La Paz is simply breath-taking, and that's before you even leave the confines of the hotel. Sitting between 10,500 and 13,500 ft above sea level, la Paz makes a legitimate claim to being the highest capital city in the world. We have been at relatively high altitudes for some time now, and yet even moderate physical exertion can still leave you gasping. The lack of oxygen might also explain the prevailing fashion statement of the local Aymara women- bowler ...

Travel in Bolivia is full of unique challenges and one that was rumoured to be in play while we were here was roadblocks related to striking teachers, transportation workers, farmers, etc. Miners were the scariest group since they chewed copious amounts of coco leaves in order to remain stoned to cope with the poor working conditions in Bolivian mines (primarily tin). In addition to blockading roads with burning tires (you see melted asphalt strips on all the mai...

It was time to leave Chile (and the country wide obsession with ham and cheese?), and having found a company that promised us a reasonably functional vehicle with a reasonably sober driver (or maybe that was the other way around?), we made our way to the Bolivian border crossing. We've passed through a number of odd border posts in the past but this had to rank with one of the more desolate- a lonely shack in a mountain valley in the middle of nowhere sitting...