La Paz

  La Paz, Bolivia
Friday, August 24, 2007

We flew from the little airport in Iquique, Northern Chile to La Paz. Just before we came into land we get a great view of Lake Titicaca on the Bolivian/Peruvian border. Bolivia is certainly more like the South America we imagined - frenetic, bustling with a lot less of the Western influence we've seen in the other South American countries and a lot more character. The short drive into La Paz city from the airport brings you down off the El Alto plains into the canyon where the city is located. You do a double take on your first view as the city literally peels up the impossibly steep and dusty canyon sides, running down into the distance for as far as you can see with snow peaked Mt Illamani as a backdrop. The buildings are all similar in shape - blocky, simple and narrow, and all made from the same reddish brick. Like so many buildings in developing countries the world over they are constructed as cheaply as possible and the lines of rio sticking out the top anticipate the building of yet another floor. 

La Paz

La Paz

There's a road block and a bunch of cops out the front of our hostel when we arrive. We find out inside that there's a bomb scare, but it's not long before the police disperse. We're staying on the hill on the main drag into town and we soon head out to see a bit of the city. It's high (3660m), busy, noisy and has some of the worse pollution we've seen for while, thick with decrepit buses belching out their best black, but we're happy to be here! The streets are fascinating: the numerous ninja-looking balaclaved shoe shiners; the traditionally dressed women wearing long black plaits with their bowler hats perched on top of their heads, fringed shawls, full skirts and peticoats and cute slipper shoes selling all manner of food (Tim is soon devoted to the salteņas, the local fast food); frisky government employees in zebras suits running across roads with ropes (to stop cars and help pedestrians cross); micro bus conductors spruiking loudly for business; the famous technicolour 'Witches Market' stalls selling the weird and wonderful (including llama fetuses, magic potions and the like).

One of the highlights of our first couple of days in town is visiting the small Coca Museum. This place basically promotes the traditional chewing of coca, whilst shedding an evil light on the Western world's insatiable desire for cocaine and coca cola. Pretty cool. There is a lot of information about the strong cultural, spiritual and social traditions of coca, as well as the chemical and business side of things - depicted in sometimes hilarious displays. When the Spanish arrived they first banished the chewing of coca, but once they found out it improved the stamina and alertness of workers and reduced hunger they used it as a tool of control. Miners, on average, chewed through 380g of coca leaves to get through the week.

Then there is the flipside of this harmless habit - the cocaine production. The history of cocaine is fascinating, especially the use of cocaine in socially accepted drinks - the first being a French product called Vino Mariani. Coca cola combined cocaine with the coca bean and caffeine and the rest is history - the whole world is still addicted to the stuff despite the fact that the cocaine is long gone. Coca Cola is still the biggest buyer of coca leaves, which it now adds for flavour.

Coca museum

As for the ever powerful drug industry - it is predicted there are around 9000 bases producing cocaine in Bolivia - where 1kg of cocaine is produced for around $9660 and sold for 10 times as much. It takes close to a tonne of coca leaves to produce this much and, hence, there is a massive amount of coca crop in Bolivia, despite the attempts of the American government to limit production, often with a heavy hand. My personal favourite display is of a wide-eyed, broken down small town American private detective (my interpretation). He's crouching down in front of a TV (the Marlboro man is on!), desperately preparing a huge line of coke to snort.

Coca museum

Sweet revenge!!! Tim purchases a bag of coca and some catalyst and is soon chewing away like a cow with the telling lump in his cheek and stinky breath.

Coca leaves and catalyst

We're leaving La Paz for the bike ride tomorrow and are going to stay in the valley 'low lands' for a few days before returning to La Paz.