Sorry for the delay with the blog again, but after typing it all up and losing it 2 hours later, I just couldnt face looking at it again. So Sven took over and very kindly regurgetated the stories below

Having boarded the bus to La Paz (mentally scared after the last bus adventure) we were pleased to find out that this bus was much better than the last one and one hour into the journey we could be assured that the road was paved (if not still on mountainous cliffs) and we also had the luxury of a sensible driver. This was reassurance enough for us to enjoy some rest and sleep on the road to the highest capital in the world - La Paz!

Our driver had done so well and was probably congratulating himself on a safe and sound journey - unfortunately too soon. We could see the bus station in fact we could almost touch it when in his celebration the driver decided to crash into a taxi right outside the station, no one was hurt, it did however take 6 or more Bolivian men to shake the taxi in order to un-wedge it from the front wheel arch of the bus. Once free we were pleased, yet slightly worried to get in our taxi on the way to the Wild Rover Hostel which lay about 200m from the governmental plaza of La Paz. The hostel was excellent it had everything one needed, TV room, pool table and a sports bar with the premier league playing - Sven was ecstatic!!

We had some well deserved rest for the day as we had a dinner date that evening. Josh and Beth a couple that we met in Potosi were also in La Paz and we agreed to meet for an (on our behalf) eagerly awaited Indian. It was sooo good!!! Anyway after dinner we went on to sample the night life of La Paz, which by the way is excellent. After an evening of cocktails, dancing, chatting and travel anecdotes we rolled into the hostel at 9.30 AM a little worse for wear. Nikki passed out and went straight to bed, Sven however had made arrangements the previous day with a group of Irish girls to go and visit the San Pedro prison a slightly illegal tour that was offered not officially within the hostel!!

So at 2 o'clock Sven was all ready to go cigarettes, as presents for the inmates, in hand. The tour was very interesting. People in this prison paid for their place in there and subsequently led the life of riley. Cable TV, basketball, football, pool table a gym and private rooms - a bit like a run down Butlins really. Drugs were plenty, families could visit all day, they all had mobile phones to call the local escort service etc etc in short the inmates didn't seem to mind being in there. That aside Sven came back and said that this tour would most impress 18 yr olds as the c*** and bull stories by the two inmates, Stuart and Jack, were just too far fetched and if honest Sven thought the two inmates were idiots. Still he said that it was a great experience to see inside a prison as he doesnt intend on ever being in one for real!

After the towers had recovered from mad nights out and prison visits they thought that a nice English meal would be in order. We knew just the place - Oliver's Travels - an English run pub in town. We enjoyed bangers and mash and fish and chips and decided to catch a taxi home when the "taxi" episode happened. Taxi drivers in south America for some reason do not know where they are going. We got in a taxi to go back to the hostel and after starting the journey the driver asked where we would like to go, we showed him the address, conveniently placed on our wrist bands and assumed he would know the place as it was quite a central road - he didn't! After much discussion Sven asked the taxi driver if he would like us to go in another taxi and he agreed so we got out - Sven on the pavement side of the road and Nikki, having a blonde moment in the middle of the road. Nikki opened the door ever so slightly and a maniac bus driver crashed in to the door bending it right round to the front. This sparked arguments and discussions in broken Spanish and brit abroad loud and slow English. He wanted payment for the door we wanted Spanish translation to ensure they did not have insurance, so we finally convinced him to get us another taxi and meet us at the hostel, which he finally did, and to our surprise he found the hostel and actually beat us there - we were so angry - what an idiot!! Anyway after establishing that they have no insurance we agreed that we would pay for the damage and $100 dollars was agreed. (we thought 50pounds for a completely wrecked door was ok) The taxi driver then proceeded to tell us that this was about 900 bolivianos when we know that at exchange rate 12:1 it should be 600. In the end Sven got angry put his foot down and told the guy that 600 was all he was getting as we would not be ripped off by exchange rates, luckily he agreed and that was the end of that. Tired and wound up we headed for a nightcap and scuttled off to bed soon after.

That was not all the action in La Paz though political unrest was rising and the ever growing armed police presence, shoulder to should riot police, as well as news of martial law and curfews being imposed on certain cities in Bolivia made us aware that it was possibly time to leave. We informed our parents what was going on and immediately facebook was going crazy in the Chubb household. Latest travel news were posted by Chris and Lynn actually changed her facebook status!!. We knew that they were worried!!! On top of that Hannah was due to meet us on a connecting flight from Miami and we had learnt the day before her arrival that all American airlines flights had been cancelled into Bolivia. We contacted Hannah to say that we would fly to meet her elsewhere maybe Lima in Peru - but as we eagerly awaited news that Hans had landed so we could reestablish the plans Nikki found out that unfortunately Hannah had mad it as far as Miami but due to a family bereavement she had turned around and was on her way back to London. This made us very sad and upset and sparked a massive lull in our travels we then decided that it was time to leave Bolivia.

Due to rumours of border crossings becoming difficult to negotiate we took the crunch and decided to fly out of Bolivia. Luckily for us, or so we thought, there was a travel agency in the hostel. We went straight there to establish our options as far as flights to Cusco were concerned. We were advised that there was a flight the following morning, which coincidently a friend of ours was getting, and apparently there were two seats left, how convenient. The price as agreed at $160 and we marched off to the cash point withdrew the money and on our return were then told that the price within 10 minutes had gone up by $30 each, what a joke we thought. The travel agency blamed their system (a conversation with the travel company via MSN messenger - what a system!) we told them all of this sounded ridiculous and they should listen to what they are saying after arguing for about 20minutes they reduced the price to $170 still more than before but this confirmed to us that we were more than ready to leave Bolivia, After giving them a piece of our mind we were happy with the thought that following day we were out of there.

The bonus for us was that the flight out was as spectacular as any flight we have ever been on. As we took off from almost 10000 feet we only ascended to maybe 3000 feet above the ground which meant that we got the clearest view of the country side beneath us, which included Lake Titicaca and the Andes mountain range. Maybe this was not such a bad end to Bolivia. We were now excited to explore the home of the Incas - Peru.