06/12/12

It was a beautiful journey with views of Lake Titicaca and snow-capped mountains. After about 30 minutes we stopped and had to get off the bus to cross the river on a motor boat - an interesting addition to our journey! The other side we got back on the bus and drove a few more hours before we saw La Paz below us. It seems to sprawl below in a valley and looks amazing from above.

We were soon at the bus station, and finding a taxi to take us to the hostal we had picked out of the book. The taxi driver was really nice ad dropped us off with no problems but the hostal worker was very disinterested and not happy with what we were offering to pay so we decided to look elsewhere. We found a hotel and although it was a little more than we wanted to pay we took a room making the decision that the capital was always going to be a little more expensive anyway. The huge advantage was its great location, so after dumping our stuff we went out for a wander.

We mooched around all different kinds of stalls along the streets and stopped a nice café for a sandwich each. La Paz is very hilly, and the hills are steep - it was great walking around and seeing the way the buildings were constructed on the steep hills. Back at the room Neil took another turn for the worse so we just relaxed and watched TV hoping he would feel better for tomorrow.

07/12/12

We woke up and got some breakfast at the hotel before getting ready and heading out. Neil was feeling much better so we were looking forward to the day. First we walked down to Plaza San Francisco and saw the beautiful church. There are also a lot of Christmas decorations about which give La Paz a lovely feel. We then got a little lost (the best way to explore) but ended up at Plaza Alonso de Mendoza which was surrounded by street stalls and had men with portable photo booths taking pictures.

We enjoyed walking to the Plaza Pedro de Mimillo where we also saw The Palacio Legislation, The Palacio Presidencial and the Cathedral. South America really knows how to build grand buildings, churches, cathedrals and plazas! We nipped into the bank to get some cash on the way to Mercado Camacho, the supposed hot spot for lunch, but typically nothing was open so we continued on our home made walking tour. We went into the post office to get some stamps and were pleased to be greeted by two really nice helpful ladies.

We then had a long walk ahead to an agency to try and get some train tickets - however the place no longer existed so we walked back and stopped at San Pedro Plaza opposite the famous prison. This prison used to be open to visitors (not legally but underhand tours went on) and is a fascinating place - it appears that there are not many guards and that the prisoners literally run the place. It's like a whole community within the wall where prisoners can pay extra for things such as bigger cells or even a group of cells called a suite. Prisoners can also have their families living inside with them. There is a huge cocaine culture inside the prison and a hierarchy system that literally rules the lives of the people living there. Amazingly interesting for an ex-screw like me. I really enjoyed sitting and watching the guards letting visitors in and out, trying to talk to Neil about it all, when he doesn't have the same interest as me as prisons fascinate me!

After this we walked up the main artisan street towards the sprawling black market. This market is seriously huge and sells anything and everything you could dream of. It is a true local market and I loved seeing all the bright colours of the traditional skirts and materials on sale. Sadly there was no tourist tat so we walked back down to the artisan area where we came away with 3 pairs of socks for me, a football shirt for Neil and a table cloth for our Bolivian souvenir.

After resting our weary feet in the room for a while we went back out for dinner at a local steak house. It was delicious steak - expensive for Bolivia but a real treat and we enjoyed every mouthful. Back at the room we enjoyed some more TV before trying to sleep in our really noisy room.

08/12/12

We got up and ate breakfast before coming back to the room where I had another hours sleep. We headed out to the bus station but I found the effort of walking tough today - no idea why! At the bus station we enquired about a ticket for tomorrow to Cochabamba. We can only buy them on the day of travel but we found out that buses leave regularly so we were happy with that. We walked down El Prado, the main street in La Paz and passes lots of street stalls, traffic, churches and weddings going on. It was a nice day and we enjoyed the stroll ending up at San Pedro Plaza again where we decided to get some lunch at a rosary chicken place we had spotted yesterday. We enjoyed chicken, noodles and potatoes along with a 2lt bottle of coke all for 40 Bolivianos which is about £3.60!

When we came out we glanced over at the prison again, but unlike yesterday there were no visitors around. We slowly walked back up the artisan street having a look at the witches market. Here we saw lots of lotions and potions, good luck charms and lama foetuses which are meant to be good luck when buried under a houses porch. Back at the room we updated the blog before nipping back out for a sandwich for tea. Once back again we packed up, showered and got ready to be on the move again.

I really liked La Paz and would definitely visit again xxx