Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07
La Quiaca.

There is something of a descent to LIZ
Quiaca, which lies in rich and pretty val
ley. The hamlet consists of a score of adobe
houses with big corrals. The whole coun
try around is owned by three families La
Argentine Republic. 1t also is a telegraph
station. 1 had felt some sense of compan
ionship in the sight of the telegraph wires
and it put me in touch with the outside
world to be told that the office was in
ternat ional one. that it kept open till L
o'clock at night, and that / could send {
message to New York via the land lines tc
Buenos Ayres and thence by ocean cable
through Madeira and Europe to the desti
nation, or else by land wires to La PaZ an(
Iquique and by cable via Panama and Gal
weston.
I crossed the Quaca river in the early
morning and was in Bolivia. good road
leads across the mountains and enables the
village Of Mojo, which is the Bolivian Gus
toms outpost to be reached in the after
noon Mo1o is adobe village Of three o.
four hundred inhabitants. 1t has posta
or government inn-a mud cabin in which
the traveller is lodged free; and also a cor
raj for the animals and a blacksmith shop
The only charge is for the meals, which
found to be excellent. and for the fodder
for the animals.
The Cordillera Real. or Bolivian Andes
are seen and felt two or three hours aftel
leaving Mojo Then the change Is com
plete The monotonous roller-top noun
tains disappear. Ahead lie transverse ir
regular masses. with many peaks ant
ridges. The most prominent peak is Guada
lupe, more than hundred miles distant
The way is down a ravine into the bed o.
stream. All the time the vegetation 1:
growing more abundant-cacti. grasses
thorn bushes and pepper trees, and alst
some cultivation. 1 followed the ravine fol
half day, then climbed the mountain side
again and descended into the river valley
,a1f fhn Of ocI,r
and Nazareno. A more perfect picture O.
sequestered and primitive life than thes
villages present l never have seen. To fill II
the outlines would spoil the picture.
After the restful view of the peaceful vii
lagos 1t was trying to the senses to climf
limestone hills in blazing sun, but these
finally were surmounted and the San Juar
valley reached through splendid mountain
road which curves and winds and is cred
| liable piece of road engineering.
Tupiza lies in the valley of the river.
| had been in the saddle ten hours. but an
| other two hours at sunset seemed nothing
| in travelling along this valley, with a wal
| of brown cliffs on either side and water
| falls squirting from them. At one place al
| enormous ledge of slaty rock squared!
| blocks the valley, but the river has foun'
| it's way through and the cliff has split per
| pendicularly, leaving a cleft thirty fee
| wide between the walls 100 or 800 feet high
Arrival at Tupiza.
| l.
| found a good hotel kept by European. I
| Slovenian. After little rest it was posi-
| bic to take account of stock, PHYSICAL!
( speaking. I found 1t sound. Some simpl
medicines which I carried there had beel
no occasion to use. The attack of siroch'
| that afternoon had been the only fndica
! ton of illness. Sunburn was inevitable
but though the cheeks and ears wer
| swollen, that would have happened any
where under such exposure. The seriou
annoyance was blistered and bleeding lips
due to the winds. The ordinary medica
| TO off 5od lief ar n