Blogs from La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia, South America - page 4

Today I'm celebrating the Bolivian Fiera de la Alasitas! (Alasitas fair). For the next month, people from all over Bolivia will travel to La Paz to buy and offer miniature versions of their desires to Ekeko, the Aymara god of abundance. The Alasitas, miniatures of everyday items, money, etc. are blessed by an Andean priest with bells and smoke given to statues of the god along with a lit cigarette, in a festival that predates the Incas (12th - 16th century). Nowadays it is a mix of spiritual and consumerist practices in which people will spend hundreds of dollars in the hope that Ekeko will grant their wish. According to lapazlife.com Typical miniatures include 'houses, cars, electrical goods, clothing, food, computers, airline tickets and even university degrees'*. The fair was originally celebrated in September to ensure ... read more

So we packed up our bags again and headed by bus to Puno. A small town on the edge of lake titikaka and close to the boarder of Bolivia! We checked into our hostal and thought we would have a quick shower and change before heading out for some dinner. I quickly popped down stairs for some towels and to borrow the hairdryer! Guess what.......... I blew up another hairdryer!!! I seriously think I'm jinxed!!! The next day we were up early to potter around Puno and do some souvenir shopping. Due to the amount of alpaca produce we brought we thought it would be a good idea to send some of it home! WRONG! Bad idea- we stood in line for over an hour with this box of stuff to send, everyone pushed in front ... read more

Today was a free day and I spent my time wandering about the city . Nice city with a lot to see. I did a hop on hop off bus tour of the larger newer city this morning and was happy to do that . There are so many areas to this place ...but then there are @1.5 million people who live here . There is also the Alto Plano that stretches fo more than an hour driving above the city . We passed through that yesterday and I am amazed at the building going on . Thomas our local guide says there is nearly another million who live there . Many of the buildings are incomplete .Main plus 1 floor done 2 in process ( no windows yet )and another roughed in. TERRIBLE roads up ... read more

Peru: Lima - I was able to get a direct flight to Lima from Buenos Aires, where I was to meet my friend, Chum. I got in first and waited around the baggage claim until Chum arrived. To this point I had been traveling solo for about 2 months. Chum and I planned a little over a month to cover Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and part of Colombia. From the airport we took an Uber to the url=http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=284&language=en_USSheraton in downtown Lima. It only cost us $12 USD. It was late so we went to bed. The next day we walked to the main square and saw the Cathedral and took a tour of that and the Cardinal’s Palace. I have to admit, the Cardinals lived well back in the day. Across from the Cathedral in the same ... read more

Heading to La Paz was a choice to be made either by 50 minute flight or 13 hr overnight bus. Hastily we decided on the flight which flew you straight over the Andes and up to the 4000m La Paz airport in El Alto. With the air so thin the runway is twice as long as a standard runway due to the planes requiring that length for landing and take-off. You could definitely feel the thin air, but it was great to be heading down to the 3500m city of La Paz, which pretty much happens all of a sudden. La Paz is like a bowl, with the top being El Alto and the main city at the bottom of the bowl. We checked into a really nice guesthouse run by some Americans, with a hint ... read more