EHT Sopocachi Apart Hotel La Paz

... seeing. After 2 hours driving we arrived in La Paz. There is a big bus terminal but apperently the buses from Copacabana don't stop in this terminal but in a district in La Paz. After we took our lugage from the roof top, we walked to the corner where there would be taxi's. Luckily there where 2 other tourists on the bus so we didn't have to wait on our own. While we were waiting, we were approached by 2 police officers in a black uniform. We already heard that ...

... On our last day in the desert we went out to the salt flats and did what passes for tradition out there and took photographs of ourselves with crazy perspectives. And, boy, are some of these quite good. Yes, yes they are. Some, however, didn't work at all but that's the risk you run with perspective. That's why people say it's all a matter of perspective … or something. You can have yourself climbing out of a huge bottle, being stamped on by a huge foot, fighting ...

... the tours were no longer running but decided to assess for myself, so I sat in the little park thing just opposite the entrance and observed. In a little over an hour I didnīt see one gringo go in or out and when one group stopped too long outside the gate, a policeman came out to chase them away. So it looked like the tours were definitely off :o(

Then I successfully paid for my Dangerous Road tour, which leads me nicely onto the good bit of my La Paz story...

The ...

... other people. Hilarious. Actually, at the time my sense of humour wasnīt doing so well and I was fairly annoyed, but now I think itīs pretty hilarious.

Iīm sure something else noteworthy must have happened since I last wrote, but I canīt think of much. Tomorrow weīre going to the Jungle and the Pampas, which promises to be AMAZING, I will tell more when I get back. And now Iīm off to bed!

xoxoxo Em

... even though it included a buffet breakfast. The bathroom was right outside the door so it wasn’t too inconvenient and it had a great rooftop restaurant with great views. We left our luggage in the lobby, along with Jody and Niamh, and set off as usual to find a better deal. About an hour later we returned and decided to stay. We did find some slightly cheaper options but wifi, cable tv and a buffet breakfast was too tempting to decline.

We unloaded our ...

... and had good kit/bikes (also one of the best free t shirts around). Unfortunately late the night before I was meant to go they had a cancellation from the other parties so transferred me to Luna Tours. This were also v good and can be highly recommended (sadly their free t shirt leaves a lot to be desired). You might want to think about staying in Coroico at the end its a great setting, a number of hostels (all with pools) and gets you away from the hussle of La Paz for a bit.

... old school buses converted into public buses - a welcome relief when the exhaust is directed up instead of out into the street =)

In the Plaza San Francisco - World Press Photo 09 exhibition. The winning entry was from Cleveland, OH - a police officer entering a foreclosed home. Caption said that squatters & drugs are/were a problem and local officers always enter with weapons drawn...very sad that this is the state ...

... of transport there, and our car or a bus is taken aboard a wooden raft, almost submerged in the dark waters of the lake.

The road to La Paz, the off record capital of Bolivia, runs along the lake and you can see the snowy peaks of the Cordillera Real in your rear view window. The closer to La Paz, the more congested the road gets. Finally it transforms into a motorway full of cars, buses, people, bicycles ...

... afternoon and one day in La Paz. Spent most of it walking around. Went to a really cool park up on a hill (over 4,000 meters = 13,000+ feet) overlooking the city.

The city is HUGE! Over 1.6 million people and in a deep valley. And the air pollution is horrible! No need to smoke =) Old school buses bleching out smoke and the few private cars are usually old (20+ years). If ...

... and concoction imaginable: dried herbs, piles of what looks like hair and even dried llama fetuses! Yikes! Don't ask me what they're used for...I didn't stick around.

The main event around La Paz for most backpackers is the World's Most Dangerous Road. For $65-$75USD, a tour company drives you about three hours outside of town, throws your ass on a mountain bike, and finally follows you down a paved/dirt road that plunges 3600m ...