Blog Post 6- Surce to La Paz

Dances outside presidents house Sucre

Sucre landmark

La Paz

Rural scene l

 We settled in well to our 4 days in Sucre. We arrived just as the All Blacks lost to France, bugger. There were a couple of fun Kiwi Guys there that we got to know. 

A short walk from the Hostel was the plaza 25 de Mayo which is a very important site for Boloivian independence. The independence document that established Bolivia as a separate country was signed there in 1825.

Sucre is the historical and cultural Capital of Bolivia whereas La Baz is the business capital.

The square was full of dancers and performers and bands for most of the weekend practicing for the big festival that starts on the 16th. They all had on very colourful costumes and played very loud music as the danced around the Square.

Sucre was a bit lower that Potosí so felt a bit better but our bugs have lingered. Lots of toilet visits, nose blowing and coughing. God knows where we got all the bugs from.

We went on a good walking tour of the city where our guild filled us in on the historical ups and downs of becoming Bolivia.

The hostel had a nice garden and an OK kitchen so we ate in mostly as our bodies allowed.

Gaye visited the indigenous art museum which she really enjoyed whilst I stayed back still feeling unwell.

Then off to La Paz with an early start but a plane delay meant a long wait at the airport and then another long wait at Cochabamba arriving in mid afternoon rather than early morning.

La Paz airport is on the high plateau at 4,080 m but the 40 minute taxi ride for $25 drops you over the edge into the old city of La Paz at about 3,600m. What a place. Old and new, rich and poor all going about their business. There wouldn’t be a flat street in the city. It’s almost flat down the centre of the main city but it rises steeply up the sides and their housing development clogs to the hill sides all the way top.

They have the most amazing cable car system here with 8 seater gondolas passing every 30 seconds or so. They lift you up out of the lower city, track along the top of the cliff above on the edge of the plateau and along through the lower city. There are 10 seperate lines all interconnecting, a bit like the London Underground.

We spent a couple of ours today touring the city from above all for about $10. It has been built for the residents and short hops are really cheap which makes it an affordable transport option for the average local.

There are some very poor old people here and some very rich. Is quite hard to walk past some of the old beggars but they are so dignified but just too old to work. It’s really sad but you can’t solve their problems handing out a few Bolivianos here and there.

We have been staying in a small Boutique Hotel, quite close into the city centre. 

We have had some fun and confusion today trying to get our money sorted for our tour doBin the Amazon. We fly down (almost 4000m) tomorrow morning to goin the tour.

I got the photos in the wrong place

I have better photos but could get them to load on the iPad at the airport . Will more when we get better coverage