La Paz!

Our first view of the city!

We were amazed over the steepness of the canyon walls, saturated with brick houses. Seemingly stacked one a top the other, next eroded sandstone spires. Dropping down to the bottom of the canyon, the extreme congestion begins. Topography funnelling all the minibuses, buses, cars, trucks, people to the six lane of El Prado. Diesel clouds abound! To avoid the clouds you need to stick to going uphill on one-way down streets.

El Prado

Our first few days were spent catching our breath, sleeping, looking for homestay and Spanish classes, wandering to every corner of the city. Like clockwork, the rain would start every evening after sunset. Phone conversations with  the various Spanish schools in la paz were optimistic... Yes, they had homestays, yes we could start lessons the very next day. In person, the story often differed.... we ended going to different schools. Noah in Sopocachi (Sopogucci) and Elysia in the tourist hub of la calle Sagarnaga. 

Cobble streets everywhere!

Calle del Mercado

Indigenous business men and women on the Iglesia San Francisco steps

Plaza Murillo during the Alasitas  - kinda like a law of attraction festival where you buy everthing you want in miniature!

Tiwanaku 

Day trip to the ruins of Tiwanaku, the 3000 years old pre-Incan civilization with fascinating cosmology, and pioneers in Andean irrigation. Puma, condor, llama, snakes and fish symbols everywhere...lots of theories and stories...

Puerta del Sol

How did the 20+ ton stone block get here from the hills in the background?

The Altiplano

Musica

We got a chance to see a bunch of great great music... first for a peña traditional where Pepe Murillo (our house mom´s uncle) got to the stage in a white tux, high charm and joking manners. As there were no Bolivians in the room that night, he played songs from every country in the room: Mexico, Chile, United States, holland (unfortunately no canadian songs were played, only a few French words). Amazing!

A couple days later the jazz duo Yayo Morales and Scott Ambush with awesome improvisation... just blew our minds... plus they took questions from the audience between songs. Para gratis!

Last but no least at the Teatro del Charango we got to see the legend himself, THE maestro of the charango, Ernesto Cavour showing off about a dozen instruments he's invented... All the while recounting stories, who's humor was mostly lost to us (unfortunately...except for a something about a chicken)... just wow! In tow were the unbelievable Franz Valverde, with the guitar muyu-muyu, and Rolando Encinas witht the tradictional flute (quena).

The legend Ernesto Cavour

 Markets

Markets: LOVE THEM!!! filled with every fruit and vegetable you'd ever want, mounds and grain bags of spices, pungent meat stands, and cheeses, side shops selling grains, pastas, canned goods. Most women vendors would try to sell you more than what you asked for, play a hard bargain if you tried, or in the odd case flatly refuse to sell their goods to you (case of the 'fresh' yellowing broccoli). The key is to walk around and ask the price, but with the prices being so low... We 'd often just buy things as we saw them.  For $12-13 we'd come home with nearly 20 lbs each of fruit and vegs!!

Wow! Mangoes on the daily, tuña (cactus fruit), papaya ($1 for about 5lbs.), tumbo, chirimoya, passion fruit.

Tuña and papaya

Chuño and tunta seller

The famous Aymara witches market...llama foetus bring good luck to new buildings.

Flower markets too!

Futból

El Classico: the match between the two home teams pack the stands and stairs of the hernando siles stadium (the highest in the world!). 45,000 fans come decked out in their colors, constant songs (some undoubtably nasty), cheering, clapping and whistling (the equivalent to our booing). Vendors try to yell over the fans offering, sanchwiches de chancho (pork), potato chips, gelatinas con cremitas (jello with whipped condensed milk on top), coffee black, and cinnamon ice cream.  For every goal El Tigre scores, Bolivar matches. Some referee calls are ludicrous, tbut the goals simply spellbinding. The score ends up tied 3-3. Best part of the night was being company to the top El Tigre fan, Fabrisio our homestay brother. Tigre! Tigre!

 

Bolivar fans!

El Tigre - The Strongest fans!

An hour before the game! Kersty (from England), Elysia, Uncle Wuascar, Fabrisio and Fabrisio´s cousin!

We wandered home after stopping by la feria de las Alasitas for api (ultra sweet hot corn drink) and pastel (fluffy deep fried cheese filled dough)!!!

Extras

Got to watch the construction crew work 8 to 6... with Illimani watching over...

Our view from our floor to ceiling bedroom windows on a good day! ILLIMANI!

Noah's favourite juice bar!!! Family owned for over 60 years. Great granddaughters now serving customers, while abuela makes change.

One of hundreds? thousands? of kioscos throughout the city selling mostly candy, chocolate and chips.

You can aslo find wheelbarrows of  tuña (cactus fruit)

Cholitas Paceñas buying flowers for St. Valentine