Villazon, Bolivia - Updated

Ten minutes, not even, give it about 5 mins, including customs, the people change into something you read online or, for us who still remember what they are, find in an encyclopedia. Short 4.5 feet tall, 4 feet wide women in colourful pleated skirts and a button up blouse. Some wear bowler hats, some wear wide brim hats. The younger gals are usually in jeans and a t-shirt but everyone (except me) is in a hat. Makes sense. The altitude makes the sun fiere. Worse than brain freeze when you're hung over. Hmmm... Speaking of altitude, altitude sickness bites. I have been in bed for most of the past 2 days here. Getting up, finding food and wandering around exhausted me. The 1st day, I was always out of breath. I had even sought out a cheaper place, which was basically across the street, but I had no energy to pack my things and move. After I bought my train ticket, I ended up taking a nap, even tho I had slept for about 10 hours the night before. The second day was much better. My heart stopped racing constantly. Only when I decided to walk uphill. I normally have to rest after walking up a flight of stairs at sea level, so at 3440 meters above sea level, my heart was getting quite the workout. ANYWAYS.

So to get from Argentina customs to Bolivian customs, you basically get your exit stamp, cross the very short bridge, go to the Bolivian Immigration, fill out a form, get it stamped along with your passport, and that's it. As you walk out of the office towards Bolivia, not more than 20 paces away, are rows upon rows of the aforementioned ladies guarding various stalls selling anything you can think of. For cheap too! There were oil-drum sized bags full of coca leaves for sale too. It's legal in Bolivia, but I didn't buy any. They're supposed to be better further north. :)
To give you guys an idea of how cheap things are:

1 roasted drumstick (big) + portion of fires + rice was $7 Bolivianos. That’s a little less than a buck CAD! Mind you, I did get dinged when I bought a litre of Sprite at the hotel. $10 Bob’s! It was 6 am. I as up forever, heating up like I had a fever, my nose was dry my lips parched. I drank ½ the thing in one go. Then I proceeded to shiver under 6 layers of blankets until I fell asleep again. I didn’t sleep for long tho. I awoke to 3 loud bangs. At first I thought they were gunshots. Then I remembered that it was the 5th of January. This is the day where most Latin cultures open their gifts. I guess in Bolivian culture, a parade with tuba players and firecrackers is the norm.

The train to Oruro.
I’m in 1st class, only because business class was sold out. Happily, it seems that business class is really economy class where the folks have a whole bunch of their wares with them. No chickens tho. I’m busing home, not roughing it.

My neighbour on the train was this rotund guy in his 50’s with eyebrows like a Don in a bad Italian mafia flick. I managed to make small talk in Spanish. He’s Bolivian and he described bits of the landscape as we passed it on the train. Nice gentleman. Usually, on long distance buses, there is a divider between the paired seats. Not on this train. I have enough trouble sleeping in a chair as is, but with the fat arse of this guy taking up ½ my seat, I was less than comfortable.

The scenery from Villazon to La Pas, on the most part, is fairly blah. Long stretch of desert, some adobe houses, occasional herds of llama or sheep and the mountains in the distance. We passed the great Salt lakes, Salar de Uyuni, apparently the biggest on the earth. It was night and I slept through it.

The morning, however, gave me the most beautiful scenery I have every seen in my life. The train passed through lakes Lago Poopo and Lago Uru Uru. With the sun peaking over the mountains and is rays dusting the water, giving the rising mists an Avalon aura, the flocks of pink flamingos swirled in the air, declaring their ownership of mother nature. Amazing. Breathtaking.