Chalita Wrestling

We spend the early part of the day exploring more of the city there is so much to see but I'm really struggling with the altitude, every few steps I take I have to stop and take a breath, and I've had a headache for over a week, but a couple of paracetamol sorts me out, and I'm pretty sure it's just down to how high we are. I really don't want to take altitude sickness tablets , so good old paracetamol it is . We walk down the plaza and head up tomthe oldest partnof the city, stopping in the multiple museums on route. The first one we go to is really impressive and houses everything from the original elpaca materials datinng back as far as 1100 and showing how they were made and how natural materials were used to dye them also in here is almost a replica of the mask museum in sucre and an interesting area showing the changes in time of how the indigenous people were taken over by the Spanish. The museum is huge and house the history of Potosi here and how the coins were made and distributed . The last area is about the wildlife and they have replica sized birds hanging or standing in this huge room. I have to say I'm really impressed with this museum. We then head to Juan street where the remaining museums are , but first have to go to the top of this oldest street to buy our tickets. The is a lot of superstition in Bolivia especially, a lot of people call it witchcraft, but it's no different to people watching paronormal programmes back home. The first museum is a little strange, they have art sculptures downstairs and then the middle floor is filled with leg all built up, oh and some playbills, is this really museum material? The last part is small scale displays displaying various times gone by and fiesta , deaths and Crosses of class. The next museum is the museum of precious metals . This houses the gold and silver that have been found with excavations over the years and shows the jewellery that the inca would have been adorned with. The last museum is about a guy called Murillo who was in charge of the mines , but was later hung.
Mark is keen to explore the witches market here so we make our way down town. The climb up the hill is a killer for me and I worry that someone will come out and start selling me potions, we take a slow walk through and I'm shocked to see the embryos and baby llamas tied up in full display. After a short time here we spot a place that is really busy with the locals so wait for a table to take lunch. Lunch here is soup and I have steak rice veg and salad for 1.50. Its nearly time for the game and there is a pub next door so we head in here and watch the amazing game. I celebrate the victory with a deep fried Mars bar and ice cream. Its now 5 and we have to be back at the hostel for 530 as we are off to the Cholita wrestling tonight. The taxi driver tries to take us around the city because the traffic is just rammed but it's just the same outside luckily I spot a road we had walked up and asked him to stop where we were it was going to be quicker to walk. By now it was 535 but the Bolivians aren't known for being pronto so within 5 mins were on a bus to the wrestling. It really was quite funny like wwf on a small scale but with not so petite bolivian girls throwing each other around. All the characteristics of smashing each other with milk crates and spitting water in each others faces. The referees getting involved and getting a beating from the women all in all hilarious.Read more