I'm back.... just had the last of our dinners in La Paz. Tomorrow we fly from here to Rio in Brazil. Gonna be another long day....

Well today we had almost a full day out. We left the hotel at about 8.30 for our road trip to Tiahuanaco, this is to be the last ruins we will visit on this journey. So you won't have to hear about Inca's and ruins etc anymore...

It takes about 1.5 hours or so by car to get to Tiahuanaco. We pass back across the Bolivian highlands we have already seen on our bus into La Paz. We also pass again through a crazy place called El Alto. El Alto is the last place you come through before coming over the mountain and down into La Paz. When we passed through here the first time it was dark which made it even worse. It's hard to explain but it's a mixture of not finished building, business that look normal, people selling on the side and middle of roads and when you look down streets they are only dirt roads. Huge areas where nothing is built then you see a whole heap together. Some places look like palaces and next door dumps. The mix of people, minivans,cars,dogs is Kaos with a capital K. We learn from our guide that this area is basically the badlands. It has a law unto itself. Very corrupt and yet is still sustains small business's. There are over 250,000 minivans that are used as public transport. Yep that's huge. I've included a few of the pic's from there so you can see. The vans transport people to and from La Paz and outer lying area (country) . Here you can see people selling food and goods in the middle of the road not just the side. You see donkey's and little herds of sheep next to or in the middle of the traffic lights. It up and coming yet also goes back in time all in the one go. Apparently you do not want to wander around these parts because you can be taken off the street in a blink of an eye.

It is now we also learn that in the last 12 months more than 150 girls have been abducted from La Paz and surrounding areas. They are believed to be take for use in the prostitue trade in Brazil, Argentina and possibly to the middle east. It is now La Paz major problem. Our guide also tells us much about the political side of things....much to involved to write about here. So.....

we arrived in Tiahuanaco. It was one of the oldest American cultures, carbon dating says an average age of 1580 BC to 1150 AC. We are shown areas that are actually 900 BC and earlier. Whilst Macchu Picchu was amazing because of it's size this place is even more astounding due to it's age and the advanced methods used. The main construction, the Kalasasaya temple with the stone work done is something to wonder about. How much help did they have?? There is a seven level pyramid here and and underground temple with over 125 stone heads (all different) embedded in the stone walls. The people that built all of this were long before the Inca's and this is were the Inca came to build vey similar structures. So much to talk about this place would take forever.

We finally arrive back in La Paz at around 3pm so decide again on a light lunch (mmm cake and coffee again...oops) again went for another walk around but decide to go back to the hotel early afternoon as we have a long travel day ahead. Tomorrow we get up at 3.30am to go to the airport for our first flight of 3 that we see us end up in Rio de Janeiro by 7pm tomorrrow night. So yep off to sleep early.

We are actually glad to be on our way, whilst we do like La Paz we have had enough of being in high altitudes in the Andes. And so has LB.... see his pic he's ready to go to. lol..... next blog from Brazil.... country hopping again.. xxxx