Bolivia has been a great surprise thus far.  I had read and heard some great things about the country, but it has far exceeded my expectations so far.  I am currently in Tupiza in the southern part of Bolivia.  Getting here was not an easy task.  We had bought train tickets in La Paz for the following day.  The train left from Oruro, which is a three hour bus ride from La Paz.  We decided to take the 11 o´clock bus in order to make it to Oruro in plenty of time to catch the 3:30 train.  Of course things don´t work the way that they are supposed to, so you have to be flexible.  The bus left late and the driver was extremely slow.  We thought that we were going to miss the train.  When the other passengers found out we had train tickets, they started giving us tons of advice to try to arrive on time.  They even started pounding the side of the bus and yelling at the bus driver to get us there on time.  It is a true testament to the kindness of the Bolivian people.  We ended up getting off and taking a cab.  We made it with plenty of time.  The train had great views, but 12 hours was a bit much for my legs.  So, in all it took us about 16 hours to get here, arriving at 4:30 in the morning.  It was well worth it.  Tupiza is really cool.  It is at about 10,000 feet (almost 3,000 feet less than La Paz).  The scenery is unbelieveable.  It is like a scene out of a western movie.  It is extremely dry with not a cloud in the sky.  I´ve had some chances to do some hiking, biking, and horse bike riding.  I couldn´t ask for a better place to explore.  Tomorrow, I´ll be heading on a four day tour of the salt flats and surrounding lagunas.  We´ll be reaching a maximum altitude of 16,500 feet which will be the highest I´ve ever been.  Temperatures at night will be well below freezing.  We´re going to stay in places that only have electricity for three hours.  My sleeping bag will come in handy!  I´ve been traveling with a German girl that I met in La Paz.  She´ll be on the tour as well and then we will probably split ways.  I´m desperately trying to upload some pics, but the internet is fighting me.  I´ll post this for now with the hopes of adding some pics later.  Much love and take care.  Cheers!