La Paz: 200 years of Independence

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La Paz is definitely cold at night! I was really thankful that the hostel I stayed at was nice to provide us with extra blankets😊. We arrived pretty late, but me and Dania, a girl who had travelled with me to La Paz, had some food and a celebratory drink at the Hostel Bar...to celebrate arriving safely before going to bed.

The next day, I was woken up to a marching band. I had arrived during ¨El dia de La Paz¨and they were celebrating 200 years since the city gained its independence. However, the coolest thing is that the actual day of the event is the 16th....but in Bolivia they celebrate the event all week! I think Canada should take a page out of their book....why celebrate one day when you can celebrate 7!

I actually spent most of Thursday just walking around the city. It is really clean and due to the festivities, the parks were full of people. It was also Bastille day for the French...so since two of the bartenders at the hostel were French...we also celebrated this, with wine and some French food. The only sad part about my day was that I found out that I would not be able to do a 4 day tour of the salt flats due to the weather. The national park where the lagunas are located were closed due to snow. I guess that you can´t change Mother Nature´s mind. It´s actually quite a sad situation as some animals are dying due to the cold.....

On Friday, I spent the day checking out the markets. I think that these are the most extensive outdoor markets I have ever seen....they sell everything...from material...to toilet bowels...to hats...you name it they got it! After all that commotion, I was happy to spend the afternoon in the Jacuzzi relaxing! I knew that the overnight bus to Uyuni that night would probably not be quite as luxurious an experience!

Hasta pronto,
Caitlin

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