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Turning up at the hectic bus terminal on the outskirts of a South American capital late at night without a hostel reservation isn´t to be recommended, but we made the best of it, and soon managed to get ourselves checked into a fairly central hotel in La Paz complete with superb 1980´s décor.
As far as capital cities go, La Paz was a pleasant enough place for us to spend a few days. People, buildings and culture were all a mix of traditional and modern, with quite a contrast between the busy urban city centre with newer shops and offices and people wearing suits; to the old plazas with surrounding colonial buildings where campesinos arrived on mass in traditional costume to participate in political protests on a daily basis. There was also an interesting mix of museums to visit, ranging from the Museum of San Francisco Cathedral where ancient colonial paintings adorned the walls and the original terracotta roof tiles were moulded on the thighs of slaves; to a museum dedicated to the traditional uses of coca leaves as a stimulant at altitude for the apparent well-being of miners and workers in the countryside of the Altiplano. The witches market
was also an interesting stop for all kinds of wierd and wonderful items including inca-style runes and llama foetus´.
With a fair expat population, La Paz also managed to dish up a fair range of international food offerings, and so whilst we lunched on the more traditional bargain set menus on offer around town, we did find a traditional British Indian restaurant in the heart of the tourist district. Unfortunately it wasn´t quite up to the standard of our local balti-house back home, and was nowhere near as tasty as any of the authentic Indian food we´ve had on our travels, however it did fulfil a certain craving we both had for curry, so for that, it was well worth the trip!
From La Paz, we travelled north by bus for a few hours to the town of Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world. Although very touristy, Copacabana was a nice place to stay for a couple of days, helped by a beautiful restaurant, where we decided, one month after our anniversary proper, and in the absence of food poisoning, to have another go at a celebratory anniversary dinner, overlooking
the twinkling lights of Copacabana and Lake Titicaca. This time, it was fabulous and we had an amazing meal, although we think we possibly over-ordered, with a wide selection of cruditees, dips, salads and a wonderful cheese fondue with bread and vegetables to dunk, all washed down with the best bottle of white wine that Bolivia had to offer at that moment in time. The 23rd of May has now officially been declared a back-up anniversary date in case of absence or illness, with celebrations preferably centering around a cheese-based meal.
On a day-trip from Copacabana, we took a boat out to one of the islands on the lake, Isla del Sol. Here we walked through the small traditional towns, across the north of the island, to the sacred rock believed to be the birthplace of the Incan Sun God. After this, and a little further across the island, we got lost in the substantial remains of an ancient labyrinth, where some of the exits were blocked by cows, thereby complicating things further. From Isla del Sol, we travelled by boat to some floating islands made of reeds. Traditionally there are giant islands on the Peruvian side of the
lake made exclusively from reeds where people live, constantly replacing the islands by frequently weaving in new reeds. Still on the Bolivian side of Titicaca, we visited just small examples of such islands seemingly manufactured for tourists and not inhabited, but we managed a very short stroll, feeling the reeds sinking beneath our feet, and Bob was very excited to meet a llama made of reeds.
With our time in Bolivia coming to an end, we caught another bus to the border very close to Copacabana, where Emma managed to persuade Peruvian immigration officials to put their stamp in one of the few small gaps in her passport as we crossed over into Peru, heading to the ancient town of Cuzco, where our journey will continue.
Things we have learned since our return to Bolivia When building a new house, you can make it your own by moulding roof tiles on the thighs of friends and family (we´re hoping and assuming you don´t have slaves, who in times gone by would have fulfilled this purpose). After this, the best way to ensure good luck in your new house is to bury a dead llama foetus under your
front porch. Now try getting that through customs....
Everyone should have a back up anniversary, preferably involving cheese
And things we haven´t learned With so much time taken up with daily protests, road blocks and campaigns, how do people here actually have time to earn any money?
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