Exploring Bolivia: Part 2

Well it's time for my second week of vacation, and my last chance to travel with Alice. She's leaving me stranded in Bolivia in a couple of weeks; her work down here in Bolivia is just about done and she's heading back to the states. This time we decided to visit La Paz, the capital and government-center of Bolivia. Of course, we took another 16-hour bus ride but at least this time it was one and done... and on a cement road too!

arriving in La Paz

El Alto, neighborhood of La Paz

 

The first day we explored the streets of La Paz, acclimatizing to the altitude. We found a Witchcraft Market, where they sold random things: love potions, gifts to offer the gods and even llama fetuses (a popular offering for the gods). A street full of little stands with little gifts to buy, and of f course we weren't able to resist for very long. Then we came across a local café called Pepe's for a quick lunch.

Dr. Douglas, hearing we were in La Paz, sent us on an errand to where else but a hospital. We can't stay away from hospitals even for a week! At Hospital San Gabriel, we met an endocrinologist, friend of Douglas', who wanted to express his interest in starting a rotation with the American volunteers that came down to work at the clinic in Palacios. The hospital and staff had good ideas and a desire for change but limited monetary resources, which always makes ideas only go so far.

hospital visit

First dislike about La Paz: there isn't a single street that isn't a hill. Even if you walk super slow, by the time you're halfway up, you almost don't even want to make it all the way up.

We found the best preserved indigenous street in the city, where decades ago the llama-trading business took place, a little street called Calle Jaen.

Calle Jaen

Our next stop was the cathedral San Francisco de La Paz, where there is a good view of the city from the bell tower.

Cathedral San Francisco of La Paz

view from the bell tower

We stopped by the restaurant Los Amigos for another dinner of typical Bolivian food.

view from the restaurant

My first impression of the city: big polluted city. I did enjoy walking down the streets and seeing all the ambulatory vendors on the sidewalks selling all sorts of products. The main indigenous population seen in La Paz are the aymaras. You see the 'cholitas', women dressed in the typical aymara wardrobe, on every street.

"cholitas"