La Paz and Lake Titicaca

We arrived in La Paz and were immediately immersed in the craziness.  Our taxi driver (like every driver in La Paz we soon found out) used his horn not as an emergency warning but as a way of letting everyone know that he was in a hurry and everyone better get out of his way, QUICKLY!


We were staying at Hotel Milton on the 5th floor and you really knew about it when the elevator wasn't working.  La Paz is close to 4000m above sea level and everything was an effort, climbing stairs especially!  We spent 5 days in La Paz walking up and down the steep streets, eating at some good and some not so great cafes and restaurants (and taking an ill fated bike trip - more on that in the next post). 

Zebra crossing!  It's a nightmare trying to cross the road in La Paz, luckily there are helpful zebra's to assist

Pancake craving satisfied.  If you're in La Paz go to Blueberries Cafe and get some

I was perfecting the hold the camera at the hip and surreptitiously shoot technique for getting photos.

Typical La Pazian street

View from our room

We really enjoyed how the Bolivian women still wear their traditional dress and the whole time we had been in Bolivia there had been a major protest led by the indigenous people about a proposed road through the Amazon that a Brazilian company wanted to build.  That protest came to a head when we were in La Paz and the procession that stretched along the main street went for about 5 hours!

Each tribe had its own colours and chants

After La Paz we caught a 4 hour bus and boat ride to Copacabana on the shores of Lake Titicaca.  I was in a bit of pain due to a biking injury but had some pretty sweet painkillers and some strapping to keep me going...Yas didn't like the idea of carrying two packs though!  We milled around in Copacabana for 5 days waiting to go back and see a specialist back in La Paz.  Here are some shots of a walk we did on the Isle de Sol and around Copacabana itself.

This kid was fishing for weeds.  Caught heaps too.

Our luxurious lodgings (splashed out after 3 nights in the hostel)

Pretty sure I made a joke about hairy asses when I took this photo...I got an eye-roll for my troubles

Those painkillers were amazing

The 4 hour walk over the top of the island was fairly desolate and hard work in the altitude.  Having a selection of oreos and pringles for breakfast didn't make it any easier.

At the end of the week we caught the bus and boat back to La Paz to see the specialist about my shoulder... I guess it is about time I told that story too.