Arrived in Bolivia, country number 21, following our forced change of travel plans due to the road blocks between Cusco and Puno. This means that we´ve skipped over Lake Titicaca and will have to backtrack from La Paz. However this is the life of the independent traveller, and flying over the snow covered Andes and Lake Titicacaca, and landing at La Paz´s airport at El Alto, which sits high above the city at over 14,000 ft with impressive views of La Paz sitting in the bowl below, was probably worth the extra money for the flight! Entry to Bolivia was quick and painless and after a short taxi ride from the airport we were soon settled in to our comfortable and clean hostel, Posada de la Abuela in Calle Linares. Unbeknown to us when we booked it, we find ourselves right in the heart of the lively tourist area - perfect for a short stay in the city.The main tourist drag, Calle Sagarnaga, is just round the corner and full of travel agencies, cafes and restaurants, so we were able to quickly book the bus to take us to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca. We then spent the afternoon wandering through the local, bustling market down to Plaza San Francisco and its famous church, then up to the main square, Plaza Murillo. We were really taken with a huge billboard sitting prominently on the city's main drag announcing that it's ok to be gay because 10% of Bolivians are gay!! Wonder how they know that .......! But first we'd contacted Steve who is married to Fiona, one of M's ex-colleagues, and who has been working in La Paz for the past two years. Unfortunately we didn't get to meet up with Fiona as she was on a visit home to the UK. But we had a splendid night out with Steve who gave us a conducted tour of Zona Sur (the wealthy part of the city) and treated us to a few beers at their fabulous home before we went out for a Japanese meal - delicious and great to have a change from South American food. Thanks Steve, we had a great time and really enjoyed the wide ranging topical conversation - a refreshing change from the usual traveller talk.Lots of loveEric & Margaret xxxxxx