In which The Author discusses how unfreakingbelievably beautiful Bolivia can be.

I just got back from Samaipata, which is situated 170 kilometers east of Santa Cruz and sits at about 1650 meters above sea level. I got there by a harrowing originally-was-supposed-to-be-only-three-hours-but-somehow-mutated-into-a-hideous-beast-monster-of-a-six-hour-trip in a private taxi, complete with live chickens in the back.

But it was worth it. As soon as the sun came up the next day at my cozy hostel (Hostal Andoriña) I rose and bounded with all the grace of a gazelle out the front door, much to the concern of the other residents of the hostel. But I didn’t really care so much, for Today was The Day that I would get to see something about which I’ve been dreaming for some time now: the pre-Incan ruins of El Fuerte.

El Fuerte is situated about 6,600 feet above sea level in the eastern foothills of the Bolivian Andes. The most ancient of the ruins are about 3,500 years old, according to the latest radiocarbon dating information. In that span of time, it has been inhabited by three different cultures: the Chanes, the Incas, and the Spaniards. Read up on it here.

The distance from where I was staying to the ruins was a paltry 9 kilometers one-way, so rather than hire a taxi for US$10 I just decided to hike it. And what a lovely decision that turned out to be! As I climbed up and up, I suddenly found myself in the clouds with a light mist falling around me. I arrived at the information center for the ruins right around 9:00 AM and discovered that I was the only person there that day, most likely due to the weather (which, in my opinion, provided the perfect setting in which to view ancient ruins: misty, foggy, creepy). I spent the next several hours exploring around and walking on land that has borne the footprints of the Chane, the Inca, the Guaraní, the Spanish, the Portuguese, the Jesuits, and countless nationalities of tourists.

It was wonderful.

I walked back down the mountain, had a quick lunch, and got a taxi back down to Santa Cruz. This time, I was able to get pictures! Click HERE to see them.

Anyway, I’m tired, so I’m off to bed.