La Paz

La Paz is capital city that sits at the highest altitude in the world. We had been adjusting to the altitude all through NW Argentina and southern Bolivia but even two weeks later we were still breathless after walking all around La Paz. It's definitely a good idea to take it easy when you're adjusting to the altitude so we took advantage of that over the 4-5 days we were in Bolivia's capital. We had planned to take a trip to see the pampas by hopping a small carrier plane to bypass the treacherous roads to Rurrenabaque, the jungle city closest to La Paz. Unfortunately, timing didn't work out (which ended up being fortuitous when we heard a week later that there was a transport strike and people were stranded there for several days), so we just took our time in La Paz and did lots of shopping in the Witch's Market and the Mercado Negro (that's right, black market). We picked up lots of good souvenirs for family and friends and some hiking boots (about $35 US) and sleeping bags ($40 US) at the black market for CHEAP (muy borrato!). Bolivia's exchange rate makes shopping very favorable to Americans, even if applying for the visa to enter the country is a hassle.

The capitol

You can tell when it's time for lunch because all the women sit down at their stands and have a bowl of soup! (no disposables either, these ladies use dishes and silverware)

Bolivia may be a poor country but they take pride in their manicured green space

Llama fetuses at the Witch's Market. People bury these beneath the foundation of a new construction project to bring good luck to the people that will live or work in the building.

love these buses

I think this must have been a wedding or family celebration of some sort because these cholitas were wearing their snazziest skirts and bowlers!

La Paz

ticky tacky little boxes

Everyone carries their loads on their backs, especially the women. You'll almost never see a woman without a child tied to their back or some other heavy load of goods to sell.

Bolivia's version of the whirling dervish. Jaja. I don't know what this celebration was but it was awesome.