La Paz, Bolivia

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And so to La Paz. What a luxury catching a flight, instead of about 10 hours on a bus I sat on a plane for 45 minutes! and got to land at the highest commercial airport in the world at 4000 metres above sea level. At the airport I met up with Mandy a lady that was studying at the spanish school, so we shared a taxi and agreed to meet for dinner. I found the hostel Sarah had booked us into, but Sarah was no where to be seen so went for a wander for a bit. When I went back Sarah was up and about and had been out clubbing til 5am in the morning and only just surfaced.

We went out to look at the sights but unfortunately for me it didnt occur to me to take my camera, what a good tourist I am!. So I did see the Plaza with the building with bullet holes in it etc etc but have no proof. We ended up at the Witches Market where they sell all sorts of wonderful things including baby llama feutus which apparently ward off evil spirits. (nice)

Bumped into Marcello and Jesus wandering around, so collected Mandy from her hostel and all went out for food and then to a Rock Bar with really bad drawings of famous stars. Yes yet again too much Vodka was drunk!!

The following day we moved to a hostel near the Witches Market and the others as it made life easier. We went to a Moroccan Restaurant for dinner which obviously was a Bolivian take on Morroccan food but was absolutely lovely. Later we drove round for ages looking for a club and ended up in some Salsa Club full of locals. It was excellent, now Im a pretty bad dancer but loads of people were asking to Salsa with me and Sarah, good job I was drunk else I might have been embarrassed!. Finally arrived home about 10am Easter Day, so gave Sarah her easter egg and went to sleep.

Later on we went out and had another look round the city, this time heading towards the prison. Having read the book Marching Powder in Sucre I had to go and have a nose, they werent letting visitors in while I was in La Paz due to a load of people getting killed or something, but still I saw the outside.

The following day, Sarah and me were up bright and early to cycle 65km down the worlds most dangerous road. What a laugh, it is a bit hairy in places but the views are outstanding, and there isnt much traffic on the road now so a lot better than a few years ago. People do apparently disappear off the side quite frequently never to be seen again though!!!

In the evening we dossed around at the Peruvian Guys hostel and another guy who played the guitar, so obviously we got out our best singing voices.

Next day the four of us went to Tiawanako (important Archealogical Site) where Marcello switched from speaking spanish and english and launched into Quechua and got us a bed each for the equivalent of 1.50. What a result, we´d been paying about 5.00 up til then.

The archealogical site is Pre Incan and only found relatively recently. It could have been more interesting if Marcello had remembered to translate what Jesus (hes an archealogist) was saying, but hey ho, what I can say is it was full of of rocks and stones, and included a sun gate, where the sun shines through it perfectly each summer and winter solstace. We spent a few hours here wandering around, then caught a bus to Desaguadero the Bolivian border town with Peru.

See you in Peru, where (apparently) ¨everything is possible´ (you have to imagine a south american saying that in English!!!

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