Enjoying Bolivia 213Peter and Andrew crave frontiers where no human being
has set foot before, I like to see people. There are plenty
of people in the crevices and on the inclines of this Sorata
Yungas, a few expatriates from places like Italy, Quebec and
Germany, but mainly indigenous farmers with subsistence
plots of land.
These tilled fields are suspended at angles up to 45
degrees, producing a quilt of colourful ripples, looking much
like the Quetzaltenango area of Guatemala, but without the
death squads.
The town of Sorata is poised on a foothill, beneath the
seducing Mount Illampu and above the San Gabriel River,
which has won the battle against the unwilling bedrock,
carving a gash as it hurtles towards the tropics.
Sorata benefi ts from the fact that the more famous Yungas
are on a different road. Instead of Yungas resorts, you get
Residencial Sorata, a gem of hotel artisanry, right on the
plaza. Thanks to the altitude at 2,650 m (8,694 ft), none of the
famous Yungas mosquitos are here to dispute the beauty.
Finding Sorata
But fi rst you have to get here, and that is not easy. Transportes
Larecaja sends buses from behind the La Paz cemetery every
morning. You can reserve a seat, but the wooden stools in
the aisles tell you that the bus is going to be packed with
farmers from Altiplano communities, some of whom have
hopped on the bus directly from the stable after their last
shovelful of manure. The dominant language will be Aymara,
but Spanish will do just fi ne.
The trip is only 152 km (94 miles) but you are told that it
will take four and a half hours, so you know the road will be
tough. There are no rest stops along the way, so if a morning
toilet break is a habit of yours, avoid breakfast beverages.
After the fi rst 40 minutes, you conclude that the trip will be
a breeze, as you capture a mellow profi le of Lake Titicaca.
But at the adobe town of Huarina, the asphalt ends and the
road winds toward the cordillera. At Achacachi, a focal point
of indigenous activism, foreigners are asked to get off the
bus and register with their passports.