So my first big travel adventure took place today. I bought a ticket for full camas (reclining chair) so I could sleep. Paid extra but its worth it on an 18 hour bus ride from Cusco to La Paz. I show up to the bus terminal and the driver tells me I´m upstairs with the locals in the economy seats. I explained to him that I paid extra and he told me that there´s nothing he can do about it, if I want a ride I need to get in NOW. So I was in a seat the size of a potty chair for 7 hours until we reached Puno where we transfered buses. The Puno bus was much nicer and even though it wasnt full camas, the seats were more comfortable. Then at the border, we stopped to get our passports stamped. As I waited in line, the driver kept yelling at me to hurry but I couldn´t just leave without the stamp. Right as my passport was being stamped I looked up and saw my bus drive away! Since my backpack was still on that bus, I really needed to follow that bus or else I was booking a flight home today. I paid a bus driver 10 Bolivians to let me bum a ride and when I get to Copacabana where all the buses stop, my bus isn´t there! Of course the people in the bus office (if you call a chair under an umbrella an office) assure me that my bag is A OK. And my question is, ¨If you take such good care of my bag, why did you leave me?¨

Payback is hell because as I was argueing with the bus people a huge group of travelers walked up and asked me what´s going on and I told them to take another bus company. They quickly walked away with the bus company employees chasing after them.

I´m supposed to go stand outside on the street in 20 minutes to get my bag, but I have a feeling that it might take a little longer and alot more american dollars than that to get it back.

Welcome to Bolivia!!!