ZariAbroad...99 days in South America

Hello Friends! So when we last left you, we were gearing up to take an epic bike ride down death road. As you can surmise, we did survive the expedition. We started the expedition on what is now referred to as the "new road", near the top of the mountain pass. The section was paved, but probably slightly more dangerous as you could pick up significant speed, had to dodge the occasional pot hole and car, and were easily distracted by the absolutely beautiful scenery. Majestic, rugged and snow cap peaks surrounded us as we raced down into the valley below. We passed a "narco check point" and luckily my record did not follow me to Bolivia. Coca leaf cultivation, which is an ancient practice, was made legal by the newly elected president, Evo Moerales(first indigenous president in Bolivia) about ten years ago, but people still smuggle in chemicals necessary for cocaine production into the valley, and produce the stuff in "cocaine shacks", as our guid

Hi people, We heard from some that people might enjoy reading about our travels...so here it is. THE BLOG. Currently Ari is gathering supplies around our room for our day trip tomorrow, asking me what I would like to pack. It sounds a lot like when we left, me procrastinating and Ari running from idea to idea. Ari and his sister convinced me it was essential to pack light for these things, which is not something my mother and glorious Polish camping adventures taught me. Here is what we brought for 99 days in South America. okay, not Zeke, but we wanted to. We arrived into La Paz, Bolivia at 3:30 am on Wednesday. I was really concerned about getting our visas, but we had the documentation, and most importantly the cash in order, so we got through just fine. Although we are just an hour ahead of central time, this odd arrival time has made us a bit jet lagged, not to mention the altitude! The city of La Paz is the highest capital city in the world, clocking in at 11,975 ft (after