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Published: April 19th 2007
It was a long days drive from Potosi to La Paz. We had a fantastic night view of the city as we drove over the crater edge. There is only one road in and out of La Paz. As we arrived at our hotel we passed bustling markets and had to negotiate roads full of honking cars.
After a long drive, it was fantastic to arrive at the Estrella Andina Hostal which is filled with murals. Even our room had a wall with a fantastic mural, and all rooms have them. The people are quite nice. The down side is that there is no lift and if you are suffering from the altitude don´t get a room on the 4th floor, like where we were, althought the views up there are great. Breaky was simply was tasty.
Our first day we looked around La Paz. It was very easy to navigate. We visited lots of museums as well as visiting cathedrals. Everywhere you go you will see shoe shine boys. The unusual thing is that they cover their faces with balaclavas. The reason is that they are students and they don't want to be recognised because it is quite
lowly work. We both got our shoes done. Once you get them done you can point to your shiny shoes when the next boy asks.
For lunch we found a really cheesy theme restaurant. The waiters were dressed as farmers. They had a tractor and fake chickens. The food was really great. Sorry can't remember which street it was on.
We visited the Museo National del Arte. The old colonial building is a rusty red and there are geraniums cascading over the courtyard in a wonderful display of colour. As for the art, there is religious art as well as modern abstract art and the rooms are maintained to the standards of a London gallery.
The Museo de Archeologico de Tiwanaku is worth a visit. This museum gave us a wonderful overview of the Tiwanaku culture. The culture was pre-inca, starting around 600 BC. It disappeared by 1200 AD. The museum has lots of ceramics, weapons, and some precious metals. We were very impressed with the museum itself as it was covered in Tiwanaku symbols. We really enjoyed it.
For 4 bs you get into 4 museums on Calle Jaen. 3 of them are connected up
through old colonial houses, and the 4th is across the road. The street itself is absolutely beautiful. They have a very impressive gold collection including items found under Lake Titikaka by Jacques Cousteau. There were also rooms of military history and more ceramics. This is a must see if you come to La Paz.
Also on Calle Jaen, the Museo del Musical Instruments is a real gem. Something different. This colonial house is packed full of instruments. As you walk into each room, the lights go on and music starts playing that is relevant to the room. There were lots of guitars, some made from armidillo and some from turtles, as well as rattles, drums, whistles and flutes, all common in South American music. And some instruments you could play.
Next day we went to one of the most important ancient sites in Bolivia. About an hour (72 km) out of La Paz is Tiwanaku. You have to pay to get out there, and it is best with a guide, and you have to pay US$10 for the museums and the site. Our guide, Carlos, was very knowledgeable, but he was driving us crazy because he talked so
slow and in great detail about everything. It would have been better a little more condensed. The first museum houses pottery and skulls laid out in chronological order. The second museum has stones, carvings, monoliths from the site. The site is fantastic. They are currently excavating an important pyramid. The have only done a little, it will take another 6 years to finish. There are other temples that are uncovered and quite impressive. It is definitely a must if you are interested in the history of the area.
After we returned from the site we walked around La Paz, bought some souvenirs and investigated the witches market. The witches market has every natural cure and things for blessing things. There were llama foetuses, dried frogs, snakes, pumas and lots of different potions. Took no photos, it was a bit gruesome.
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