La Paz: Witches, creaky floors and PG Tips!
Trip Start
Jun 12, 2008
1
15
28
Trip End
Nov 20, 2008
La Paz,
Bolivia
Friday, August 15, 2008
We got back on the bus and after about 5 minutes were stopped by the police. We all had to get off the bus and have our small bags searched and get a good patting down
Nice cobbled street
. They were very thorough and checked all the stamps in my passport and that all the numbers matched. They even asked who my emergency contact was! Then we all had to stand and watch while they clambered on the roof of the bus and proceeded to go through all our stuff. I was very worried about this, not because I had anything dodgy, but because my pack is so tightly packed that I thought everything would explode everywhere if they opened my bag. Luckily they didnīt, they were a lot more interested in what the locals had, and we were soon on our way again. We rumbled on for another hour and then found our way was blocked because a village was having a fiesta. So we had to go cross country, it was chaos; there was no route, no-one directing traffic, a broken down truck and a farmer trying to move his bulls! There was dust everywhere and a lot of beeping of horns; our bus rocked like you wouldnīt believe as it bumped itīs way over all the pot holes! We eventually made our way to La Paz and our first glimpse of it was breathtaking. Itīs a bit like Quito in that itīs set in a valley, but itīs much smaller, as we came down the hill we could see all the modern skyscrapers down in the bottom of the valley and then all the houses clinging to the sides of the mountains. We made our way down into the busy centre and found our hostel, Angelo Colonial, itīs a great place right in the middle of La Paz, we couldnīt have asked for a better location. Itīs a really old building and has really uneven, creaky floors and the place is stuffed full of antiques. Throughout the entire time we were there we were pretty much the only people staying, which has been both fun and a bit creepy!
La Paz is a great city, weīre not normally big city fans but this one has been really good. Thereīs enough hustle and bustle to make it exciting but itīs really easy to walk around and you never feel overwhelmed by it all
Tiny guitars
. The only slightly scary thing is that the shoe shine boys where ski masks so they look a bit threatening, but arenīt at all, although I do jump every time I see one. The first afternoon we wandered around and almost immediately a guy homed in on Dom and tried to sell him a watch. Dom politely said no but the guy wouldnīt give up and walked with us for 50meters while he tried to convince Dom to get the watch! The Bolivians do work hard!At this point I should probably mention that we have come to Bolivia at quite an interesting time. Theyīve just had a huge referendum on whether the President, Evo Morales, should continue to push through the controversial changes he is making to the constitution. Essentially, Morales (indigenous, and wears cool sweaters) is saying that the richer east of Bolivia (where they have got rich on what little gas and oil Bolivia has) should share more of their wealth with the poorer west (mostly made up of indigenous people, Bolivia is 60% indigenous). The issue has really divided the nation and there were angry protests in the build up to the referendum. Whilst we were in Copacabana we found out that Morales had won with a good majority. When we arrived in La Paz we saw on the news that there had been major rioting in Santa Cruz in the east. For some reason the disabled got in on the act saying they hadnīt been paid their benefits, the rioters got more angry about this and the whole thing got totally out of hand for a few days
Lots of guitars
. The police took a bit of a beating and there was an emergency session of parliament to try and sort everything out. All very exciting and makes Bolivia what it is. We were planning to go to Sucre in the south but we were told there is a road block and we wonīt be able to go to Sucre until at least Wednesday. There was also a bit on the news last night to say that people in Beni are refusing to send meat to La Paz, and if this continues weīre all going to have to eat llama or trout! Oh, and the tv news coverage is brilliant! While they show footage of rioting and road blocks they play rousing classical music and film soundtracks. Yesterday we saw the police breaking up a road block in Cochabamba while the Apollo 13 soundtrack was playing over the top!Our first morning in La Paz coincided with the start of the Premier League back home. Some friends of ours had recommended an English pub that would show some football so off we went for breakfast and football. We both had good old English fry ups. Dom was happy to be watching footie and I couldnīt believe that they served PG Tips, with fresh milk, in pint glasses! I could have wept, it was so good to have a nice cup of tea again. And Spurs lost so things were even better (sorry Mike! And yes, I have seen the score today, so I guess weīre even!)
After so much Englishness we had to get back into the South American way so naturally we headed to the Witches Market
Crazy horn things
. Here you could buy a potion for almost anything, there was one that was "Double Speed! Get on in Business!" There were also the famous llama foetuses. I had heard about these and was expecting them to be in glass jars and look like aliens. I was wrong. They are dried llamas, fur and everything, in all sizes just piled in baskets for you to pick one out. The Bolivians bury them under the porch of a new home to bring them fortune. I also bought my parents a present there...is it a llama foetus?!....youīll have to wait until November Iīm afraid!On Sunday morning I woke up and thought I could hear a marching band, Dom assured me that I was imagining things and went off to make the coca tea. After a while I could definitely hear a band and went onto the balcony to see what was going on. Iīm not exactly sure what it was but marching bands went past our room for half an hour. We stood on the balcony in our pyjamas and drank our coca tea. The bands were pretty good, even if they only know one volume...very loud! All the boys play the wind and brass instruments while the girls have to settle for the xylophone or twirling sticks. The whole thing may have been a remembrance day thing because the army marched to the obelisk and then there was a short ceremony by the statue of the fallen soldier. Although it wasnīt very sombre because the band played "The Final Countdown" as they got to the obelisk
Huge panpipes
. The rest of our time was spent watching more football and doing a walk of the city to take in all the sights including the main government building, the cathedral, the black market (really busy) and the university area. La Paz is totally dead on Sundays (even the internet cafes are closed) so we watched a lot of Olympics and tv.
On Tuesday we went to Coroico for a few days and I do that as a separate entry. Weīve been back in La Paz for a couple of days before heading to Potosi tonight. Yesterday we went to a great musical instrument museum where you could play loads of the instruments, that was a good laugh. Some of the instruments were amazing, huge panpipes and lots of different guitars. The rest of the time we just sorting things like washing and doing a last bit of shopping. I just hope everything Iīve bought fits into my bag! While we were wandering around we did almost get robbed, it all happened very quickly. Dom was walking in front of me and then suddenly stopped because someone seemed to be tying their shoe, someone pushed me from behind and someone came at Dom from the side and spat on him! Fortunately weīve heard about this so knew what to do, stuff your hands in your pockets and push forward quickly to get away. They all work together want you to stop to wipe the spit off and pretend to help you and then slash your bag and pick your pockets. Happily for us they were unsuccessful, we got away, wiped the spit off and checked that we still had everything. Nothing had been taken and the bag was fine. Victory!
This morning we went out to find an internet cafe and saw that the main street has been cordoned off for a big event organised by the local government! There was a huge craft market, local bands playing, a kids area with lots of exciting things for them to do, food stalls and even a huge chess tournament. Half the city seemed to be there and everyone was having a good time, it was a great thing to stumble across. This afternoon weīll while away the time before catching our overnight bus to Potosi. If youīre reading this on Monday morning at your desk, spare a thought for me still on my 14 hour bus journey...!
