La Paz - Just A Little Bit Of Chaos

Who ever named La Paz (The Peace) they must have been snickering and giggling the whole time. Taking a taxi into town at night the town was beautiful. The entire valley lit up with a full moon giving the place a mystical serene feel. Then the sun came up!

This town of 1.2 million is crammed into the beautiful valley of the night before. There is no place to expand but up the steep mountain sides. The houses look like they could all cascade down upon each other then the city at any moment.

The morning also brought the beauty of the Andean Culture back into my world. Indians and peasant all over the streets with make shift stalls selling anything you could want.

The neighbourhood I am in is cobblestone streets surrounded by clogged avenues of smoke belching buses, honking horns and utter bedlam. Taxi or cars absolutely will not stop if you cross in front of them. It is Frogger for the insane!

It is full of shops, travel agencies, restaurants and gringos. The street food is so incredibly delicious and cheap and the beer is ice cold.

This area that also has some great old churches and squares there is not much to hold me here. This is not a town to find a pub, get a bunch into you and then try to find your way home.

I am at the Cruz del los Andes hotel and the  hotel breakfasts, that are included in the 15 dollar a night price include eggs, cereal, juice, toast and fruit..served with a big old "buenas dia" smile.


I booked a Death Road Bike tour for yesterday but woke up and it was raining. We got into the van and drove to the launch place as we had to cross over a mountain range and were told the weather was different there. Well not so much. Climbing the mountain the rain turned to snow and and the road became its own scary road.  We arrived at the launch point and us riders all decided nope, we are not going down a road that is dangerous in the rain! Not going to happen! Our guide looked confused but we went back and re booked the bike trip for the 16th.

I am heading into the Bolivian Amazon tomorrow. Lions and Tigers and Bears!!