Stuck in Southern Bolivia :/

Hola from the southern most point of Bolivia. I just crossed the border from Argentina...as quickly as possible! As I was having breakfast this morning, some very loud bombs sounded in the streets. The hostel waitress came into the dining hall to inform the travelers that there would be a blockade of the border within the next hour. I did not really catch what the protesters were marching against, but I assume it had something to do with access to a product coming from Bolivia. Anyways, I wasn't going to wait around to find out. I gulped down my coffee, packed my bags, and sped my way to the Argentina-Bolivia border. Luckily, I got through without any problems and suffered the typical delays of Latin America border crossings.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of my headaches for the day.

The best service for traveling from Argentina to La Paz is by train from Villazón to Oruro and then by bus for 2hours to La Paz. Unfortunately, I will not be traveling on the choo-choo. Because the summer vacaction in Argentina has just begun, every Argentina and his mother are visiting Bolivia. The train is packed through tomorrow.

Seeing as I just want to get back to Puno, my only option left is via bus. So, I will be leaving this evening around 6pm and arriving in La Paz tomorrow morning around 11am. Not surprisingly, I do not look forward to a 17 hour trip and I am not quite sure what kind of service I will have for the $20 US dollars, but I was promised semi-bed seat and AC.

I was looking forward to taking the first-class option on the train. I have basically traveled by bus since I arrived in Buenos Aires on the 20th: Buenos Aires to Cordoba (8hrs), Cordoba to Santiago del Estero (5hrs), Santiago del Estero to Jujuy (7hrs), Jujuy to La Quiaca (6hrs). Oh well, it will be a cool experience seeing the countryside of southern Bolivia. And right now any temperature is nice as long as it is not the 110 degrees of Santiago del Estero. Pablo and Laura's wedding was amazing and I had a great time...as long as I was protected by AC.

Blah, traveling is exhausting. I had a great time in Argentina but I really can't wait to be back in Puno. Tomorrow I will hopefully meet up with Prof Joe Eldridge and the AU students in La Paz.