Really behind on my blog! This dates back to 23rd June....

I spent Friday 24th in La Paz , mostly just wondering around. I saw a couple of different protests going on- one by Aerosur staff, a Bolivian airline who recently went bust and another which I wasn't sure about, but it seemed it was still going on 4 days later when I was back in La Paz on Monday- quick google search and it seems they were protests by the Police for better wages to equal that of soldiers (the BBC website lists police officer's monthly salary as between £96 and £128 per month).

I had a delicious lunch at 'The Star of India', a curry restaurant. Probably the first curry I have had since I have been away and it was great! In the afternoon I went to the Coca museum, which was really interesting, all about the history and use of coca leaves here in Bolivia and how it then became used for cocaine. Coca is also an ingredient in coca-cola - as it is a stimulant. It also helps with altitude and stops you feeling hungry. Coca leaves are 'chewed' by many Bolivians and are used by the miners in Potosi for the above reasons. You will often see people with a bump in their cheek where they have a ball of coca leaves. At the museum I bumped into Denise who was on my Central America tour in 2010- we knew we were both in this area of Bolivia but it was pure coincidence that we saw each other there! La Paz is a hilly city in the valley below the surrounding mountains, including Illamani, so the streets are fairly steep. Walking down is ok but going back up is tough at 3660m!

On Saturday morning I did a trip to Chacaltaya, a 5395m tall peak, near La Paz. The bus takes you up to 5300m and you can walk the final 95m to the top. I made it about half way to the top which was enough for great views of the surrounding area and of Huayna Potosi, another tall mountain near La Paz (which many people summit), but it's not easy walking up at that altitude!

After this trip I got a mini bus to Coroico, the town that is at the end of the 'death road' mountain bike trip- so-called because it is the world's most dangerous road. Other transport no longer uses this road so it's a bit safer but not much! I went on the new road but I have to say that at times it felt pretty dangerous, with fog and rain, which meant the driver had hardly any visibility! The roads were narrow and windy and of course there was some dodgy overtaking near curves in the road….luckily I got there in one piece!

The photo shows ladies in traditional dress in La Paz. The traditional clothing around Bolivia varies quite a bit, but there are still lots of women wearing it, which is great to see, as they are maintaining their culture and traditions. In La Paz they typically wear big colourful skirts, aprons , shawls and bowler hats and their long hair is plaited usually with small pom pom like things attached to the end of the 2 plaits.