Leaving La Paz

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Being back in La Paz has felt good although I was wiped out on our first full day back from the jungle with a severe bout of altitude sickness that left me weak and nauseaous and lacking in any kind of enthusiasm. We had been due to meet up with the other English travellers we met on our jungle tour but I just wasn't well enough.

Thankfully I was back on my feet again the next day so we decided to spend the afternoon at the Killi Killi mirador where our efforts for walking up the steep hills at this high altitude were rewarded with an almost uninterrupted 360 degree view of the city. It's really evident from here that the heart of the city lies in a virtual bowl, eclipsed by the most wonderful mountains on all sides. In one direction lies a cluster of snow capped peaks that looked totally out of place next to the urban sprawl and on a different mountain we were stunned to see a patchwork of agricultural fields that defied gravity and looked to be almost vertical. Surely you'd have to be mad to farm at that angle and altitude!

Our final day in La Paz was filled with routine tasks like buying bus tickets for our onward travel to Sucre. The long distance bus station was surprisingly calm and easy to navigate and after checking out a handful of different companies, we opted for the Trans Copacabana service for 90 Bs each (about £6). Not bad when you consider it's over 12 hours to Sucre!

We are so sad to be leaving Arthy's Guest House as it really has been like a home away from home. In fact, it seems we have broken the record for the most nights anyone has stayed there since they opened and if it weren't for the fact that there's little more of interest for us in La Paz, we might well have stayed longer! Before saying goodbye for the last time, Ruben, the owner, gave us a parting gift of a framed piece of his artwork. He brought out 4 different pieces and asked us to pick our favourite to remember him by. It was possibly one of the most personal gestures we have experienced throughout our trip. We'll miss you all at Arthy's!

The bus to Sucre was absolutely fantastic and really comfy. It was a cama-type bus which means you have loads of legroom and can recline your seat really far back. We were late leaving La Paz and seemed to stop for long periods of time at some smaller bus stations on the way out of the district but eventually we got rolling out into the pitch black countryside where the stars glinted at us across the heavens. We made a midnight stop at a restaurant in the middle of nowhere for toilets and refreshments. A older German couple complained to me about the state of the toilets (we were the only other westerners on the bus) but in fact we've experienced far, far worse so it wasn't a problem for us.

Darkness still surrounded us when we arrived in Potosi at 4.30am and I was grateful we weren't staying there purely because of the ungodly time of arrival. As dawn broke, we finally found ourselves entering the beautiful city of Sucre although we had no idea how far away the hostel was. We picked the most honest looking taxi driver and headed off through the one way system to reach the Hostal Colon 220, where we are staying. It's run by a Bolivian family who spent time living in Germany so when they spotted my passport, check-in began in German with a bit of Spanish thrown in and then gradually veered towards English so that Glynn could join in too! Our room here is comfortable with a balcony, private bathroom and cable tv for just £7 per night, breakfast included. Awesome!

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Photos

This Old House
Jude´s favourite building in La Paz - part chicken restaurant and part ironmongers!

Cityscape
The view from the mirador in the general direction of our hostel.

Sing It Proud
"The hills are alive with the sound of music..."

On Top of the World
A couple of happy bunnies :-)

Room at the Inn
Our second comfy room at Arthy´s Guest House (the first one looked much the same!)

Mini Cinema
The excellent tv lounge at Arthy´s complete wih over 200 DVDs!