Arrival in Los Yungas

Last night we had a rapid (& somewhat nervewracking) experience getting our bus from Cochabamba to La Paz, but it worked out and the bus was a semi cama, which meant that the seats reclined almost all the way back, so we were able to catch a little sleep during the drive.

We arrived at the La Paz terminal at 5:30, and took a cab around 6:30 to Villa Fatima, the neighbourhood where the buses leave for Coroico. We caught a micro (bus), and our seats were right in the front, which made for breathtaking views. The government built road has now opened, and so we did not have to take the world´s most dangerous road. I can´t really describe the trip, pictures don´t even do it justice. The road begins by going higher than La Paz (which is at 12 000 ft). The landscape is the huge mountains of the Cordillera Real range in the Andes, and it drops more than 3 000 metres in less than 80 kilometres.

Coroico has a semi-tropical climate, and I believe it is classified as a cloud forest. The jungle flora and fauna are beautiful, just as Emily and I went for a walk this afternoon we saw three large, multicolored parrots sitting by the pool. We have decided we will be staying in Coroico for five days, as there is plenty of hiking, swimming, and exploring to do here. Right now were are in a fairly impressive hostel with a gorgeous location overlooking a huge canyon/valley, but tomorrow we will be moving to a hostel on the other side of the mountain ridge, where we will have a private cabana. I have been a taking pictures almost obsessively here, but I´m not posting any today because the internet connection is slow.