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We flew from Quito into La Paz which probably lost us a few backpacker points but neither of us could face that many hours in a bus. The flight started off a bit scary when Jolly was selected for a checked luggage search. We were taken out of the lounge, out to a little shed on the tarmac where my backpack was sitting there. A man dressed in an army uniform came over and proceeded to open and spend 10 mins going through my bag. He didn't find anything that he was concerned about so we got on the plane and headed to La Paz.
The first thing we really notice about La Paz is the altitude. The city is 3,600m above sea level and in the first couple of days you really notice it. We both had a constant headache, Jolly got blood noses all the time but the worst thing is that you get so short of breath just walking around, especially up hills - of which La Paz has many. I think we had it pretty good compared to some people who suffer full blown altitude sickness and have to return to sea level.
Bolivia is the poorest county in South America, we were told the average wage in $2 a day and you definitely feel it as you walk around. Things are cheap and buildings are basic but the city has such a fun atmosphere that we spent on and off about a week here and really liked it. We shopped at the witches market (where they sell llama fetuses amongst other things), drove ATV´s around the ´Moon Valley´, visited the coca museum, saw San Pedro prison (from the outside only) and ate at a lot of good but cheap restaurants.
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