Home Comforts -- Number 7: Variable Vistas

And you thought Number 8's picture was disturbing?

Now, to be fair, I’m writing this in a country which possesses a quite breathtaking array of landscapes. If you can cope with the glaring lack of a coastline, there is really something for everyone in Bolivia: from the Andes in the highlands, to the jungles and wildlife of the lowlands; from the sweeping desert landscapes of the southwest, to two extraordinary lakes (Titicaca, the world’s highest freshwater lake, on the border of Peru; and the salt lake of Uyuni, the largest expanse of its kind on this planet). It’s a  veritable backpacker’s paradise, and shamefully under-promoted worldwide.

All well in good. And we certainly have some interesting scenery of the lowland variety around us here in the Beni region. But bear in mind that the Beni alone is almost twice the size of England. To reach anything even remotely resembling a mountain requires around 12 hours of driving (people have been known to positively break out in a sweat as they approach elevated bridges here).

And it is here that I really took Scotland for granted back in the day. A mere hour’s motoring is all that is required from pretty much any location to be able to access lochs, waterfalls, mountains, meadows and forests. Not to mention the odd beach or two – with apologies to my fellow delegates, seeing the ocean was the single most exciting thing about the LAM Canada conference up in Costa Rica last year.

I wasn’t much of a gallivanter back in the old country, but next year the time will be short and the scenery (when visible) magnificent. I intend to take full advantage, though in fairness, some Beni-like weather wouldn’t be half bad. I may just have to settle for the scenery. “The monochrome, monotonous, pancake-flat horizon is always greener…” is how they might put it in the Beni.