Pico Austria - Bolivia
9/24/05
We left La Paz at 7:30 a.m. in a taxi with our guide for Cordillera Real, crossed the smoky and really spread out suburb and after nearly one hour of jammed traffic we got to a dirt path that leads to a place called Rinconada, where the trail starts.
From the dirt path there was an awesome view of the snow capped Cordillera Real and the fields with sparse countryside stone houses. In the distance we noticed cholitas spinning wool while watching for the sheeps.
During the whole trip we heard the guide and the taxi driver complaining about life and of how much they make. We were leery about our guide when he had to stop (several times) to ask locals for directions. The taxi driver got upset with the long way, bad road and uncertainty of destination and demanded more money to the guide (we paid the tour to the agency, so we were spared of hassling). When we arrived in Rinconada, in the middle of nowhere, ...
... the driver said he would not come back the following day to pick us up for the same amount. I had to give him the phone number of the agency and hope that he would have a better deal with the agency, or I don't know how we would go back to La Paz.
After that troublous start we followed with the plan and started the walk not sure if the guide knew the way.
The walk was quite short, some two hours, to the camp site where we arrived around noon. Nevertheless the way was really beautiful and we passed by two lagoons. The initial plan was to hike for 6-7 hours to the campsite, but somehow it got shorter.
Click here for a panoramic of the lake
At the campsite we had lunch and our useless guide said he was done for the day and that we could explore the area (on our own) if we wanted. Of course we wouldn't go to sleep at 1 p.m and went to walk around.
We walked to a glacier close to the campsite; on the way there were lots of lamas eating the weird grass that grows in the region.
We walked in the direction of the glacier on the right in the next picture.
Click here for a panoramic of the area
Soon we started to climb the mount in this fantastic environment.
When we were back at the campsite ...
... we found to have a nice couple from Boston as neighbors.
Click here for a panoramic of the campsite
We chatted for a while, they showed to us Condoriro, the peak they were going to ice-climb when suddenly, out of nowhere, a local girl showed up to sell souvenirs.
We had dinner, some hot tea and went to sleep. At night the temperature dropped to below zero Celsius :)
9/25/05
Around 3 a.m. we heard the Americans leaving to climb Condoriro, but we went back to sleep and got up only at 6 30 a.m. for breakfast; half an hour later we left to climb Pico Austria at 5,300 meters.
Since we had spent already more than a week at high altitude, the climb didn't seem that difficult and for each step up it was possible to see a bit more on the horizon.
It was very clear and we could see even the Lake Titicaca at the Bolivian-Peruvian border, but Titicaca is not the obvious lake in the picture, it is the one fading out on horizon.
Click for a panoramic
In every direction the view was outstanding. It was possible to see even La Paz.
From the top there was also fantastic views of the neighboring mountains and glaciers.
Click for a glacier panoramic
Click for a another panoramic
Click for a another panoramic
On the way back to the campsite, we stopped for lunch half-way down.
Then we reached the campsite and around 1 p.m we were ready and packed to go back to Rinconada and find out if our transport would show up or not.
In Rinconada we watched the locals fishing trout and waited some two and a half hours for a car to show up.
It wasn't the cab driver, no, it was the owner of TravelTracks on his own car.
Back in La Paz we had a conversation we TravelTracks about the guide and the taxi and it seemed that the guide messed up things. TravelTracks was grateful for our feedback, apologized for the trouble and, in compensation, gave us free transport from La Paz to the beginning of the trail El Choro for the following day.
We left La Paz at 7:30 a.m. in a taxi with our guide for Cordillera Real, crossed the smoky and really spread out suburb and after nearly one hour of jammed traffic we got to a dirt path that leads to a place called Rinconada, where the trail starts.
From the dirt path there was an awesome view of the snow capped Cordillera Real and the fields with sparse countryside stone houses. In the distance we noticed cholitas spinning wool while watching for the sheeps.
During the whole trip we heard the guide and the taxi driver complaining about life and of how much they make. We were leery about our guide when he had to stop (several times) to ask locals for directions. The taxi driver got upset with the long way, bad road and uncertainty of destination and demanded more money to the guide (we paid the tour to the agency, so we were spared of hassling). When we arrived in Rinconada, in the middle of nowhere, ...
... the driver said he would not come back the following day to pick us up for the same amount. I had to give him the phone number of the agency and hope that he would have a better deal with the agency, or I don't know how we would go back to La Paz.
After that troublous start we followed with the plan and started the walk not sure if the guide knew the way.
The walk was quite short, some two hours, to the camp site where we arrived around noon. Nevertheless the way was really beautiful and we passed by two lagoons. The initial plan was to hike for 6-7 hours to the campsite, but somehow it got shorter.
Click here for a panoramic of the lake
At the campsite we had lunch and our useless guide said he was done for the day and that we could explore the area (on our own) if we wanted. Of course we wouldn't go to sleep at 1 p.m and went to walk around.
We walked to a glacier close to the campsite; on the way there were lots of lamas eating the weird grass that grows in the region.
We walked in the direction of the glacier on the right in the next picture.
Click here for a panoramic of the area
Soon we started to climb the mount in this fantastic environment.
When we were back at the campsite ...
... we found to have a nice couple from Boston as neighbors.
Click here for a panoramic of the campsite
We chatted for a while, they showed to us Condoriro, the peak they were going to ice-climb when suddenly, out of nowhere, a local girl showed up to sell souvenirs.
We had dinner, some hot tea and went to sleep. At night the temperature dropped to below zero Celsius :)
9/25/05
Around 3 a.m. we heard the Americans leaving to climb Condoriro, but we went back to sleep and got up only at 6 30 a.m. for breakfast; half an hour later we left to climb Pico Austria at 5,300 meters.
Since we had spent already more than a week at high altitude, the climb didn't seem that difficult and for each step up it was possible to see a bit more on the horizon.
It was very clear and we could see even the Lake Titicaca at the Bolivian-Peruvian border, but Titicaca is not the obvious lake in the picture, it is the one fading out on horizon.
Click for a panoramic
In every direction the view was outstanding. It was possible to see even La Paz.
From the top there was also fantastic views of the neighboring mountains and glaciers.
Click for a glacier panoramic
Click for a another panoramic
Click for a another panoramic
On the way back to the campsite, we stopped for lunch half-way down.
Then we reached the campsite and around 1 p.m we were ready and packed to go back to Rinconada and find out if our transport would show up or not.
In Rinconada we watched the locals fishing trout and waited some two and a half hours for a car to show up.
It wasn't the cab driver, no, it was the owner of TravelTracks on his own car.
Back in La Paz we had a conversation we TravelTracks about the guide and the taxi and it seemed that the guide messed up things. TravelTracks was grateful for our feedback, apologized for the trouble and, in compensation, gave us free transport from La Paz to the beginning of the trail El Choro for the following day.
posted by Adriano and Angie | 5:20 PM
1 Comments:
Hey guys, December is right around the corner, are you still in Bolivia? Last I heard, you are in Brazil now, come on, you are going to lose your fan reader! There are alots of catch-up work to do for your blogger!!!
:)...he...he... hurry-up!
Doris :)
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