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We decided that we didn't need to pay for a tourist bus for the 4 hour journey to La Paz but had doubts when thousands of small fish were loaded onto our bus in open metal containers right next to our bags. I (Simon) started to make a fuss but as we had paid for the bus and were just about to leave we decided to cross our fingers. Luckily our bags were absolutely fine at the other end which was a miracle considering the heat on the bus and the bumpy journey. At one point on the journey we had to get off the bus and cross a small section of the lake on a small boat before being reunited with our bus. When we arrived in La Paz our bus crawled through the traffic and then left us outside the cemetery and not at the bus station so we had to wait awhile for an official taxi to pass to take us the rest of the way. Our hostel on paper had seemed really good with a free beer everyday (as it was associated with a brewery) but it was very dark and depressing inside so within minutes of arriving Katy only wanted to stay one night.
We ventured out into La Paz and our first impressions were that it was a dump. The vast majority of the buildings were run down, the traffic was chaotic to say the least and wiring overhead was so thick and tangled that it could block out the sun. After having a relatively expensive lunch in a Swiss cafe we went to book our Bolivian Amazon jungle trip in a recommended agent who could get us the plane tickets cheaper than we could. We knew which tour we wanted so it didn't take us long. We also knew we wanted to fly because the bus trip can take anywhere between 12 and 40 hours depending on the road conditions and December is the start of the rainy season. After booking the tour we received an unexpected bonus in the form of a bottle of wine and two Bolivian football tops from the agent as a thank you! We then had a short wander around the centre and found a better and cheaper sleeping option in a local hotel not set up for backpackers. That evening we didn't fancy taking the 15 minute walk back into the centre in the dark so we settled into the hostel bar with our two free beers, two big plates of food and four extra caipirinhas (as it was happy hour). At this altitude that was plenty to drink.
We woke up the next morning feeling a little worse for wear. After a pancake breakfast we moved hostels and then went to San Pedro Plaza with the hope of taking the famous free Red Cap walking tour. We had heard so many good things about this tour but apparently it had been suspended in the last few weeks because other tour providers don't like it being free and taking their business. In actual fact it's not free as you're expected to tip what you think it's worth at the end. We waited in the Plaza for at least 20 minutes and no one showed up apart from other backpackers. I was actually surprised that no one pretending to be from Red Cap turned up. But we had a backup plan - Red Cap had put their whole tour online for free because they are amazing. So with two people we had just met (Rosie and Jacob from England) we printed the tour in an internet café and took it in turns to deliver it. The tour made us think much more highly of La Paz and we had a great time with Rosie and Jacob. We started at San Pedro prison, as featured in the great book "Marching Powder" where prisoners even to this day have to buy their own cell. We then moved through a great market with giant fruit and veg and learnt that not many supermarkets exist in La Paz because people like to buy their food from these local markets. We also learnt the reason why the women in traditional dress wear bowler hats that are too small for them. The story goes that the Italians, when trying to sell hats, believed that Bolivian people were small and therefore had small heads. Unfortunately they only realised this was not true once they had shipped thousands so they told the women that it was the latest fashion in Europe and they literally bought it. Also depending on what angle the hat is worn shows their relationship status. We then moved onto the "Witches" market where all ailments can be cured. The most remarkable thing on sale were llama fetuses. We had seen them before in Peru but we learnt that no one will start building a building in La Paz without one buried in the foundations as the workers will believe that it is not safe. Thankfully the tour told us that none of them are killed for this purpose as an adult will be worth much more. The last place on the tour was the parliament square where old bullet holes could be seen. Apparently Bolivia is in the record books for having the most leaders over a given period due to all the coups. Luckily the current president is in his 3rd term and is very popular in the country. Around the square we saw many shoeshiners, nothing strange there but these were all wearing balaclavers to hide their faces and we were informed (by the tour) that this is because they don't want to shame their families. We were really surprised by this as this is the first country where people are ashamed being shoeshiners but it is also the poorest - that doesn't make sense.
After a lunch at the local market (which later we learnt was not very good for our tummies) we said goodbye to Rosie and Jacob and did some shopping for our Jungle trip and after that we headed for the cable car. The new cable car has cut travel times from the ridge (La Paz Alto) to the centre from 1 hour to 10 minutes but we used it see the stunning views and mountains that surround this incredibly high city. We passed over many poor brick buildings and a massive cemetery where little rooms for coffins were stacked up to 10 high (or maybe more). We were privileged to hang above and witness some of the large funerals taking place. We ended our time in La Paz in a Dutch restaurant with substantial portions.
Simon
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