Foto: The Sun Gate of Tiahuanaco (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Bolivia - At half past eight, the bus departs for Tiwanaku. Here lie the ancient ruins of the Tiwanaku culture. Between 500 and 1200 AD, they were already far ahead of their time. Even now, it is still a mystery with which tools they built the structures. On the route to Tiwanaku, we leave La Paz via the El Alto plateau. More than two million people live in La Paz and El Alto in total. This is 25% of Bolivia's population. The city is still expanding. Because La Paz is fully built in the mountain basin, growth mainly occurs on the plateau. After one and a half hours, we arrive in Tiwanaku. In the museum, our guide Eduardo explains the statues and inscriptions. The perfection and symmetry of the figures are also clearly visible. After the museum, we visit the ancient temple complex of the Tiwanakus. The temple is built so that the sun at sunrise during spring and autumn crosses exactly the corners of the temple. Unfortunately, the Spaniards largely destroyed the temple. They searched for gold in the statues and used the stones for their houses. The remnants of the temple are sometimes overgrown with grass and sand. In the partially underground temple just before the Sun Temple, about one hundred stone-carved heads are installed. The main entrance of the Sun Temple is not accessible. Via the side entrance, we enter the temple, about half a hectare in size. In the center stands the monolith Ponce, recognizable from the Tintin comic and the Sun Temple. We also view the statue of El Fraile and the impressive Sun Gate in the temple complex. Tintin truly comes alive.
Awe for the miners of Potosi
Bolivia - The mine tunnel is still accessible. Sometimes the passage is a bit lower, so a helmet comes in handy. At the entrance of the small museum, there is a small recess where the whole group can sit and clear the rails for the carts carrying mine gravel that ...
Laguna Verde
Bolivia - The Bolivian border lies in the mountains and in the middle of basically nowhere. Again, we fill in a visa form and get a stamp. The whole ritual is becoming familiar. After about an hour, everything is arranged, the luggage is loaded onto the four jeeps, ...
Salt flats of Salar de Uyuni
Bolivia - Without any more flat tires, around half past three we drive onto the salt lake. A strange sensation. The lake most resembles a frozen and snow-covered lake. The enormous surface area (about one-fifth of the Netherlands) makes the lake and the journey ...
The highest capital city in the world La Paz
Bolivia - The luggage is loaded onto two minibusses and through the very busy traffic of La Paz and via the toll road, we are brought to our hotel. Our hotel is located in the city center. La Paz is situated in a basin, with the poor district El Alto and the airport ...