The flight to Santa Cruz was great...if indirect. We made a scheduled stop in La Paz to pick up a few folk along the way, which meant we had a wonderful chance to see the fantastic scenery in the area...from the high Andean peaks above the city to the phenomenal Altiplano extending out from the great step upon which the City sits all the way to Lake Titicaca...certainly one of the great airport approaches of the world. We were to be staying with a friend of Lauren´s dad, Chris, who moved here some time ago for a new life... Unfortunately, we hadn´t figured on there being two airports in the city....he went to the wrong one. We somehow managed to catch up later on and had a lovely meal out in town in what I would call a locals´ place - steak, pizza and plenty of noise...great! We were really in the mood for chilling out here after the last few weeks´ adventures and a little too much sightseeing. Santa Cruz isn´t known for it´s tourist attractions, and so seemed perfect...tv, beer, local markets and nothing whatsoever to see. The latter comment is perhaps somewhat disingenuous to the local area, which certainly has things to see, but we weren´t going to make any effort to do so...not on this visit. We did go to the local "beach"...not exactly a beach, but the banks of the nearby river, where young lads and their crew go every Sunday to chill out and drive 4x4´s, horses or quad bikes around like the drunken head cases they are...all to the sound of wandering mariachi bands and the smells of countless, identical local food places. This trip has been a great chance to practice my Spanish, at markets and local restaurants. Santa Cruz, Bolivia...great place.