We were within walking distance of the witch’s market and the local market areas where good food, and locally made crafts were easily found. This picture is of the entrance way to about a half dozen small shops.
All roads lead through La Paz! At least in Bolivia, that is. So, from Copacabana, we hopped a bus to La Paz. We used Milton bus line and stayed at the Milton Hotel. Centrally located, Hotel Milton was a great place to stay. However, like almost all of the places in Bolivia, was without heat. La Paz, nestled in the Andes, is at an elevation of 11942 feet (3640 meters) and colder than, than; well colder than you know what! And since we were here in the dead of winter we froze. Bolivia is a difficult travel destination, but well worth the discomfort. The landscape and the people are just amazing. In order to get anywhere in Bolivia you must get to La Paz first, then find appropriate transportation (i.e. crappy bus) to your desired next destination. We were into and out of La Paz at least four times. As you can see from the picture you enter the city from above and are treated to amazing views. La Paz was founded by the… well, just check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LA_PAZ for the total scoop.
Another entrance to multiple shops. Cool architecture, huh?
As far as we know, La Paz is the only place Mother Earth can be purchased, and on sale no less! We decided to buy Mother Earth, so you are all our subjects now. Kneel before us!
There were a few very cool museums in La Paz. Our favorite was the Coca Museum where we learned the art of chewing coca leaves. Using coca leaves is legal in Bolivia (making cocaine is NOT) and is an important part of the culture here. It helps with altitude sickness, energy and appetite suppression. The USA and EU countries are applying pressure on the Bolivian goverment to stop the growing of coca. The Bolivians do not have a problem with cocaine, they use the leaves appropriately within the context of their traditions. The western world on the other hand does have a problem, therefore, make the indigenous people change. It’s just not right. For more information on Bolivia and the traditional uses of coca try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivia
After the museum tour we relaxed in the museum’s restaurant for some light snacks and a beverage. Rather unique menu, don’t you think?
We were fortunate enough to be in La Paz during the annual Grand Poder Parade. This event was absolutely unbelievable in its size, duration, and color. It lasted over 24 hours!!! Great picture ops.
Dancing and alcohol flowed freely among the parade participants and the spectators. It was a WILD time.
Carrie’s favorite: these guys with the bells on their boots.
Comfortably numb atop a minivan, these spectators were really enjoying the proceedings.
OK, check out the feet. Did we mention it was cold? And we mean cold.
Another colorful parader singing away while marching along. Musicians were a part of most of the groups.
OK Grandma, settle down and give me the booze. You’re cutoff!
We learned that being out in cold weather caused ‘red cheeks’. Some of the costumes seemed to be just a bit too tiny to prevent this affliction. Iain and Pat weren’t complaining!
The smiles were beautiful and free flowing. Happiness is contagious.
Obvioulsly, this family had been sitting here for a while. They look exhausted don’t they? Grandma was still into it though.
The Blues Brothers meet the bass drum? The entire city was rumbling with the sounds of all kinds of music.
The intensity of the parade participants is well demonstrated by this young lady.
Colors! Colors! Colors! The senses were saturated by the end of the night. Check out the eyes!
After all that partying we needed to recover, so we decided to try getting some excercise. Iain and Pat decided to mountain bike the infamous Bolivian Death Road. Aly and Carrie decided to follow them in the chase vehicle so that the bodies could be quickly recovered. We used B-Side bike tours for our trip and they were great. The equipment was well maintained: good brakes are very important as you will see and we were treated royally. We left La Paz at the crack of dawn for about an hour drive to the start of the Death Road.
On route from La Paz to the Death Road. Stark and frigid landscapes greeted us and we began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into! After all, we aren’t spring chickens anymore and all our fellow bikers were half our age! “Honey, did you remember to pack the body bags?”
We get out of our nicely heated van at about 14,000 feet to be greeted by FRIGID temperatures. Bundle up, baby!
What me worry? Dumb and Dumber prepared for the ultimate adventure. The Death Road awaits. Nah, they’re not worried. Right…..
On your mark, get set, go. After 15 minutes of training we were ready to go.
At the beginning of the ride the road was paved and initially downhill. We had about a mile of uphill which was unbelievably difficult at this elevation. We decided not to show pictures of Pat during the uphill. He was just too scary looking. So far neither Iain or Pat had fallen off the bike.
Carrie and Aly scream, “Are you guys nuts? Get in this van now!” But, by now the testosterone was flowing wildly, so there was no stopping them. Idiots!
Just in case you think we’re joking. This is one of the many vehicles that didn’t make it. The road is dirt, bumpy, and narrow. On top of that, the downhill vehicle rides on the outside. That includes bikes. Riding downhill on the cliff edge side. Very, very scary.
Pat asked our guide if he knew anyone who had died riding bikes down the death road. His answer: “Yes, last year 2 experienced biker friends were riding side-by-side when the inside rider lost control, hitting his fellow rider who also lost control and went over the edge.” Never, ever relax!
“Oh please God don’t let the brakes fail now.” Fortunately our prayer was answered and we all lived to ride another day. We dropped over 11,000 feet (3353 meters) from the start of the ride to the finish. WOW! From mountain frigid conditions to jungle heat conditions all in a single afternoon. Amazing!
They sure look cool surrounded by all those babes, don’t they? Legends in their own minds. Maybe a double “L” was in order.
And they sing: “We’re going down, we’re going down, down, down, down, down.” The view about half way down looking towards our destination of Coroico. Who can name the tune and artist?
Iain, Pat and gang on the edge for a short break. Looks like something out of a King Kong movie.
Coroico in sight. Hey, we just might live. Ummmm. do we smell cerveza ahead?
Iain and Pat celebrate with 2 of their riding mates. “Yes, yes, we lived. where’s the beer?”
Coroico. B-side Bikes took most of the group back to La Paz that evening but we decided to stay and explore the town. We only spent one night here, but it should have been more. Warm, friendly, relaxed town.
B-Side Bikes provided dinner at a beautiful hotel. Muy romantico, si?
A view of the hotel from above in the town of Coroico. You can see the “new” paved Death Road in the background.
A close-up of the new Death Road. Although mostly paved and wider, it is still treacherous. We took a bus up this road for our return to La Paz.
We found a cool little, family owned hostel in Coroico called Hostel Kory. A little girl of maybe 11 actually ran the place; and with an iron fist too.
A street right off the town square. Good food and drink were no problem.
We took a little hike around town. Quiet, sleepy, hippieish little town. Many EU ex-pats had settled here and opened hostels.
Construction doesn’t look all that great, but, ahh…. the views!
During our hike we met a Mexican woman who had married a Boliviano and settled here. She owned this little restaurant. Yummy Mex-Bol food.
We returned to La Paz and planned our next trip. This time we decide to head for Sorata. Arguably the worst bus ride we had. We were in the way back and with every bump we hit our heads on the ceiling. Ouch!!! Pat was, you guessed it, REALLY cranky.
Another parade? Yeah, Bolivians party often and hard. This group apparently won. Look at that trophy. This picture was taken through the window of the bus on the way to Sorata.
Entering the Sorata area. Another picture through a moving bus window. Sorata, a small town of about 5000, is located at the base of Mount lllampu at over 20,000 feet (6368 meters) and is the staging area for trekking groups. Checkout http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorata
Our hostel was this old converted Italian mansion. See the previous picture for a link that provides info on the history of this building. The cost: $6.00 per night for the 2 of us. Not bad huh? This picture finds Carrie, Iain, and Aly relaxing and taking photos of our “resort”. We met groups from all over the world, including the USA, preparing to trek the Andes. COOL!
Carrie standing outside of our room. No TV or phones needed.
A view of the courtyard. Must have been something in its day.
We decided to check out the surrounding area and go for a little day hike. “Look at that rickity old bridge! Could be dangerous! Carrie, you go first. If she makes it, Aly you go next. Ok, looking good Iain, now you.” Pat used picture taking opportunities for many reasons.
Looking back at Sorata during our little hike. Bolivia is truly one of the most amazing places we have ever visited.
“Hey, let’s check out this little hostel.”
Nice rooms. Cool paint job. Hey, where are the hippies? I’m seeing colors, baby! Actually, this place was really cool and had great views. A little over our price range of about $20 US/night. This apartment was around $50 US/night.
After our strenuous hike Pat needs nourishment. Cake will do the trick. Aly was “attacked” by one of the deadly Llamas in the background. Fortunately, Iain came to her rescue. This little restaurant/bakery was owned by a German (we think-may have been from the Netherlands) ex-pat.
The food in Sorata was almost non-existent so we took off, back to La Paz, and then headed towards a planned trek in the Salar de Uyuni. On the way is the city of Oruro where we had a few hour layover before our train ride. Oruro is the home of Victor (center) whom we met in the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Victor is a photographer/filmmaker for a childrens’ educational magazine, mainly sold in Europe. He gets to travel all over the world while getting paid. Nice job! He told us his next assignment was in Vietnam.
After a great lunch with Victor it was time to get to the train station for the overnight ride to Tupiza. We arrived there about 4:30AM and it was cold…. Hey, wait a minute. That’s the next update. This part of Bolivia was the most spectacular of all. Stay tuned!