Nexxxt...Bolivia

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Nexxxt...Bolivia

La Paz

Bolivia is the second poorest country in Latin America. It has the highest capital city in the world at 3,650 metres (even though Sucre is the ¨legal¨ capital). Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile around 1880 and so is landlocked.
Waitresses and cleaners make half what they do in Peru.

The bus from Puno, Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia was full of only backpackers. A local bus was available but it stopped at the border and from there you had to wait for another. That was my first all backpacker-bus experience in Latin America.The majority of travellers here are in their early 20's.

It was an easy border crossing to Copacabana in Bolivia (altitude 3800 m). But it wasn´t until you reached Copacabana that you were told of the strike in La Paz for the last three days which didn´t allow any buses to go onward.

Fortuanately, for me, the strike was over the next day and buses were allowed to pass.
The bus in morning had problems starting (first clue), then problems going without stalling, afterwards a flat tire then 3 minutes later it just stopped altogether.

Double click on any photo for a better view.

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Photos

MR SHOELACE!
¨I´ve got red shoelaces, I´ve got blue shoelaces. I´ve got short shoelaces, I´ve got long shoeslaces. You can tie any shoe or wear them instead of clothes like I do.
CALL ME!! I´M MR SHOELACE!¨

Casa de Cambio
Exchange rates for buy and sell don´t get much slimmer than this.

Maté Coca
Most hostals offer all-day free coca tea. It´s especially recommended for ¨soroche¨altitude sickness.Coca leaf is the raw material for the manufacture of the drug cocaine

Llamas
Llamas have been domesticated for thousands of years in the Andes and aren´t found in the wild anymore.
(Look for little baby among group.)
Llamas who are well trained are very friendly and pleasant to be around. They are extremely curious and most will approach people easily. However, llamas who are bottle-fed and over-handled as youngsters will become extremely difficult to handle when mature, and will begin to treat humans as they treat each other, which is characterized by bouts of spitting and kicking.

Waiting for the flat tire to be changed
¨How´s this for a super-model pose?.¨

Bus to LaPaz
And the tire leaning on the bus (it´s totally bald!) is the good one! waiting to be put on.

Puno,Peru to Copacabana, Bolivia
The bus is transported on one barge across river while we passengers are aboard the boat in foreground.

Witches Market, LaPaz
Everything, including Jaguar skins are available.

¨I like taking walks¨
¨Oooh, look at the gringo!¨

Local UPS service man.
Think you could fit this into a car?
Eat your heart out FedEx!

Gringo Bus Border Crossing
Peru to Bolivia Border

Communal Kitchen Sign
I especially like the Italian translation: ¨Mama Mia!¨