This was the view from the balcony of our private cabaña in Los Yungas.
After Coroico, we went to La Paz. A family friend of ours, Nilda, is from Bolivia, and when we told her we were going, she insisted we stay with her family. Since we were going to La Paz, we stayed with her neice, Lourdes, her son Sebastian, and her husband, Dr. Boris Sandy. They were incredibly hospitable, and we had a great time with them. La Paz is the highest capital city in the world, and you are frequently tired and out of breath. I wasn´t too bothered by the altitude, but Emily was. So we took it fairly easy, and we went to the Coca museum, as well as did a bunch of shopping.
La Paz is a very interesting city, as it is basically a giant bowl. The canyon is surrounded by mountains and ridges, but that makes it easy to find your way around once you recognize the surrounding mountains. On our last night there (Friday) we went out with Lourdes and Boris. I must admit going out to bars & clubs in Bolivia is waaaay more exciting than Canada. We started by going to a bar briefly at 11:45 for a short while, before proceeding to one of the city´s premiere nightclubs in a the prosperous Zona Sur neighbourhood.
Boris knew the staff there, so he had called ahead and reserved us a table, and ordered bottle service. We had a bottle of Johnny Walker, and the live music started around 1:00. It was a 7 or 8 piece band, and they mostly played Cumbia, which is a type of South American music I had started listening to before we came here, and to which I will be listening even more when I get back. We were dancing on the chairs, (which is perfectly acceptable), and the clubs generally stay open until a little after 4 am. Emily and I left around 3 because she was feeling ill (she wasn´t drinking, it was only the altitude). Needless to say, I will be seeking out some similiar nightlife in Toronto in September.
We are now staying in a beautifully located hotel right on the shore of Lake Titicaca. The altitude here is even higher than La Paz, and this will be the highest altitude we experience on the trip. It makes you feel pathetically out of shape, as even walking up a tiny hill makes one comepletely our of breath. You feel short of breath a lot of the time, even when sitting still. However, the Lake is beautiful, clear, and surrounded by mountains, some of them being very large peaks of the Andes.
We have done a little hiking around the town, and today we took a (long) boat to Isla del Sol, which has numerous Inca ruins. It was beautiful and rugged, although this is the most touristy place in Bolivia, which we find somewhat irritating. We have one more full day in Bolivia, and we don´t want to leave. Every other traveller we have talked to who has come from Peru states how much better Bolivia is. We have not left ourselves much time in Peru, just enough to see Macchu Picchu and then head to Lima, where we depart.
We are both sad that our time in Bolivia is coming to an end, and we are both looking forward to visiting Macchu Picchu. Nonetheless, we are excited about coming home. There are a few things we are excited about (other than seeing family and friends, of course): showers with lots of water pressure, being able to brush our teeth with tap water (as opposed to bottled water), and homecooked meals. I am excited about listening to LOTS of music, especially loudly with a lot of bass, and driving my car.
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