The Eclipse

Through the long day we drove, through occasional spatters of rain. We stopped once, when the bus got stuck in the thick red dust of a wide dry river flat, and all got out to push the bus free.

As the afternoon wore away, the road began to improve, and we recognized landmarks. As dusk fell, we cheered and applauded our driver as we finally reached the first paved road we'd seen in three days.

At ten o'clock we reached our hotel in La Paz, where the proprietors had set out hot coca tea for us. And after three days without bathing, I really enjoyed the luxury of a tepid shower!

It is impossible to describe a total eclipse of the sun. It is an event so awesome, so overwhelming, that people will endure hardship and discomfort just to observe it. We were not astronomers, we were just there for the experience. The sky cleared, and the eclipse exceeded all our expectations. (See the Eclipse FAQ for a discussion of the effects of a total eclipse.) People shouted and wept. The cholos and cholas kneeled, averted their eyes from the solar disc, and prayed.

After the eclipse, we packed up our gear while warmth and light returned to the world. (The temperature had dropped from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to less than 40 within about five minutes.) By nine o'clock we were on the bus again, lurching northward on two ruts in the red dust, trying to reach La Paz by nightfall. And we had a new worry. The clouds were menacing, and we saw storms on the horizon. We knew that this entire region was inaccessible during the rainy season, which was due to begin now.

Another problem was that we were traveling by a different route, the route we should have taken from La Paz to Challacota. With no guide, we risked losing our way again.