Day 115: Thursday, January 24th

Took 13 hour bus from San Pedro de Atacama, Chile —> Uyuni —> Oruro, Bolivia

Stayed at Hostel Graciela

Dear Obiwan,

Obi, I want to first say that I am so grateful to be traveling right now. That being said, traveling is not all incredible adventures and amazing people…traveling is also tiring, challenging, and sometimes not too kind people as well. And these next two days were a little on the tiring side and a glimpse of some of the not too kind people, but it’s all a part of the grander adventure and experience!

So, I left the beautiful, fun, and hot Atacama Desert for 3 loooong bus rides to La Paz, Bolivia.

Now, for any fellow South American travelers, you would be scratching your head at this moment thinking…wait…you went from San Pedro de Atacama…TO Oruro? Why didn’t you go straight to Uyuni Carly? Well, Obiwan, I would then tell them, I am stubborn! And I was just in the beautiful desert with a super moon, so I was not able to star gaze the way I had wished. And, I heard that the Salt Flats have some of the best star gazing in the world, SO, in conclusion, I wanted to be in Uyuni (where the Salt Flats are) in 2 weeks, when there is a NEW MOON (or no moon). And in 2 weeks…I will tell you if I was happy with this decision…

Anywho, I walked with my life 15 minutes to the bus stop in the desert and was already in a deep sweat. I frustratingly learned there that- they would not give me a refund for my other bus ticket (to Calama, Chile), you needed to return the ticket at least 4 hours before (I did come yesterday, but forgot my ticket 🤦)…but it was only 4,000 CLP or 6 bucks, it’s okay Obi!

Soon I was on the bus, and it was just me and an older couple!!! I felt so safe and I could spread out all over my seat!!!

Also, the bathroom sign says “solo uriano” or ‘only pee’, haha, this made me laugh, like, what if you gotta…go, Obi?

The bus stopped on a hill on the way to Calama for a good 15 minutes…then after stopping in Calama and getting a few people…it stopped again in the middle of the road…maybe they just do this to be safe? I don’t know 😬.

But eventually, we were at the border of Bolivia! And in Chile it was a breeze…

Then we arrived to Bolivia, and I did NOT have my visa. Since I was with a bus they want to shove you through very fast, which is in your favor. They spoke very fast Spanish and I was tired and did not understand much. They asked for a copy of my passport, which I had😃👍👍👍!(Travel tip- make many copies and always have at least one copy of passport with you at all times!) Then they had me fill out some papers and asked ‘how long will you be staying?’ And “what is the address of where you will be?” (Which is a stupid question they always ask, they also know you’re traveling, so the address means NOTHING, whatever).

They then asked for a picture of just my face, like a school photo? What? I said I did not have one and they all talk quick Spanish shaking their heads and I started to panic.

BUT then he just charged me $170 USD and wrote some stuff on a paper, took my photo, then BOOM, I had my Bolivian visa!

Then he said something, I heard him say 10 DAYS, and I say (all in Spanish) ‘what?! But I will be here for 3 weeks! What do I do?” Then he says very slowly “10 anooooosss” (YEARS) and I broke out laughing then they all laughed at me.

Then as I was walking back on the bus, I looked down at the permanent marker written visa and read my last name “STATON”- THEY SPELLED MY NAME WRONG. HE HAD MY PASSPORT, HOW DO YOU MESS IT UP. I really hope this won’t be an issue OBI!🤦😖😖😖🤦

After this, I was back on the bus…first to Uyuni…then to Oruro.

And once we entered Bolivia, and BOOM, the roads were not paved. It was like a combination of dirt and gravel, VERY bumpy Obiwan…and everyone on the bus was soundly asleep. I would watch in amazement as we would go over huge pot holes and people’s entire bodies and heads would jump up and down and and bobble they were…still sound asleep! How Obi? I am so unlucky, I can’t sleep on busses.

Many, many hours later…with only pringles, chocolate, and Coca Cola in my belly, we were close to Ouro. One of the bus guys came and sat with me after we dropped nearly everyone off in Uyuni, he was very friendly and we had a funny conversation.

He goes, “you know Bolivia has the best coca! Way better than Colombia, you must have some, do you want some?”

And I go, “Coca?”

Him, “yeah!”

Me, I gesture the powder or leaves?

And he goes, “oh THE LEAVES! COCA LEAVES!” And then hands me some coca leaves. HAHAHA! 😂😬😬😬😂🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

Anywho, they put on some old school Spanish movies that were a combination of musicals and westerns and were hilarious and fascinating and bizarre all at once.

Also, we picked up a hitch hiker! Which is very normal here, but still, my USA self always is a little AH about that.

Then finally, 18 hours later I was in Oruro! I stayed at Hostal Graciela and I was given a TV remote and a little later, a key.

I felt a little nervous walking past 3 older man who scowled at me like, “what are you doing here?”

Then I got to the room, it was similar to a motel room. It had 2 twin beds and one bed looked like it had a sink hole in it, so I chose the other bed. Then the shower was so tiny, it had a toilet, sink and shower and shower door but it was the size of…my body? So if I were to shower I would have to straddle the toilet and the sink would be punching me in the gut. I almost showered…but it was freezing so, NO WAY.

Also, the room didn’t lock and there was no window to the outside, but there was a window to the hallway. So my imagination went wild and I imagined someone crawling into the window or just…opening the unlocked door. So I put my bag under the door and other bag under the window with plastic bags on top. So if anyone came in, I would hear them. And I had all my vaulables with me under the covers.

But, I some how SLEPT SO WELL OBIWAN. I think my body was like, YES A BED, SLEEP!

Then on Friday, January 25th I had another bus to La Paz.

Before the bus I had a nice minimal breakfast at the Hostal, and in the daylight it actually seemed less murder motel and was super cute! And had a homey feeling. I am just a nervous one sometimes Obi…🤦😬😬😬

Also, the breakfast had amazing banana bread and- there was an ORANGE KITTY CAT YAY!!! That just, made my day!

This cat loved pets so much Obi that he almost FELL OFF MY LAP from my amazing petting skills. Me and another girl at the hostal moved a chair over to catch him from falling! Ah!

I had a very nice cab driver on the way to the bus station, but he kinda just threw all my stuff off and drove away at the bus station? It…was…fine?

Here are some photos of Oruro:

Then I was at this CRAZY bus station. It was…very different than Chile.

You walk in and you are overwhelmed by the sights and sounds. There are people yelling every city’s name in Bolivia, and each person yelling has a different musical tone to it, “Uyuni, Uyuni, Uyuni!” “Oruroooo, Oruroooo.” And the directions I was given were wrong, to find tickets to La Paz, but without fail, moments later there was a woman yelling or more singing in a nasal-y tone, “La Paz, La Paz, La Paz, La Paz,”

Here, this is what it was like:

I didn’t look any futher, I know there were a million busses to choose from but I was not trying to barter and it seemed cheap. She then points at the bus. And…it was outside, but looked like I couldn’t walk through the obvious door right behind her, and had to go outside?

So I walked around the whole bus station and there were some cop looking people and a guy wearing a crappy orange vest, this man comes up to me and charges me 2 BOB…to what…walk in a parking lot?!

And I had been warned so many times that people in Bolivia will try to scam you just because you’re gringa (non-Latina). I was walking with my guns ABLAZING Obi and angrily told him (in Spanish) “No! I have to pay to enter? My bus is right there!” And I pushed passed him and he yells after me and him nor the cops do nothing. So I thought, I did the right thing, it was a scam…

But…as I stood waiting to get on the bus…I saw everyone pay him…so maybe, he was legit? And I just was a jerk? 🤦😖

Ugh, oh well. Then I was on my next bus, and at first it was perfect. No one was next to me and a mother had her adorable little girl sit next to me.

But right before we left a man came on and sat next to me and angrily asked me to move the little girl.

Calm down dude, IT IS AN ADORABLE TODDLER.

BUT, THIS WAS NOT THE WORST OF THIS JERK OBI.

This experience I am about to write about was INFURIATING to me Obi, I was angry for hours about it. Okay, a few deep breaths…

The man sits down and is so angry when he sat down and sees the little girl, he then yells in my face (all Spanish of course)

“THIS IS MY SEAT.” Then the mother quickly and sweetly apologizes and grabs her daughter. He then sits down and sigh’s SO LOUDLY, like something HORRIBLE JUST HAPPENED, and NOTHING HORRIBLE HAD HAPPENED.

Then….moments later he passes me a clipboard, I had my headphones on and was in my own world and I accidently spoke in English and said, “what? Oh, what is this?”

And this man, reacts as if I just said something like, “go have sex with a pig and have a cow fart in your mouth!” Or something disgusting and awful because his reaction to me nicely saying in English, “what is it?” WHAT SO OFFENSIVE. He scrunched up his nose like he smelt something awful, rolled his eyes, TOOK THE CLIP BOARD OUT OF MY HANDS, starts to hand the clipboard behind him, and then SIGHS SO LOUDLY and with this disgusted and annoyed tone.

I lost my mind Obi, BUT THE WORST PART WAS- I COULDN’T SAY ANYTHING. I don’t have the vocabulary yet to tell him off!

All I wanted to say, was, ahem, “what the hell is your problem? I am not from here and you hand me a clip board and I accidently said, ‘what’ in a different language, you could have kindly explained what it is or at least handed it to me instead of wripping it out of my hands. You are mean to children, disrespectful towards women, and awful to an obvious foreigner who doesn’t know what is going on, instead of being helpful or kind to anyone, you are rude, mean, and ugly to people. You must have an ugly heart and I actually pity you, I feel sorry for anyone who knows you and anyone else you interact with. Go fix yourself and stop being such a massive piece of shit.”

But of course, I couldn’t say any of that, and all I got out was a whimper, kind of like, “mmerah!” and took the clipboard back.

And in the 30 seconds I had been sitting next to him, BEFORE this incident, he sat down and immediately pushed my arm off the arm rest (which I had only put half my arm on like A SANE AND POLITE HUMAN BEING). I didn’t say anything to him pushing my arm off the arm rest at first because I hoped he didn’t notice.

But now, I KNEW, I knew this was a sexist man-spreading schmuck, so for vengeance, I said, “excuse YOU,” (in Spanish) and pointed at his arm with the most sass I could muster, and then he sighed again this LOUD awfully rude sigh and rolled his eyes and then moved his arm. Small victories Obi, small victories.

Then I somehow slept for a little, and some hours later, I was in La Paz! And interacting with this jerk was OVER.

I hailed a cab and…he did not know my address, I showed him it on Maps.Me…like directions…and he shakes his head…and LOCKS HIS DOOR AND TELLS ME NO.

What…just…happened?!?!?!😕🤷🤷🤷😫😫😫

It’s okay Obi, the next cab also didn’t know but used his GPS and all was well.

Then finally, I reached my hostel, Selina La Paz.

It…was…beautiful Obi! Looked more like a nice hotel than a hostel. I couldn’t bare having a bottom bunk so I switched to a room for 3 dollars more that assured that I had a bottom bunk.

And then…finally, I had a bed, with a thick mattress, nice pillow, and big comfy and soft blankets! And a curtain! And outlets next to the bed!

I met my roommate, Ashwin, who’s from India and was so nice.

I then watched a few movies, and slept a blissful sleep.

Woah, that’s been a long 2 days Obi!

Love you so much my dear Jedi,

Tú Madre,

Carly