I hugged Fiona goodbye and made my journey by plane to La Paz. I was expecting warmer weather for some reason but being Bolivian winter (no idea), it was colder here and to add to that the altitude winded me like a fist to the chest - I had to walk very slowly from the plane and tell myself I was not going to keel over!
After a nap, some dinner, a visit to the night market (three ties for £8!) and a good night's sleep, I went exploring the city properly. It reminded me that in South America so far we've been in two fairly prosperous countries; many people in Bolivia are scraping a living together offering whatever services or goods they can. Highlights were men on the street with typewriters (we write your letter while-u-wait), we-laminate-what-you-want and women making and selling jelly and ice cream. At the same time, La Paz has a sort of tourist ghetto, so sometimes it felt a little awkward and a bit contrived.
The following day I took a bus to Copacabana, the main town on Lake Titikaka. The town itself is really nothing to write home about, with another tourist ghetto strip. However, the lake itself and the mountains surrounding it were truly beautiful. I took a boat to see some floating reed islands (although when I got there I was told they were made for tourists) and took a breathtaking walk back to town along the lake. Parts of the trail were made by the Incas, and there were lots of locals to say ¡Hola! to, or who tried to sell me bits of tat or a rowing boat trip or a taxi journey or their faces in a photo (yes because I am tight (maybe Fiona's influence!), I deprived a family of Bolivians their photo fee for the image below).
Now, many have asked me along the way of this trip, "have you found yourself?" or "has the experience changed you?" or "do you feel closer to the spiritual energy of the earth?". Well little did I know that the Isla Del Sol, in the middle of Lake Titikaka was going to help me answer these questions. To get to the island, you have to take what can only be described as a death trap (three people to a two-person seat, no life jackets in site) with many an unwashed Argentine hippy. The island itself has some interesting Inca and pre-Inca ruins and some charming little towns run by highly authentic Bolivian ladies.
That evening, I had booked a night at an Estancia. For those who don't know, this is a farm stay type affair, with home-cooked group meals and is typically an authentic experience. I arrived in time for dinner to meet three ladies. Two Argentine homeopathic and spiritual-psychological healers. And one Australian lady who had spent the last eight years finding herself, by means of travelling the world, listening to her guru, banishing all pills, singing at ancient ruins and you can imagine the rest. And so it was that I found myself in the company of these wise and potentially life-changing ladies for several hours whilst being served under-salted overcooked food without any wine. I can honestly say this is the closest I have been to a life-changing experience. But then that's probably because I've never been anywhere near one before. Let's say I was in bed by 9.30pm. In South America!
Bolivia is a truly beautiful country, with some of the most stunning scenery on the trip and it did feel like raw South America. I only spent a few days there and I knew there was much more to see. Though I couldn't help feeling the tourists and locals were a bit misaligned. The country seemed to attract a born-traveller type that I was surprised to feel didn't really fit in with the locals.
Leaving the country I got a fairly long grilling as to why I was travelling alone, having visited the coca-loving country for just a few days, going to Brazil as a non-Brazilian national. You'll be pleased to know my English charm spared me from 'secondary screening.'
Christian and Fiona
Location:La Paz, Bolivia
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