Sorata (June 1, 2006)

Today was a much-needed rest day in quiet Sorata. We wanted to get caught up in our journals, download pictures, and rest our weary bodies. We had envisioned lounging on the sunny patio for the afternoon, but during the night we had heard rain (for the first time on our trip!) and we woke to a cloudy day. It rained a little bit off and on during the day, so we were happy to be lounging in our room, reading and playing cards. We ventured out only to eat, change more money, sit in the park for a while watching people go about their business, buy toilet paper and water, and inquire about getting to Copacabana tomorrow. The options were to take the local bus towards La Paz for 13bs, get off in Huarina and flag down another bus to Copa (like Roberto had told us), or to pay $100 to hire a jeep to drive us directly to Copa. We opted for the local bus option. The guy at the ticket office said we just needed to show up ½ hour before the bus left to buy our tickets, and there were buses leaving every hour. No problem.

Today it has been exactly one month since we arrived in Buenos Aires. During brunch we reflected on how much we have seen during the past month, but also on how fast it has gone by. We are one quarter of the way through our trip, with only three months to go. We meet so many people travelling for six months, one year, two years, etc., that four months seems like such a short period of time to be travelling. We like to think of our year in the UK as part of our adventure, so it is really longer than a year that we will be unsettled. Most of the other travellers that we have met have either been in their twenties or been retired, with only a handful close to our age. We like being the anomaly! We have, however, seen a couple of families travelling with young children - it is definitely possible...