La Paz,
Bolivia
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Stayed in La Paz only a few days as we have spent enough time faffing and felt the need to move a little faster. Itīs a huge city sprawled across a steep valley - when you look up all you can see are snow-covered peaks. Think I read somewhere that itīs the highest city in the world, you certainly get out of breath quick walking up and down the narrow streets. The city is like one huge street market - everything you need you can buy on the pavements, not sure how the shops survive. I stocked up on finger puppets and a traditional hat which I will probably never wear in the UK but itīs cute! The weirdest street contains the WitchesīMarket - all sorts of lotions, potions and talismans on sale as well as the very unsound skins of rare cats and shrivelled up llama foetuses (to be buried under the foundations of a newly-built house).
We found a cheap hotel and it has to be the worst yet - all the walls are covered in graffiti and the kitchen looks like a bomb has hit it. Well dodgy tourists staying there but the beds were clean, nothing went missing and, as I said, it was cheap so we made do. Starting to miss the tent at last!
