HI Hostel Onkel Inn 1886 La Paz

We were supposed to grab the bus to La Paz but after waiting 2hrs at the terminal we realised that the social movement blocking the main road wasn´t going to be lifted soon and our bus wasn´t going to go. Normally this wouldnt have mattered much as we would have just chilled out an extra day in Santa Cruz, but having already bought the flight ticket from La Paz to Rurrenabaque we were short on time. We ...

... br>We left the cafe for an ex Japanese school bus, still complete with hello kitty stickers. The one hour drive up to the start of the road reminded me of why I had booked withthe most expensive company, our bikes were all $2k + kona mountain bikes with full front and back suspension and amazing disk brakes. Our guide also was fully trained in rope rescue and first aid and they had all the kit to get you pretty much out from anywhere, something we found out that none of the ...

... and completing the drive to La Paz across the dusty plains of the Alto Plano, we reached the outskirts of the capital. El Alto is the massive, sprawling and dusty suburban ring that surrounds La Paz - it reminds me of parts of India, actually - an organized chaos teeming with people, traffic, animals and unfinished construction.<br><br>We navigated slowly through El Alto until we reached the edge of La Paz, a brilliant ...

... place. There are a staggering number of indigenous "campesinos" who make the trip from the surrounding highlands to sell their goods - mostly fruit and veg but also empanadas and breads and such. As a result every street is lined with people selling, haggling, jostling to get by and, as with all South American capitals, the traffic is also horrendous.<br><br>On my first trip exploring, after loading up on more Kit-Kats, I headed straight for the Witches' Market. This end of town ...

... hand left to take pictures. <br><br>I get on a bus and go for a walk in the city centre of La Paz. It's rather dirty and poor, but I do find some interesting stuff in the shops: some cheap postcards, an original zampona and a fetus of a llama, the latter I don't buy. The more I stroll there, the more I begin to miss Peru, but I'm very excited to go to Tiahuanaco the following day. I actually can't wait the next morning.

(I will probably edit this later when I upload pics!) <br><br>Took the bus on Monday morning from Copacabana to La Paz. Wonderful views of Lake Titicaca...I can´t even begin to describe the Lake. It´s magic (for me) - I felt more inner peace and joy there than I ever have. I may have found my future retirement home =) Assuming I can finally understand/speak Spanish, haha! <br><br>Only ...

... attempt this!).<br><br>Salteñas- South American equivalent to the cornish pasty, an interesting yellow looking pastry filled with a mixture of beans, meat, chicken, egg, potatoes and peas and varying tasting sauces. Normally served with a desert spoon that makes it almost impossible to ingest without the aid of your bear hands.<br><br>Empañadas- More pastry ahoy here, a half moon shaped pastry which can be either lined with cheese or filled with anything from llama meat to ...

... life crisis. The day before I left for the hills however, we visited what is colloquially known as the "witches market" which is a bizarre part of central La Paz where you can buy such delights as llama foetus. <br><br>Apparently, the locals, when building a new house normally bury the llama foetus under the foundations as it's supposed to bring luck. One assumes that's luck for the house owner and not for the llama! It was quite surreal trying to explain to the ladies of the market ...

... we had a bit of a browse of some tat, and I bough a nice grey alpaca scarf in anticipation of the cold weather in Uyuni (N.B. this has subsequently turned out to be aesthetically delightfully yet itchy as hell).We also passed Mercado de Hechiceria (the Witches´ Market) and spotted some indeed rather witchy looking women, peddling a variety of odd little charms including llama foetuses... nice.<br><br>Walking north back towards the plaza I spotted an agency called Wonderland Bolivia ...