´The big chill´

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One of the reasons we had been looking forward to visiting La Paz was that it has a reputation for nice food, only ever a good thing! We stayed in a fantastic hostel which even served eggs for breakfast (a luxury worth its weight in gold!) We made an effort to eat somewhere different each night and one Indian, one Middle Eastern, one Mexican and a ridiculous Pizza (over 1 meter across) later we felt we had travelled the world in a few days, in a culinary sense at least. After the surreal and otherworldly salt flats, we fancied doing something which reminded us of home and went to the cinema to watch Sherlock Holmes which was great!



Before leaving we felt we should do something remotely cultural and had a tour of the Cathedral, given that it was over 400 years old and that our guide took us onto the roof and down secret passages it was really quite interesting... Nearly as interesting as the witches market down a small side street where you could buy the most bizarre things, bottles of luck, lama fetus to bury under your new house and cures for all sorts of ailments, medical psychological and down right inappropriate for a family blog!



Our next stop, only a short 4 hour bus journey away was Copacabana on the shore of lake Titicaca. The temperature didn´t pick up and we are up to an average of 4 blankets a night now, but seeing the photos from home we don´t feel too badly off! The lake itself is absolutely beautiful, so vast it may as well be the sea. (you can´t see the opposite shore) We wasted no time and on our first day we took a boat trip to visit an island a few miles off shore. We trekked the length of it, a very manageable 7k made slightly more difficult by somehow managing to be uphill all the way and by having air so thin a lung busting breath felt like the smallest sip of air.... In Inca legend the sun was born on the island, and although we didn´t find any evidence of the Incas (except a burial chamber being used as a picnic table) the views were spectacular and very much worth the effort.



We were lucky enough that a huge festival was in full swing while we were in Copacabana. It basically meant that we were awoken every morning by brass bands walking the streets with a procession of brightly colored dancers in their wake. All of whom it to our amusement were slowly (actually quickly) drinking staggering amounts of beer and pisco shots! The sight of a trombone wielding local swaying up the street, bashing into passers by and narrowly avoiding a pavement sandwich will not soon be forgotten and would have made a great Youtube video if we´d been quicker with our Cameras!





Having lots of fun but suddenly realising that we have less than 2 months to go...



Speak to you in Peru!



Adam and Emma xxxx



P.s. Few extra photos below!

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Photos

La Paz
Atop the cathedral

La Paz
Witches ingredients...

Titicaca
Festival in Copacabana

Titicaca
As the day went on the band had one or two beers, noticable in the quality of the music (and the marching!)

Titicaca
A 1hour climb only to miss sunset...

Titicaca
Trekking the Isle del Sol

Comments

[pat]

chill
Like the jumpers !

[Everette]

?
Emma, Would you mind giving me the name of your La Paz hostel? We are planning a trip to Paraguay, Bolivia, and Ecuador. It sounds like you are enjoying your trip around the world. We did it last fall starting in St. Petersburg and traveling across Russia, Mongolia, and China on the TransSiberian RR. We continued on with the train to Tibet and then by air to several other countries. I love traveling and it sounds like you do too. Thanks for any help you can give me, Everette