Blogs from La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia, South America - page 125

SERVIETTES In some of the cheaper restaurants, serviettes are just little triangular pieces of paper-not very absorbent or soft on the mouth but great for planning the day's activities on. I found myself stealing a few actually because elsewhere (in internet cafes), just a little scrap of paper is surprisingly hard to get. It's a good thing because it means there's no waste. HOT SHOWERS Despite the fact that all hostels advertise hot showers, they are somewhat elusive. Commonly I find myself trying to track down a worker to say, 'disculpe, no hay agua caliente ahora, como?' and then, 'no, stupid tourist, you have to go to the BOTTOM floor for a 'hot' shower´. well of course everybody knows it after the first time. But that first time is never pleasant- standing naked, waiting and willing ... read more

Arrived in La Paz after 12 hours of torture. The overnight bus we took from Uyuni was smelly, freezing cold and squeezy. La Paz is the highest capital city of the world, located at 3,600m in the high valley of the Andes. It give me a modern city mixed with a little indigeneous feel. Many of the older generation are still dressed in their traditional Bolivian costumes. The market scene here is really lively. I like. The things they sell range from Bolivian snacks, toiletries, handicrafts, accessories etc. At Plaza San Francisco, it´s always crowded with lotsa of people at all times of the day. There´s an active speakers´corner and the audience seem really participative too. Wonder what are they raving about. Visited yet another Valle de la Luna. The reason for this name is because ... read more

We have a lot of pictures to share, but we aren´t able to download them here, we´ll find another internet cafe later. For now we leave you with the three Inca commandments, Don´t lie, Don´t Steal and Don´t be lazy!... read more

I was not supposed to go to Bolivia at all , I was supposed to travel from Peru' to Brazil BUT I did a very silly mistake: I didn’t check whether I needed any vaccination coming from Peru' and guess what, I needed a yellow fever vaccine which I didn't have! When I checked-in in Lima they asked me whether my injections were up to date and when they explained to me that Brazil would DENY me entry without a yellow fever vaccine the world crushed on me...will I have ever be more stupid than that? I hope not!!!! Because I had a connection in La Paz to go to Rio De Janeiro they suggested I change my ticket and stayed for a bit in Bolivia to try and get those vaccines done....I WAS NOT HAPPY...I ... read more

From Copacabana we took a boat over to a nearby island in Lake Titicaca - Isla del Sol. The cramped tourist boat took us one and half hours over the water and we were greeted on the island by dozens of young boys, touting accomidation. All of the hostels on this island are found up a steep hill so it´s vital to take one of the lads up on their offer. The hill is so steep and the altitude so high, I can´t manage to carry my big bag up the hill - my heart and lungs refusing to keep up. When we arrive at the top, the view is astounding. The huge lake appears to be an ocean all around us, snow topped mountains in the distance. That gives you a good idea of how ... read more