Boy have we been having some ADVENTURES!! After we crossed the border into Bolivia, we stayed in this lovely and very chill little town called Copacabana, perhaps you´ve heard the song. We did a day hike out along a peninsula with beautiful views of Lake Titicaca then headed over to the Isla del Sol (where the sun was born) to check out some Incan ruins.

After Copacabana we headed to La Paz where we did our first DANGEROUS activity. Lindsay, Matt, Joey and I biked 60 KM down “The World´s Most Dangerous Road.” We decided to wait to tell you about it until after we all survived in honor of our Mommies! We descended from 15,700 feet to 4,200 feet in the course of the afternoon so we saw all sorts of different climate zones from the high alpine to the rainforest. Despite the fact that the cliff off the side of the dirt road plunged vertically thousands of feet, and buses and trucks were passing frequently around blind corners, we had a BLAST (and spent 3 days recuperating by the side of the pool in warm, tropical Corroico).

Our next DANGEROUS activity occurred just days later in the highest city in the world, Potosi. We descended into the mines for a few hours to see how many of the city´s residents make a living. The mines were unbelievable. Thousands of men work in the dark tunnels of the mines underground. There is no ventilation, and the heat and dust are suffocating. At times the passages were so small that we had to crawl on hands and knees. There is no electricity, no elevators to carry up the minerals, no water, and dynamite and ammonium nitrate are stuffed into hand-drilled holes and detonated regularly to find new mineral deposits. In the mines, the workers worship the devil because they believe God doesn´t visit them down there. (Frankly, after visiting, the similarities to Hell do seem abundant). They make offerings of alcohol (98 proof), cigarettes, and coca leaves to these devils in return for good luck and safety. Needless to say, the experience was eye-opening, and I think I can safely say we all appreciate our desk jobs a little bit more now.

We are now in the beautiful city of Sucre enjoying fabulous weather after checking out the world´s largest number of preserved dinosaur tracks!!

Only 6 days left for J & K before we head back to the states. M & L will follow in early August after visiting Argentina!