Written on 12-08-14 zooming through the skies
4:28 am. Our alarm clock rings for the last time ever in Bolvia! We creep out of bed trying not to wake Francois up as we wriggle into our clothes. Our mission fails though as he urges us to turn the light on so we can say goodbye properly. We are going home today but Francois is powering onto the Inca Trail in Peru, trekking up the Machu Picchu!
Once arrived at the airport we're greeted with the Bolivian hustle and bustle which is now so familiar. We join the queue to check in, its proportions seem outrageous for five in the morning. We pass the time by eating the rest of our peanut butter and jam sandwiches congratulating ourselves on our smart investment - lunch and breakfast in one!
An hour and a half later we're feeling slightly less jolly as our flight is meant to take off in 20 minutes. Everyone else around seems placidly calm so we sight tight and home for the best. With 10 minutes to spare, we're all checked in (phew we actually exist on the system this time around - see "Finally on our way to Latin America!") and make our way through security.
However our hurdles don't stop here. The men at passport control flick through our passports rapidly and ask us where our entry stamp is. We explain that, to our disappointment, when we crossed the border from Argentina two weeks ago, no one stamped our passports. We were just let through casually. We are strongly scolded and they tell us that if we want to leave we are going to have to pay a 300 Bolivianos fine! Capucine revved up instantly and tries to contest this injustice; the frowning officer (??) answers "you must pay for what you've done.". Capucine flies off the handle, while Cécile, devoid of an ounce of bravery (and terrified of missing the flight), runs off to withdraw the cash. When she returns the officers are speaking about us using all sorts of serious terms such as "evasiones". After a lot more frowning and scolding, we're finally let through and run to catch our flight (needless to say it's already way after departure time). We collapse onto our seats relieved but also fully conscious that this is only the first of four flights and hoping each one won't be such a hassle. Once we've recovered from our breathlessness and emotions we sit there for another hour before finally taking off - no need to run at all!
Our next flight was smooth and uneventful.
We landed in Argentina and it felt surprisingly familiar, we already felt a little more at home! We ooed and awed at things we'd forgotten (like toilet paper being provided in public loos and being able to order salads). We sat down in a restaurant to pass the six hours before our next flight.
On our eleven hour hitch back to Madrid we were lucky enough to have an empty flight which permitted us to sprawl over multiple seats and enjoy a good night's sleep.
After a hurried sprint through Madrid's airport we're now on our final flight back to the UK. Our captain has already notified us that it's raining back home - surprise, surprise - but coming back from the hardcore Latin winter, we're not even feeling the least bit daunted!
We've spent five weeks going through thick and thin, discovering things, learning a lot and creating an amazing experience. This blog has not only let us keep family and friends updated (thanks to those who are faithful (and brave) enough to still be reading!) but we also hope it will keep the memories alive for years. We are already looking forward to reliving our adventures by rereading it. We hope Francois will carry on the tradition in Peru (hint hint if you're reading this)!
For lack of better inspiration : ADIOS AMIGOS!
(Forgive us - we're jetlagged)
Capucine and Cécile
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