and potatoes.
We are so blessed with abundance. Seeing the rich and poor, from the most developed country to a developing country, every single one of us, who is not here to survive the days God gave us…We don’t bring anything to the world, and we won’t take any thing with us. How much value it is for the things we have while we are in this world?
快中午了才起，老艾节奏，出去吃了当地的饭，一碟子有半碟子的土豆。土豆是当地特产，上百种。路上遇到工人吃午饭，过去看看，除了米饭就是土豆，比天津盒饭差远了。
看着这两张照片，贫富差别。想想我们又有什么值得是那个富人呢？我们比他们快乐么？哎 不会说西班牙语，搭不了话，只能冲每个人微笑…
La Paz has the largest cable car system in the world. After lunch, we took the green line then blue line to the city center. Just walked around. Went to the famous witch market, but for people don’t shop like us, it was just a walk through. Lots of people, lots of vendors selling all kinds of products. It reminded me of the big market in Tianjin. We also stopped by the San Francisco square and the Calle Jaen, the last colonial street in town.
缆车是拉巴斯主要交通工具，好像是全世界最大的缆车系统。今天坐着进市中心，逛了女巫市场、大广场什么的。到处是小摊儿卖东西的，和天津过去的大胡同一样。想买个当地人穿的披肩，怕被坑了，没买。
Feb 14, 2025 La Paz 拉巴斯
Today we went to the biggest market in La Paz, market El Alto. Many bloggers said it was full of thieves, but we felt safe enough. People were nice. It was a huge market and you can find almost everything there, cheap things, including unmatched shoes…
今天去了拉巴斯最大集市，只有周四和周日有。和国内小商品市场一样，什么都卖，都是低质量极便宜的，都是当地人。
What interesting to us, besides the local food, was, what I would call the “real” witch market (pictures in the middle below). It is a street with many little “rooms” where the witches are. You go in and they tell you how to solve all your life problems. The little alter outside is used to burn things as rituals to make sure all your problems will be solved…later we found that they burn offerings to Pachamama, who loves candy and alcohol. :)
最有趣的是女巫街（中间两个照片）。一个个小格子，黑黑的, 里面坐着算命的女巫。外面摆着烧祭物的坛，整条街一个接一个，也不知道人们怎么选看哪位。
After the market, we went with a tour to see Cholita Wrestling. It was a show, no real hitting, but there were parts looked hurt. The show was ok. Not our favorite.
晚上看了当地女士摔跤表演，还行吧，说是表演，也有互相击打的场面。两个小时有点儿长，上来几组剧情都一样，看上去的弱者取胜。
My favorite part of the day was some local food. We ate in the blue tent at the market using our fingers, like what the locals do. Fried fish with potatoes only for a little over a dollar. Tried some Andean style soup, which was less than a dollar. Very local as well. I couldn’t tell what everything was in it, but tasty, especially with the boiled fava beans. I had them growing up! Grilled beef heart, a dollar, at night market back in la Paz city center was also delicious…
最喜欢当地小吃，在市场吃了份一美金多一点儿的炸鱼，里面当然少不了玉米和土豆。喝了一碗不到一美金的汤，居然还有煮乌豆。晚上又在街边吃了烤牛心，开心。
Feb 14, 2025 Valentine’s Day in La Paz 拉巴斯情人节
We booked our Valentine’s lunch at Gutsu, one of the top 50 best restaurants in South America. When we went there, we didn’t know what to do and no one asked us about anything. So we asked the waitress if we needed to order. She didn’t understand English very well and kept saying it would be surprises🥴. Finally Erik pulled out online translator, and confirmed that we didn’t need to order. They have their tasting menu…phew…
10 course with free valentines champagne! Every dish was well explained by the waitress. Each one was different. We enjoyed our special lunch.
情人节，我们订了一家南美前50名的餐厅，10道菜，每道一至两口。味道还不错，我还真饱了🥰
La Paz street is full of love today! Lovers everywhere, flowers and gifts in hands❤️. We also went to the moon valley. It was ok, not that impressive. It was in the middle of a town, which was interesting. But how about a free picture frame in the moon valley for Valentine’s Day? What’s more can you ask for? What a happy day today!
拉巴斯街上的情人节，到处是情人、鲜花、礼物，看着就幸福。我们去了月亮谷，很一般，但是有完美的背景拍情人节留念照😍
Feb 15, 2025 Uyuni tour starts 乌尤尼跟团游
We took an overnight bus to Uyuni to go on a 2 nights 3 days salt flat tour. I guess I forgot how uncomfortable the overnight bus was. I was looking forward to it until my body complained throughout the whole night.
We arrived at 7am and the tour started at 10:30am. It was tough itineraries, but we are young enough to do it! Our guide packed three days worth of food for 5 tourists and extra gas before we left.
做了过夜大巴到了乌尤尼，开始了我们三天两晚的跟团游。早上7点到，10点半开始第一天行程。老艾还不错，虽然心里觉得我安排的太紧，没太抱怨😛。我们的车加导游六个人，导游带上三天的饭和汽油，我们出发了。
Highlight of the day is definitely the salt flats, which is the main reason we are in Bolivia for. We got a wonderful weather for it today and we found huge areas for the mirror effects. We drove miles and miles on the flats. It was quite an experience that hard to explain. The view was just stunning.
第一天就去了乌尤尼最有名的盐湖，天空之镜，不虚此名！
We also went to the train cemetery to see more tourists than abandoned trains. Had lama meat with corn, which was ok. Saw cactus island where me and Erik chose not to climb up but to take a quick nap in the car.
Our guide took a lot of interesting pictures on the salt flats. 导游照了很多有趣的照片儿。怎么也想不出老艾是怎么跳的，怎么会两只手都在右边？岂不是拍手跳？谁会那样？
Feb 16, 2025 Day 2 of the tour 跟团第二天
Driving tour today with many stops. We started off before 7:30am. Bolivia is such a beautiful country. I enjoyed every moment in the car. The long day has been short for me.
It was a cloudy and rainy day, but everything was still beautiful.
Volcano Ollague, and Cañapa lagoon, Hedionda lagoon, Chiarcota lagoon and Honda lagoon. Flamingos are everywhere on the lagoons.
Siloli desert: spectacular landscapes with multicolored volcanic rock formations.
Then we entered the National Reserve Eduardo Abaroa where the Stone tree whose natural form is petrified volcanic lava eroded (volcanic Ignimbrite)by wind and rain.
Our final stop was the red lake, ie, Colorade Lagoon. I was so looking forward to this one, but it was raining. We didn’t get to see its red color. It was a bit disappointing, but I learned to be grateful for everything I got on trips. :)
早上7点半出发，一天都在开车，走走停停。看了死火山，很多湖，很多火烈鸟，还有沙漠和五彩山。玻利维亚好美！唯一遗憾的是今天阴天，偶尔下雨。到我向往的红湖时，没看到艳丽的红湖水。不过，已经可以看到什么都会感恩了☺️
Erik sees where help is needed and there he will be. That is just who he is. Two guides couldn’t sit inside the lunch room and watch him work, so they came out. They lighted their smoke and watched and laughed. I could tell their satisfaction to see a white guy doing the hard work that they do all the time.
老艾到哪儿都帮忙。刚吃了午饭，同行的两个司机看到老艾在干活，在餐厅待不住了，走出来。我以为他们会马上说我来我来，但没有，他们冲着老艾笑，我觉得他们看着老外干他们的活，心欢喜，呵呵…他们都很喜欢这个高个子的白人。
Feb 17, 2025 Last day of the tour 跟团最后一天
We got up at 4:15am and started the day around 5:15am. We stopped by couple places before dropping off most of the tourists at the Chile boarder around 10am.
今天4点多就起了，5点一过就出发了。大部分游客过境去智利，我们10点以前要到边境。
Stops were Geysers volcanic zone ‘Sol de Mañana’ at 4850 meters. Hot Springs for people who wanted to get in, not us. So we walked around for amazing snow top mountain views. And we crossed Salvador Dali Desert. Last stop was Green Lake near the boarder.
一大早还是去了烟孔区，路过一片沙漠，看了绿湖。这个国家公园又大又美！
Our friends in the same jeep for three days all went to Chile. Well, I also got my feet on Chile for less than a minute. :)
我也踏上智利的土地啦！
We drove the whole way back to Uyuni with our guide for more than 7 hours. We enjoyed the views and chatted with him about his life and plans for the future. We enjoyed the time together.
送走同车的人到智利，回程只有我和老艾。7个小时回到乌尤尼，一路和小导游聊天儿，边聊边看风景。回到乌尤尼不到6点，我们坐9点过夜大巴回拉巴斯。今天起得太早，在大巴上好睡多了…
Feb 18, 2025 Resting day 躺平的一天
Well, originally we booked a tour to see some ruins today. The plan was to get off the overnight bus at 7am. Hop on to the tour bus at 9am. Two hours drive there and walk around and two hours back. But, given tomorrow we have the death road tour, maybe resting would be a better idea. So we canceled it.
本来计划跟团去看一个遗址，要下过夜大巴再直接坐两个小时车到，下午4点多回来，想着明天还要死亡公路骑行，哎，还是退了回酒店睡觉吧。
Of course, this idea is well supported by Erik. We came to the hotel after the overnight bus arrived a little after 6am. Paid some extra money to check in early. Had breakfast with amazing view. Took a shower and slept some. It actually was really nice and none of us missed the tour. :)
一早6点多就下了大巴，回酒店，吃了免费早餐，洗了澡睡到中午，俩人都幸福感十足，呵呵
We went out for lunch at this very popular place. They only serve lunch with a fixed three course menu and it changes every week. Normally you had to wait, but we went late and got a seat almost right away. The food presentation was very well done, but the flavor of all the dishes were too sweet for me.
去了这家网红餐厅吃午饭，他们每周换菜单，三道菜，摆盘很好，但这次每样菜都甜甜的，不好吃，就算打卡了。
We both worked after lunch until night.
我俩下午都上班到晚上。
We talked about the death road tour tomorrow. I am a little nervous, but Erik had trust in me that I can definitely do it!💪
明儿就要去死亡公路骑行了，心里有些嘀咕，但老艾说我没问题，这信任👍
Feb 19, 2025 Death road biking tour 死亡公路骑行
The Yungas Road, popularly known as the Death Road, is a 64-kilometre (40 mi) long cycle route linking the city of La Paz with the Yungas region of Bolivia. It was conceived in the 1930s by the Bolivian government to connect the capital city of La Paz with the Amazon Rainforest in the north part of the country. Large parts of it were built by Paraguayan prisoners during the Chaco War. Several sections of the road are less than 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide, and due to presence of rain, fog, landslides, cascades, steep slopes and cliffs that drop more than 610 meters or 2000 feet, it is largely considered the most dangerous road in the world.
Known for its extreme danger with 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) of descent, the Death Road draws about 25,000 tourists per year and Erik and Jeri are two of them in 2025.
Alright, I didn’t read all the above before I signed up. I just thought it was cool and I wanted to do it.
世界很有名的“死亡公路”， 64公里，落差3500米，很多地儿离悬崖只有三米多宽，每年吸引众多山地自行车爱好者来这里骑行。虽然我们没玩过山地自行车，但听上去还是很吸引我！
We told our guide when he asked us if we would like to hear about any stories about bikers, we said maybe after, which was very smart! More than 30 people died biking on this road in the last 20 some years also…
Four of us in the group today. The other couple was from Switzerland. The tour normally takes from 4-5 hours and the fearless FOUR finished it in 3.5 hours!
我们今天只有四个人，另一对夫妻来自瑞士。一般要4-5个小时的骑行，我们四个用了3个半！一路下山，还是很刺激的！老艾说我是不知者无畏，呵呵…昨还说担心，今天就全忘了。
Jeri: work hard to paddle through tough situations with positive attitudes (smiley face)
Erik: I don’t want to get my feet wet.
我：困难来了往前冲。
老艾：不能湿了我的鞋😲
We started on the paved road to get used to the bikes. And give the guides a chance to evaluate our riding skills. That was about 45 mins ride. Beautiful mountains around us.
开始45分钟是柏油马路，练习刹车什么的。然后上了真正的山路。
Then we got to the REAL deal. The road is narrow and rocky, but, IT WAS A LOT OF FUN! More than 10 years of daily bike riding in China made me comfortable with the bike , plus (Erik would say) my ignorance of the danger made me a fast rider! Well, the guide said “trust the bike”. That was what I did. When I had my butt in the air, and just lightly touching the handles, that was when the bike took over and rode on the rocks down the hill, and it worked like a charm!
导游一直说要相信我们的车，不要专注躲石头，可以压上去。真的啊，当你屁股离开座位，双手不死死握着车把的时候，是最容易驾驭的时刻！
We stopped many time along the way for resting, and the guide explained to us what’s coming.
We did feel tired towards the end, with sore fingers, shoulders, butts and legs.
But WE DID IT🙌
3个多小时，还是很需要体力的。我们都安全的完成了整个路程。导游今天可喜欢我们了😀
Feb 20, 2025 Heading home 回家
The Cuban restaurant I would like to go didn’t open even though Google said it was open. Google can be wrong?
We walked down the street in front of the hotel and got in one restaurant that I felt like going in.
想去的一家古巴餐厅没开门，随便街上找了一家吃午饭。
I really wish we were fluent in Spanish, or at least no trouble with restaurant menus. After some communication by Erik , we thought we ordered a soup and a dish with beef, rice and an egg. And we did get them, but just not in the way I expected, especially that dish. It literally had white rice, four pieces of beef and a fried egg. Oh well, it tasted good though.
不会西班牙文就是不方便，老艾使劲儿告诉服务员我想吃的：牛肉、米饭、鸡蛋，上来真的就是几片牛肉、白米饭和一个煎鸡蛋，好吧…
I missed La Paz already on the way to the airport. Normally, I would have missed home by far. The streets of La Paz center area look so familiar to me. The shops, vendors, cars and trucks, and the people. Full of lives. It is so much like the environment I grew up with, more so than how my hometown is today. I am so use to the cars honking, people eating on the streets, buyers bargaining with sellers…everything just brought me back to the childhood memories. Plus the the country is like a dollar tree for us in terms of how much things are. Or maybe 5 below, for most part😂
去机场的路上就已经很舍不得拉巴斯，它好像使我一下回到童年，喧哗的街道、散乱的商家小贩、来去匆匆的人群，一切都那么的熟悉，比今天的天津都熟悉的感觉…我喜欢儿时的记忆，一切都那么美好…对了，还有物价😂
Our trip back took us more than 14 hours, but we are safely home. Give all the thanks to my Lord for protection and the many blessings we have.
我们安全到家了，落地那一刻我真的是感谢神的保守和看顾。每次旅途都有不同的体验和收获，羡慕途中那些用上几个月背包的，我啥时可以？
More from the trip:
Friends made on trip, and stayed with the trip
旅途中短暂的友谊。我左边的是我们的小导游，小我20岁，热爱他的工作。
其他的好吃的，我爱吃他们的玉米，骆马肠三明治也好吃。
