Day 250 - La Paz, Bolivia

Büsi didn't return to the camper last night. We called for him and searched the area again this morning, but he was nowhere to be found. The farmer's children had no idea of his whereabouts either. We have a theory about his sudden disappearance but prefer not to put it in writing. It's too painful to even think about it.

On the way to La Paz, we offered a ride to an Indio man. He wasn't very talkative, and we doubted he even understood Spanish. Most native people in this region speak only Quechua (the Andes dialect).

We followed Route #1, which ran parallel to the Cuzco - La Paz railway line, and survived three police checkpoints along the way.

The view of La Paz from the rim above, where the airstrip was, was most impressive. The city sat in a giant crater with corrugated roof slums climbing up on all sides around it.

Hotel Italia was easy to find (recommended by Germans we met in Argentina). We rented a room and couldn't wait to take the hot shower we needed. Then we went for a stroll through the bustling city center.

Diesel trucks and buses emitted horrible blackish exhaust. Very few machines or automation were present. Almost everything here seems to be done by manual labor. Heavily loaded carts with wooden wheels were pulled by horses, donkeys, or people. It seemed Bolivia was stuck in a time 20 years back.

(Ursula) The stroll was quite successful. After comparing prices at different markets, we bought Heinz and me a scarf, gloves, a sweater, and a vest. I fell in love with an ancient woven Indio fabric (wall hanging/tablecloth) at another market. The quality of the handmade items was incredible, and they were reasonably priced.

Loaded with packages under our arms, we returned to the Hotel and had dinner.
Stats: Miles 53, Expenses $32.60

January 7th - 8th
(Ursula) These two days, we wrote letters and postcards to our friends and family.

In between, we went sightseeing and stopped at our favorite juice stand in front of the Mercado Artisanal. I loved my freshly squeezed Carrot juice. On the other hand, Heinz preferred the banana drink with condensed milk and honey. He is such a "sweet" hubby.

Eli's Confitería offered German potato salad and Sausages. We also found a specialty store that carried exquisite herbal teas from the Andes region.

Expenses $19.30.Les mer