June 29 - On Our Way to Sajama

We started the 28th of June by driving to an upscale section of La Paz and we went to a big modern supermarket to buy some snack goods for our drive to western Bolivia and the wild area around Sajama.  We looked pretty interesting as we walked into this big supermarket as we piled off our bus.

Later as we drove across the vast expanse of western Bolivia we got increasingly excited.  We first saw Sajama, looking majestic off in the distance even though it was more than 100 kilometers away.  Michael Boni looked at it through the front window of the bus and said, ‘that’s a trophy’. 

Later we heard local soldiers in the area singing an anthem, part of the words were, ‘Sajama the sublime throne’.  So it’s a majestic mountain and one that got us excited as we drove closer.  We stopped at a wild and desolate little village and visited a church that was hundreds of years old known as the Capilla Sietina del Altiplano (The Sixteenth Chapel of the Altiplano).  There were beautiful paintings on the walls inside from the ….(lost transmission).  This village is over 13,000 feet (3962 meters). 

An Altiplano mother and her babyLast night we got in later than we intended into the village of Sajama which looked like a wild and desolate and beautiful part of New Mexico to me. The majestic peak of Sajama is above this village but mostly dry plains with little Spanish influenced churches and the wonderful friendly people occupy the area.  We stayed in a nice lodge since we drove in so late, too late to go out and camp by the hot springs which was fine with us.

This morning the entire group has started walking up to Sajama base camp.  We’ve got …(lost transmission).


Want to go
with us
next time?

You Can!

Click here for
more info!