After enjoying the tranquility of the mountains around Sorata, our arrival in Bolivia's capital city was a shock to the system. La Paz was bustling with activity - hordes of people, cars and buses filled the narrow streets and we had to fight our way through the crowds to find a decent hostel. Each hostel we arrived at was either charging a fortune for a room or was a complete dive. After spending an hour walking the busy streets (with our heavy backpacks) we found a great little hostel called Arthys on the main drag. Unusually for Bolivian hostels this place was immaculate and the owner was very helpful - the perfect base from which to explore the city.

The cramped city is nestled in a canyon with buildings climbing the canyon walls and spilling over the edge. At 3360m above sea level it is the worlds highest capital city. We came across the infamous San Pedro Prison - like something out of the series "Prison Break", it's basically a prison with no guards. Only the perimeter is secured, so once thrown inside inmates have to use their wits to survive. Some inmates have a comfortable existence with sky TV and mobile phones, those less fortunate have to sleep in the corridors risking death and disease. Sadly, an average of one inmate each week is murdered in the lawless confine. Tourists have been known to enter the prison for illegal "tours" given by an inmate in return for cash. As there is a very serious risk of getting robbed, attacked or even murdered we thought we'd give it a miss!

At the Coca Museum we learnt all about the small green leaf that has been part of Andean culture for thousands of years, and also, through western demand, has become the raw material for the manufacture of cocaine. It's very common (and perfectly legal) to chew the coca leaf in Bolivia. As a ball of leaves is crushed in the mouth, the body is given a boost of energy. We gave it a go and after chewing for just a few minutes our mouths began to go numb and we certainly felt an energy boost - similar to drinking a strong cup of coffee! But a ball of mashed up leaves in your mouth is far from pleasant and even began to make us gag, so we spat them out and stuck to the caffeine.

We visited the "Witches Market" where unorthodox ingredients can be bought to manipulate the spirits of the Aymará world. These include birds beaks, dried frogs, llama foetuses and colourful herbs and seeds, each with it's own "power" to bring good luck, cure illnesses or rid a victim of a bothersome spook. We asked very politely before taking any photos as we had heard that photography can be met with unpleasantries - we wouldn't want to invoke a curse!

We also indulged in something we had been missing from home - a good curry! We hadn't seen a "curry house" for 3 months so upon finding one in La Paz we didn't think twice. The meal was a nice little taste from home, although the South American twist was a Llama (not lamb) Tikka Masala. The meat was very tasty although a little chewy, and was washed down with a 7.5% lager. Nice!

Check out ‘Bolivia - La Paz’ at http://gallery.me.com/peterjprice/101838