Headed to Plaza Murillo for the tour I had booked for the morning. I got there a bit early so had time to admire the Presidential Palace which is one of the buildings which front the plaza. I also witnessed a flag raising ceremony which was done with a little pomp but not much fanfare. I was surprised by the police presence but when my guide, Marcelo, arrived he explained that either the President or the Vice President must be about to leave. Suddenly there was a bit of a rush and the VP was quickly out of the building and into a waiting car. We headed off and it was just Marcelo and me. With Independence Day only a couple of days away the city is awash with national flags flying from everywhere and people wearing rosettes in the national colours. One of the main streets has been closed to traffic as there was a parade taking place. This only adds to the usual traffic chaos that exists right throughout this city. We headed to a plaza where a statue of Bolivias first president, Antonio Jose de Sucre stands. Ironically, across the road is the infamous San Pedro prison, which virtually operates as its own little community. Marcelo then took me to the biggest Mercado (market) in La Paz. This is very different in that it does not operate from within a building like most mercados, but is simply streets and streets of stalls set up selling everyday day needs from fresh food, clothes, herbal remedies, homewares etc. Next stop is the Witches Market. Bolivians have a strong belief in the supernatural. Having their fortune told and using witches (yatiris) to cure medical problems are an everyday occurrence. Dried llama foetus and young llama that have died, are used in these rituals. Even Marcelo, who I regard as an educated man, relays a story of how he and his wife used a witch doctor to cure their young son, where in their opinion, western medicine was failing. According to the witch doctor his soul had left his body but she was able to call it back. Due to the traffic congestion we decide to catch the Teleferico to El Alto which is a town which sits on the escarpment overlooking La Paz. It was a great view on the way up and and an even better one when we got there. The usual Thursday market was in full swing so it was a very lively atmosphere. The highlight though was the rows of witch doctor "consulting"rooms set up on the edge of the cliff, all facing eastward towards the mountains. Small fires were burning which is part of the ritual. Even the manner in which the fire is constructed is done with precision. It was quite an unusual site to witness. Back to La Paz via the Teleferico and an extremely interesting tour came to an end. Got my self a $2 Bolivian haircut to round out the day.

First stop on Friday was the museum attached to the San Franciscan church. This included a climb into the bell tower and a fantastic view from a roof top terrace. A guided tour of the remainder of the monastery was very interesting and there are still around 25 monks living there today. Came across another parade of school children from many different schools. Well over a 1,000. Brass bands, drum bands, marching girls. and even primary school kids dressed in military style uniforms. Their route took them past a stage in front of the Presidential Palace where a stage of dignatories, including the La Paz Governor, were witnessing the event. That evening we had our Intrepid group meeting. Quite a diverse group coming from Australia, England, New Zealand, France and Russia. Our guide Nadia is a native Bolivian.

Saturday morning headed to a group of 4 museums with Rob & Fay who are from Yarraville. The museums cover Bolivian costumes, precious metals, music and musical instruments and the house of Pedro Murillo who was a leader of the La Paz revolution in the 1800's. Bolivias early economy was built on precious metals, particularly silver. The Spanish plundered it for all their worth. From there a visit to the National Artes centre and then a stroll through Mercado Negro nd surrounding streets. Got yelled at by a witch when I tried to take a photo of her Ekeko didplay. Ekeko is the household god and each year his devotees buy miniatures of the things they would like such as a new car, money, etc and attach it to their ekeko doll. It all must be blessed by a yatiri. I'm hoping she didn't cast a spell on me. And I didnt get the photo. Back to the hotel to pack and get ready for our 13 hour bus trip to Sucre, which is the constitutional capital of Bolivia.