Adventures and fascinations of Matt Pāz
My shuttle van sped downhill from the Andean highlands of Bolivia into the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
Once it reached San Pedro de Atacama, we had to go through Chilean customs. Chile has a strict policy about bringing plants into the country, and I had a bag full of fruits and vegetables I was hoping to get through. … Read more
The trip to Potosí took five hours, quite a long trip for a distance of what looks like a stone’s throw on a map. My bus arrived at a nice, new, modern (quite a step up compared to Sucre) bus station at 6:30pm.… Read more
My bus pulled to the side of the road outside the bus terminal in Cochabamba at 9pm. I had dozed off during the ride, and was a bit alarmed to disembark half-asleep into a hectic scene of hawkers and street vendors on the sidewalk of Avenida Ayacucho, the main north-south street in the city. … Read more
After two hours of snaking through the mountains that form the southwestern boundary of Lake Titicaca, my bus arrived at the Bolivian border. The doorman popped into the back of the bus, “El Estadounidense?” I raised my hand, and he beckoned me to the front of the bus. … Read more
My flight into Lima, Peru landed at 12:45am. By time I went through customs and exited Chezar Chavez International airport it was 2am. A cabbie approached me on my way out, “Miraflores? Barranco?” Why yes, Miraflores, please. How’d you know? … Read more