BOLIVIA - CITY TOUR AND VALLEY OF THE MOON

Monday morning 5th July. Up at 7 am, showered and down the stairs to breakfast,( Everywhere in La Paz it is up and down.If you go up, you must come down and if you go down, you have to walk up again.At 3600 meters above sea level,it is quite a feat). Went to tour agency and arranged a private tour of the city. An hour and a half later I was travelling in a taxi with an English speaking guide.

This place is huge and the traffic miraculously flows at a very generous space.The city tour did not offer much except for a few buildings, but the guides insight into the history of La Paz and its people made it really worthwhile.For one thing,I now know why it is so cheap where I am staying and why there are so many street vendors.This is the poor area of La Paz. If you live up on the hills, you are from the lower classes and nearly a hundred % of these people are indigenous indians. This group makes up 70% of La Paz's population.This is also the coldest areas of La Paz and no trees or vegetation. As you go down the hill, you come across the middle income group and this area boasts car dealerships,supermarkets, restaurants and other modern amenities - places where disposable income can be disposed off. Going down further south, we hit the suburbs of the elite - typical indusrialists, business owners, politicians and those he described as money not so legally obtained.Here you find big houses ( did nor really see any mansions) swimming pools, tennis courts and imported palm trees with almost every house a security guard outside the gate.These poor souls make up 5% of La Paz.

In this picture you can see the houses on the hills.They are all brick build with no plastering or paint, so it actually blends in with the mountain terrain.Most of these houses are incomplete as no rates are payable on incomplete constructions.See picture below.

Some more city pictures below.

This is Central Square with the Parliament on left and cathedral on right.

A restored avenue to show what the original La Paz looked like during Spanish colonisation

The Witch's Market. Two streets selling,more importantly statuettes and other elements used in their traditional religion.It is a tourist paradise,but I resisted the temptation - the stuff is just gonna end up in a box at home.Got myself a jersey though.

Then went off to see The Valley of The Moon.The formations you see are all the result of erosion over a long period of time.It served as a sacred place for the Indians until a couple of years ago when somebody decided to turn it into a tourist attraction. It is a belief among these Indians that you could lose your essence of being if something frightening happens to you. This would leave you open to ailments and diseases.In very simple terms you become a person without a life force.So the belief is that this lost energy dwells here in these formations and through a ritual it can be found again and body and life force will be rejoined.

So all your lost souls-maybe you can find it here.