It is decided, the plane ticket is taken, I leave this 23 January for La Paz in Bolivia I join my two there wire Hydrotrotters. They had proposed to me to accompany them during a part of their tour around the world. Today I am on the aircraft which has just left Paris. An inopportune strike of the personnel of track delayed the departure but what imports, the stopover of Miami will be shorter. It is the first time that I cross the ocean, to return to me "to Americas" as that was said formerly. The overflight of the ice-barrier in this winter period is fabulous. I am filled with wonder by all this immaculate vastness. Which quasi inexhaustible drinking water reserve, and statement that there are so many desert places in the world where men would need some. Will the problems of fresh water find one day a solution, thanks to the reserves of the cap refrigerator of the two poles?
We pass now close to the coasts of Canada. I see very well the open mouth of the St. Lawrence, a little later we fly over New York under snow. The maritime activity is intense there in spite of the drift of the ices which float on the surface of water. It will almost be necessary to wait to arrive to Miami to see some more. We land whereas the sun lies down, which gives to the landscape orange pink reflections of any beauty. Time to pass the customs and it makes night. It is insane what the night fall quickly under this latitude. Since the incidents of September 11, the customs formalities are long, severe controls, therefore not time to visit the city. The night spent on the aircraft will be all the more long as I sleep badly. The day rises finally, it makes cloudy. The arrival on La Paz is majestic, the spectacle is imposing. The snow-covered Andes all close relations are almost with end of wings. It rained much and snowed, the ground below us is softened. There are floods, roads are cut. The immense ones stretch of water give to the ground metal reflections. Once the door of the plane opened, I feel the lack of oxygen immediately, my heart packs, my breathing accelerates, I am not the only passenger to feel this disturbance. The last customs and in possession of my luggage, I see Geoffroy. He holds in hand large glass of Coke, that he presents to me while saying to me: "Hold, it is good for you", before even saying to me hello. I drink in an awkward way, I reverse some a little at side. It is true that makes me good, I smell itself better. During our stay in altitude, I will make a great consumption of it, which is unusual for me. Loïc, wait it, we close to the car until it kept. We embrace ourselves, we are glad to find us all the three.
The airport is on a plate to 4000 m of altitude. For several years, with the neighbourhoods, has developed El Alto, miserable suburbs inhabited by a whole population of more than 800000 people come from the campaigns. La Paz is below, towards 3800m of altitude, and the easy districts, them, are with 3300m. At this early hour the district of the airport is crammed of world, circulation is as intense there as in Paris at the peak hours. We cross hundreds of minibus, Japanese or Korean marks, in which pile up to fifteen people. In this public transport, there are a driver and his assistance who by the window shouts the destination, with which wants to hear it. The omnipresent police force is overflowed. We thread with great blows of horn in all this will fatras, to take the end of paying motorway which goes down towards our hotel. Everyone hoots, fortunately bus pedestrians and dogs grouillent in all the directions without worrying less about the world of the uninterrupted flood about the bus, trucks and cars. The difference in altitude finally enables me to better breathe.
7h of the morning, the commercial ones are installed on the pavements to sell their production of wool clothing of spangled, of alpacas or polar wool. Quality is average, but all is cheap. The life in Bolivia east one of the least expensive of South America Of others are installed straightforwardly on the street, to sell food, cakes, drinks, soups. The barges are attroupés around them and eat at any hour of the day, sitting on the pavement. As we are in rain season, their carts are provided with blue a plastic hood generally, sold with the meter by a kid who passes from a graver to the other. The majority of the women are equipped with their traditional costumes, they have beautiful black hair, very smooth with long plaits which their go down in the medium from the back, gathered by a black ribbon. They wear a round hat, of type bowler hat of various colors, a shirt maker, a pullover. Their skirts at broad successive wheels, all are based on the same pattern. The unit appears very puffing out, they must undoubtedly carry many underskirts, unless there is not a trick, but I did not go to see... These dresses are of a large variety of colors and go down until below the knee. The legs are sheathed of bottom or of leggings out of wool such as the dancers carry from there to the drive in winter on our premises. They have flat shoes in bad condition, which proves that their principal means of transport remains the walking and that the borrowed ways are not always the best. Traditional the poncho of the Andean people to the colors sharp and varied their villages is tied on their shoulders. These ponchos also helps them to carry all kinds of things including their infants.
We meet much carry-burden, sometimes old men, curved under weights quite higher than theirs. This heavy work is paid less than anything, just what to ensure their soups. In the streets of the poor kids (shoeshiners of shoes) have the face covered with a black hood. They beg a cigarette near the tourists who are not always very pleasant with them.
The first morning, I recover a little voyage, the hotel is modest. The room is not expensive, the showers are common. There is if little water that when one washes the hands other under its shower does not have water. Hot water is produced by a resistance which is fixed right before shower head. I am frightened by this electric circuit of a dubious safety. I think of this poor Cloclo, by saying to me that I would not wish to have the same fate.
While I sleep, Loïc and Geoffroy update their Hydrotour site. Before them to see with work I had not realized of the enormous work that that required of them. They pass enormously from time to write, put on page, to choose the best photographs, to comment on them, so that the pupils of the schools and the readers who follow their project are interested and content.
Our, finally, my first lunch in Bolivia will be frugal, a pale soup not to be sick (always altitude), tell me Hydrotrotters. With the table of with dimensioned, a group of people wants absolutely to offer a beer bottle to us. People drink much, men and women, until vomitting some everywhere, it is disgusting.
Today Saturday it went there. The streets are cut in our district. In a merchant of memories my glance is attracted by the small ones spangled dried. It is in fact of spangled fallen through that the Bolivian ones buy to bury them under the foundations of all their constructions, to entreat the bad fate. Saturdays it is also the day of the marriages just like Sunday. We will see of it several bus our hotel is opposite a church. The bride wear a white dress, the grooms are in black costume. When they leave the church, their friends throw kilos of confettis to them which they must keep on the head longest possible; it is a sign of longevity of happiness. For one of them, there was even an Andean orchestra. The musicians, equipped in black local costume bordered of money wire had cover-chiefs one meter in diameter, not very convenient to carry when there is such an amount of world, the unit had beautiful pace.
Sunday we went to the mass. There is at every hour the morning. Our was accompanied by a choral society, I let myself go to sing. To the end of the ceremony, individual blessing, everyone pass in front of the priest who sprinkles you liberally holy water. The afternoon we went for a walk in La Paz, history to know it a little before carrying on our road towards Peru. The city is located in an immense basin at the edges precipice. We go up on the with dimensions one Is city. We borrow one of the thousands of staircases of this immense city, where 1 approximately 300 000 people live. It should be said in passing it capital of Bolivia is not La Paz, but Sucre. The dwellings are built without coherent architectural unit. The structures of the houses are out of reinforced concrete and red bricks. The corrugated sheet roofs are chapeautés of a water tank. Little of them is completed. They are hung on slopes being able to reach 45%. The city by far appears very red. The unit is strange, incredible. Some beautiful monuments are seen. It is for the majority of the churches or other buildings of Spanish style. The city is dominated by snow-covered peaks of more than 5000 m whose Illimani mountain which culminates to 6480 Mr. C' is one highest of Latin America, after Aconcagua 6959 m located in Argentina at the border with Chile.
We leave Monday after midday in direction the west. The road for Tiwanaku our next stage passes by El Alto. A road attended by many trucks and bus (few cars) roll to open tombs of day like night. I do not count any more the number of so much crushed dogs it of A. This friend of the man pays there a heavy tribute with the road traffic. The men are not saved either. Along the road innumerable small sanctuaries with crosses and flowers are. There is as much as deaths. Here a vault there three sometimes forty, it is a bus which fell into the ravine with all its passengers. It is impressive!
We essuyons on the road a true flood, it is flooded, the cars hesitate to pass the current so much is strong. We risk ourselves, ouf, we passed. We benefit from it to make some stereotypes (of which a swirl of more than 1 meter diameter). In the southern hemisphere the swirls turn contrary to on our premises. Arrived at Tiwanaku 3900m (Tiahuanaco) the site of the famous door of the sun (which inspired Hergé in Tintin and the temple of the sun). In this period of the year There are few tourists. We find an inn or we dine and sleep, we are only. In the room occupied by Hydrotrotters there is no switch. To light it is necessary to put in contact the two electric wire ends which are with naked. In the same kind, at Paz an agent of circulation not having a button to change the dipped headlights put in contact the red wire with the blue son or the red wire with the black wire according to the direction of the desired traffic. The following day we visit the famous temple of the sun which is spread out over several hectares. The area is marshy, this city précolombienne was fed out of water by a source being on the neighbouring mountains with ten kilometers. The site was not only upset by many earthquakes which regularly shake the area but also by the occupation of the Spanish conquistadors. One hardly, to imagine today that more than 60 000 people lived in this place. The people précolombiens did not know the theodolite, which did not prevent them from having the knowledge pushed in astronomy, mathematics, hydraulic engineering, architecture and treatment of metals. With the summer solstice at midday, several architectural elements are aligned on the ray of the sun. One finds this phenomenon with Gisors close to Paris. We also discover, a bored stone acting as loudspeaker. Further, the base of a temple is composed of a stone of more than 120 tons. The origin and the means of transport of this stone remain still unknown. In one of the enclosures of the temple, a white LAMA, fetish of the Indians, graze quietly. In the museum that we also visit, we replongeons in the reading of Tintin by seeing the statue monolith of 30 tons which inspired the Broken Ear. In other rooms we discover sculptures, potteries, ceramics, tools, musical instruments, skeletons and craniums of which some are in the shape of cigar. This form was obtained by putting around the head babies, a circle silver which deformed to them limps it cranial. That sufferings, to have Knowledge!
After midday, we take the road of Peru while passing on the edges of the lake Titicaca.

Peru

In will Désaguadero frontier town, our car be disinfected by a child with great blows of pulverizer, against what? Mystery. Many tricycles (current means of transport) are met. They encumber the roadway what makes circulation difficult. Us members still the lake Titicaca which is bordered of many farms in cob with sheet roofs corrugated or covered with curved tiles. The lake is of any beauty as well as the sky. The colors are splendid, we stop to take photographs. The arrival with Puno will be late, the road is long tiring and dangerous because of numerous the bus rolling full headlight, a true nightmare. The port of Puno (3800m of altitude) dominates the lake Titicaca (8340 km2 and a maximum depth of more than 467 m). This lake is as large as one the third of Belgium. It is the most navigable lake of the world, a true inland sea furrowed by large boats, with many floating islands where until the middle of the XXème century took refuge the Urus Indians. No the walk on the lake for lack of time, on the other hand we go up on a headland dominating the city and the lake, from where we have a very beautiful point of view. The city is wedged between lake and mountain with again much of staircases. It is known as that the Andean people are the people of the clouds, one could as say as it is the people of the staircases. Now Cuzco direction. We meet many herds of spangled, pigs, asses, cows kept by children and their mom. The roadsides are feeling reluctant, everyone throws, plastic bottles and bags, which fly in any wind. With leaving a turn we have again a sight of the lake Titicaca bordered by a railway which one would believe posed on water, so much there are floods. Later in the afternoon we cross plains richer in grass where graze of the thousands of cows and of spangled. There are even farms several thousands of hectares bordered with far from snow-covered mountains. In Sicuani, we stop to telephone and give news to our family remained in France. We cross a collar located at more than 4500 m. We meet then, an impressive herd of spangled white of any beauty. While descending the collar on the mountainside immense a géoglyphe modern (Network of lines traced with stones on the ground), informs us that it there with thermal springs. A little further we let us see smoking swimming pools. We bathe, almost only, with some seminarists come from the close village, during a good hour. Water being with more than fifty degrees to leaving the ground, several channels of a hundred meters are necessary, before making it arrive in the swimming pool, at good temperature. The outside temperature is close to zero degree, we are with nearly 4300 of altitude. We arrive late in the night at Cuzco. The Campécina inn where we place is pleasant clean and held well, we will remain five nights there. While leaving one evening whereas we will dine, the person in charge for the inn intending to us to speak French, approaches us. It is a Dominican native of the area of Lille. It has been here for several the most stripped years devoting its life to. The inn was financed thanks to the gifts of the CCFD. The unit is composed of three patios around of which articulate themselves, administrative rooms, buildings and social center. Courses are exempted there (amongst other things course of language quechua). Buildings intended for the sale of regional products for the tourists are in construction. In more of this center, this priest occupies himself of young imprisoned delinquents. We will re-examine it every evening to speak with him about various subjects: Problem of the great poverty in Latin America, theology of the release, appearances recent of the sects, rebirth of the luminous path, omnipresence of the churches American Baptists, misdeed of alcohol and drug on the Andean populations, birth control, (500 000 women were sterilized without their knowledge under the preceding presidency).
The town of Cuzco (270 000 hab.), is perched to 3400 m of altitude, after La Paz that seems to us quite low, I breathe better. The INCA city was shaven by Spanish, it remains only some bases of stone-built houses of large sizes (including one to thirteen with dimensions) adjusted without cement. In 1951 the city was entirely destroyed by an earthquake and was rebuilt with identical by its inhabitants with the assistance of engineers and Spanish loans. It extends on a splendid site considered as being one from most beautiful from South America. The place of Weapons is harmoniously built with its cathedral, the church of the Society of Jesus and its shopping malls with colonnades giving him the aspect of a cloister. Many streets in the old city are still paved with round stones. One evening we taste the local kitchen, for Loïc it is a hard experiment because its guinea-pig was not emptied (to give him more taste it appears)..., with Geoffroy, careful we eat of the LAMA. Last the afternoon with Cuzco we make shopping, hat out of leather for Geoffroy, jacket cut in old a poncho for Loïc. For me, jewels found in an artist working with much talent, gold and money. The last morning, after pantagruelic a breakfast taken in an old convent transformed into hotel (Monestario), we take the road for Arequipa.
Once arrived, we find an inn sympathetic nerve and not expensive but without carpark. Aïe, the Peruvian fourrière will cost us 40 dollars. The city (620 000 H) built out of stones of white lava creates by Pizarro in 1540 is located at 2300 m of altitude, it is beautiful clean and very tourist. The climate is particularly lenient there 300 days of sun per year.

The rise of the Volcano Misti Altitude 5842 M

As we had not gone in Machu Picchu meadows of Cuzco, we decide to climb the Misti volcano. Appointment is thus taken with a guide for the following day with 8 a.m. with our hotel.
While going up towards the starting point we pass in the suburbs of Arequipa which, in 2001, were partly devastated by an earthquake. Since this date Misti that we will climb does not have any more its cap of snow, the volcano went back in activity. To 3300 m the driver of the taxi 4x4 deposits us. During the first three hours of rise all goes well. Stop every half-hour, for drinking water, crunching a candy. At midday stop for the snack, the guide does not return from there, its customers usually do not eat, we devour the sandwiches which we had carried. I am very tired, I have the compote legs. Geoffroy takes my bag because I walk like a zombi while chewing my sheets of Coke. The guide opens walk it almost makes very small strides by trailing the feet. I am it, Geoffroy is behind me. Several times it will retain me not to fall into the vacuum. Loïc closes walk, I hear it who breathe like an engine, "Breathe dad well says me it if not you will asphyxiate yourself". I must now stop more often because I am exténué. At the time of a stop, the guide tells me being assembled with a 80 year old man, that gives me courage. Towards 15h30 we arrive in the cloud at the base camp at 4800m. Two Canadian installed already their tent and rests. Loïc and Geoffroy assemble the tent where I will sleep with Loïc, I am tired so much that it is impossible for me to help them. Once the assembled tent I unroll mattress and bag of bed and lengthens me to rest me. To side the guide and Geoffroy assemble theirs. It starts to rain, our tent takes water, our sleeping bags are wet. We fall asleep a few times. Towards 16h the guide brings a hot soup of Chinese pastes to us. As it always rains, Loïc leaves the tent for better laying out it and not to be soaked more. We exchange few words so much I am tired. With with dimensions we hear the guide and Geoffroy to palaver as if nothing were not. Towards 18h after the dinner of spaghettis, silence is made, no noise if it is not the rain and the breath of the wind. I slip very equipped into my sleeping bag, while having taken all the same care to remove my shoes. Loïc him changes for the night. We try to sleep, it is not easy at this altitude. Towards 22h the rain ceases, the wind has just changed direction. The weather is colder. Towards 1 hour of the morning, the Canadians start get going, our guide him rise and prepare subdued of Coke and the sandwiches, for the breakfast. To 2h Canadian left, we will follow them little while leaving to the base camp, useless tents and material. Loïc and Geoffroy take each one a bag, with drinks, food sweetened, cameras and camera. I do not carry anything. The weather is nice, we see with far Arequipa very illuminated in the content from the valley. The full moon gives a sufficient gleam to advance, but the guide advises to me to take the head light. "It will be more convenient for you says me it". Us here are parties, our muscles, although not completely cooled, are in spite of a little hard. I advance painfully. Behind me Geoffroy started to count "one two, one two....." to help me, I advance like an automat. Loïc encourages me to breathe like an engine, the slope becomes escarpée. Several time my legs is concealed, Geoffroy retains me. We go up now in the fog, xième stop. I have the impression to move back instead of advancing. "One two, one two... go dad we are to 5200 m still two Eiffel Towers to be gone up and let us be there we". I take again courage, the day rises the ceiling of clouds is higher, the sight is splendid. With far we let us see the mountain Picchu Picchu draped in its white coat of snow. At the moment of the rising of the sun the weather is colder, Loïc is frozen, I give him the pullover which I withdrew so much I were hot. Loïc and Geoffroy have the cold hands. The gloves lent by the guide are not good quality. We always go up, still a tower Eiffel, we advance slowly. To encourage me Geoffroy says me to see the Cross which is at the top, but it appears to me still far. Us here soon on the edge low of the volcano, the Canadians return already from the top. They wish us good courage, the guide their shows the way of the fastest return. We see now the bottom of the crater, from the sulfurous fumeroles escape from it. Our breathing only becomes more difficult about it. In spite of altitude there is little snow. The slope is steep 70 to 80 %. My badly assured steps cause stone falls, they descend with great pace and we do not see them stopping. Provided that there is nobody below. The guide and Loic are already at the top. The volcano is of any beauty although in the clouds, the stones are various colors. Still some steps and we are in top. The top of the volcano is very cut out, there are windows of rocks of several meters, one would say lace so much there is. The wind pushes the clouds through these open holes, of time to other a sunbeam appears. The phantasmagoria of the colors is such as one would be believed in a dream. We are there finally, the guide serves the hand to us by congratulating us. With Loïc and Geoffroy we embrace ourselves all the three lengthily so much we are moved and content. That efforts, but which reward after 2542m of uneven. We lower ourselves on the ground to put back us a little.The cross-country race is Fite in rails of railroads. With her feet a virgin with the child out of clothes of pageantries is enchased in her ECRIN of glass in front of which a chair of child is. Tags on the stones neighbourhood and of the refuses waste this splendid place. A 5842 m nous nous attendions à mieux. Quand comprendrons-nous que la planète terre n'est pas une poubelle ?
Nous ne restons pas longtemps au sommet, il fait très froid. Geoffroy nous dit avoir été obligé tout à l'heure de s'uriner sur les mains tant elles étaient gelées.
For our return, we borrow a corridor of volcanic ash with a slope of 70%. We will run literally, Loïc, Geoffroy and the guide makes goods of kids. They are now far in front of me. It is true that this descent is amusing, but I am tired and at their rate/rhythm, I cannot go often stop. They will have almost finished to fold the tent and the material when I arrive at the base camp.
We left the top there is 1h30. We set out again rather quickly after having eaten the remainder of our provisions, it is 10h30, it makes always cold. While setting out again I still note the dirtiness of the place. We made a dustbin of our refuses, but could not collect all those of the others, there was of too much. As soon as we left, a mouse or a rat points its nose of behind a stone to eat some reliefs of food. I wonder how it arrived so high. It is the only animal which we met in all our rise. Still a 1h30 is we find our driver. Towards the end of our descent our guide shows us the prints of an animal of which he tells us being those of a puma (shivers). At 12.30 pm we are back to hotel, we cross there two young people who have just made the rise of the Mount Chachani (6075m), they are exhausted, they did not sleep of the night, they have the impression that them head will burst so much they have badly. We are in a dirty state, but without the cranium evil, and finally we are quite content not to have done that one. Our landlord offers glass to us of subdued of Coke and explains us that the agencies are not always very serious, because to touch their commissions on the races in mountains they indicate to the customers that they are easy. But in fact, well few people go until the end. As for the material, to listen to them, it is enough to be in tennis shoes and town clotheses. We paid to see like says it the maxim. Loïc and Geoffroy did not have good gloves, and not of hot trousers. Conclusion, in high altitude, even in summer in the Tropics, it can make very cold, we will know it the next time. Tomorrow we will take the road of Chile. After so much of tirednesses and a good dinner (meat of alpaca) the night was very good.
We leave Arequipa. At the time of our rise I had seen in direction of the West, of the white mountains which approximately did not appear very high 1500 with 2000m to me, I believed that it was snow, in fact of snow it is white sand. The weather is increasingly hot and the landscape becomes completely desert. Along the road, there are always as many tags, refuse of all kinds, small crosses on their sanctuary. We cross few cars and some large trucks on the road. The wind blows raising sand in worrying swirls. From Egypt and Chile, Hydrotrotters did not have such an arid and dry climate. With leaving a village, we see an enormous penitentiary called here "house of reconditioning social". One does not dare to think of the temperature which it must make in the cells because the thermometer indicates 40°. We do not see anybody, except guards in their watchtowers. The landscape around is lunar. Our road will be long, we have little water, we will be thirsty a long time. Tomorrow we will try to be more far-sighted. We start a slope of 25 kilometer which will carry out us on plate always such a desert, we will make forty kilometers there then descent, of 25 kilometers to arrive in a narrow valley where a thin river runs. Water = life. We find a village surrounded of green fields, where feed of the animals, one finds there also cultures of corn, fruit trees and of vine. With the entry of certain villages of medical controls are carried out. "To preserve the cultures of the contamination of a fly" us are said. In this desert, every approximately hundred kilometers, we meet inns. For the lunch, we benefit from it to level us roasted shrimps and squids. In the medium of after midday, we cross Neblina a small city in full desert where is an enormous barracks of armoured tanks and missiles. The camp is surrounded of a high wall with unoccupied watchtowers. At the exit of the small city, on a side of the road the desert, other of immense green fields with an intense agricultural activity, world in the fields and even of the tractors. We are in a zone which was irrigated there is a score of years. Everywhere spray swivels and bars. Contrast between the two with dimensions ones of the road is seizing. At the end of the afternoon whereas the sun declines, we have the surprise to see falling a small downpour with a beginning from rainbow. The event in this arid and desert area is rare. We again cross green and inhabited valleys then again of the deserts. We arrive at Tacna towards 21h, there are still many people in the streets. The market is still in activity with many barges. We arrive finally close to the Chilean border, but we are not at the end of our sorrows. Because before leaving Peru the Peruvian customs make an anti-drug control. We are all the more excavated that we wanted to double the file of cars which were in front of us and who awaited their turn wisely. With not making more! In more of control a customs officer says to us that we did not fill ad hoc papers at the preceding border, Geoffroy and Loïc explains why if. Finally it will be necessary to await the return of the chief who has just left to dine.

Newspaper from January 23 at February 5, 2004 written by Tanguy de La Tullaye

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