Hello Bolivia, and hello lots of people I´ve met somewhere before

The Machu Picchu adventure was on Thursday the 5th (bonfire night! What were you guys up to?) and I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday relaxing and ambling around Cusco and partying because it was the weekend. I danced in some clubs, saw a reggae band, played some pictionary, read my book, met some llamas, bought a really comfortable really touristy cardigan, sunbathed in the hostel courtyard... all lovely but not very riveting for you probably. Then on Sunday night we all said goodbye and I headed to Puno, a port town on Lake Titicaca. Arrived Monday morning, and booked a boat trip to the islands of Lake Titicaca and ambled around the town. The boat tour left at 7am so an early night on Monday and then I spent Tuesday on the lake. We visited the Floating Islands of Uros - man-made islands made from reeds - and Taquile Island. It was very beautiful and relaxing and interesting.
Puno isn´t a very lively or interesting town though, so having ticked Lake Titicaca off my to-do list, I hopped a bus to La Paz on Wednesday morning. Hello Bolivia! It was a bit of a mad border crossing due to strikes, and I bumped into two Canadians who I´d met in Cusco, Dave and Andrew, who were trying to navigate the border crossing and strikes and somehow get to La Paz, which for complicated reasons involved them getting on my bus at the border. So happy reunion, and we all finally got to La Paz n one piece.
And actually, in La Paz I´ve bumped into many people I know, including the Australians Naomi and Tina, who are working at the hostel to save some cash, and the moto-taxi guys (they´re alive!!), and Tim Ellis again! The reason I came to La Paz was to do a jungle tour, maybe some river rafting, but due to the rainy season and the fact that I´m travelling by myself and it´s a lot easier to organise tours if you´re in a group... unfortunately it was not to be. So no jungle for Josephine, instead tomorrow I´m going to the Salt Flats with Dave and Andrew. Not too sure exactly what the Salt Flats are, except a completely mad and surreal environment with a lot of salt lying around. From what I´ve heard, and read. So that should be fun. So far I´ve been in La Paz for 4 days, and it´s a nice city. Andrew and I went for an amble and we happened across a cool art gallery, and really I´ve just spent my time walking around the city and also trying to organise a tour of some sort. But all that is sorted now and I´m off again tomorrow. Don´t know what I´ll do after the Salt Flats but I´m sure something will crop up.

I think of you all often, and I demand you let me know what you´re up to. Ayesha - a detailed account of Bummit! Heg, have you gotten a job? Kate - have you settled intoYork? Charli - I thought of you whilst hiking up Machu Picchu - ´Charli would be running up this, the mad fell runner´I thought to myself. Hellen - Tim says hi, and give my nephews lots of hugs and did I see that Daniel has said his first word?! Taylor and Julian and James, how´re the foreign countries treating you.... and Liz, I really really miss singing with you!

For some reason it´s impossible to put photos up on facebook, so I´m going to struggle on in this internet cafe for a while longer and see if I can sort it out. Watch this space....


xxx