To my English-speak friends,
Time flies. It is two and a half years since I left Japan. And it is the third time that I spend the New Year's Day in the Americas. Two years ago I saw the wonderful dawn of 2006 in Grand Canyon, the US, and one year ago, I welcomed the New Year in Costa Rica with local friends of mine. And now, I'm in Bolivia. They say that it is one of the furthest country from Japan geographically. At last I've come to the other side of the world with two wheels.
The more I'm surrounded by the exotic environment of the Third World, the more I'm conscious of my identity as Japanese. Wherever I am, I cannot help but remember my beautiful country. I carry on the odyssey, while I dream of the moment I set foot on my motherland again and of many places I haven't been to yet by turns.
Merry Xmas and A Happy New Year! How're you? I'm Jun. I'm writting to you to greet you and to say to you that the landscape of Bolivia is just amazing. Especially the immensity of the altiplano knocks me out. Do you know about the altiplano? It's the Andean high plain that sits at around 4,000m above sea level. You know, Lake Titikaka is on the north end of the vast plain. You've been taught that it's the highest navigable lake of the world in your school days, right? Yep, the lake itself is large and beautiful, but towns on the shore are some of resorts, I think. It may be difficult to feel the great nature and even the sacred legend of the Inca due to the existence of too many tourists.
The real wilderness is in far south. Here the sky is just wide and clear, and the horizon seems to have no limit. The sunrise and the sunset can be divine. In Japan, my small country, you'll never get a grand view like this.
Hundreds of framingos which play in a red lagoon, a 6,000m peak which rises behind of an aquamarine lake majestically, and the world's largest salt flat which is blindingly white to the horizon,,,, All the things what I see here are dreamscapes, and seem to say to me;
Welcome to the paradise!
This may be one of the most wonderful terrains on the earth, and, definitely, the trip to here was one of the most scenic routes I've ever taken. If you've got a chance to travel to South America remember that the Bolivian altiplano is a must-see. (However, I don't recommend you that you've got a bike trip around here like me because of the nightmarish roads.)
Now, I'm leaving this immense plateau and descending the Andes. But I don't mean I leave Bolivia. I'm gonna work at a wild animal refuge that is in the jungle to take care of poor animals as volunteer for a month or two. It's gonna be a great experience for me. Since no internet is available there (and no electricity is also available!) I won't respond to your email for a while. When I come back to the civilization I'll give you an impression about the Tarzan's life.
See you!
I'll give you my best energy so that you've got a great time on these Xmas holidays with your dearest person.
Jun, the vagabond cyclist
No comments:
Post a Comment