Bolivia/Peru Re-Cap
Now that I’ve described all the logistical hassles (i.e. roadblocks a-plenty) that we ran into during our Bolivia sojourn, I wanted to supply a run-down of some of the really cool stuff we experienced. Herewith:
–La Paz is an amazing city. It’s a teeming metropolis set in a valley surrounded by spectacular, snow-capped mountains. Here’re some photos. I hope to post some images of my own soon.
–We sat in on a class at my brother’s school, The American Cooperative School of La Paz. Nice place.
–Our attempt to take a tour of La Paz’s San Pedro prison was denied–the guard said foreign tourists are no longer allowed inside. We did, however, glimpse the prisoners milling about the courtyard.
San Pedro is perhaps the world’s strangest prison: visitors can usually take tours–guided by prisoners themselves–for a small fee. And the inmates, who live in rooms of their own making and are accompanied by their families, if they wish, are allowed to make money selling things, like trinkets or drugs. (I’ve heard stories about gringos going to San Pedro expressly to purchase or do drugs, in fact, which seems incredibly foolish.) Visiting the prison’s supposedly safe, and until recently, unless the guard we met was mistaken, sanctioned by the government. More info on San Pedro is here and here.
–As I mentioned earlier, we attened a localy derby between La Paz’s two most popular soccer clubs, The Strongest and Bolivar. Lots of fun. The quality of the match was good, and I was amazed by the players’ fitness levels: downtown La Paz’s elevation is about 12,000 feet.
–We perused La Paz’s Witchcraft market, which is the place to go if you’re looking for a llama fetus (we weren’t, but they’re used in various ceremonies, like the blessing of a new building).
–I chewed coca leaves a few times. Doing so is supposed to produce feelings of euphoria; I didn’t feel any special effects.
–We took a two-day boat tour of Lake Titicaca’s islands and stayed overnight with an indigenous family.
–On the way back, we had a long layover in Lima. It’s an smoggy, dusty city, but I was glad to get a chance to see it up-close–it’s the home of nearly 8 million Peruvians.