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“everything seems to be located `up there`and you are constantly working your gluts as you huff and puff up what seems to ... ” |
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I arrived in La Paz. I was exhausted, suffering from a sudden cold and starving. I had been left slightly dazed and confused by the road block episode but I was so happy to arrive in La Paz.
When you approach La Paz from the South of Bolivia, you travel through mountains for miles. It seems like you are in a battered old coach ( literally ) on the road to nowhere. All of a sudden, you are confronted with a large, favela like metropolis that is on the same level as the snow cap of the surrounding mountains. La Paz is the highest capital in the world and you certainly know about it when you arrive. For a start, everything seems to be located `up there`and you are constantly working your gluts as you huff and puff up what seems to be a 90 degree slope of a road.
I can describe La Paz as a colonial center surrounded by one huge South American shanty town. If you have seen pictures of or been to Rio De Janeiro then you will understand the comparison. That`s what makes La Paz so interesting. Firstly because of it`s height. You will never see a city like it. Secondly because it is full of culture, history and art, not just in the street but also in the museums I visited.
The first thing I did was go to the Witches Market. There you can buy all sorts of herbs, potions, talismans and statues to promote fertility, love and general well being. You can buy a llama foetus ( for what I don`t know but I bet it tastes good with a little onion and garlic) and have your cocoa leaves read by a bruja who specialises in this type of mystic transaction. I didn`t have this done but I did have my tarot cards read and suffice to say that it was a waste of time. Apparently, I am a journalist and I have a son. You can`t go to La Paz and not visit the Witches Market. I was fascinated by it all and it is one of the things that makes this city so unique.
I also went to the Museum of the history of the use of coca. When you think of the coca leaf, you automatically think of cocaine. Coca leaves are used for this purpose but the overwhelming majority of Bolivians, Peruvians and other South Americans chew the coca leaf in order to combat the problems that living at high altitude causes. It helps you to concentrate, prevents hunger and thirst and it keeps you awake. It is a fundamental key stone of indigenous culture and it is used as an offering to the Mother God. The museum explains and celebrates coca and it highlights the difference between cocaine and the sacred plant.
I also went to the Museum of National Art. It is set in a beautiful colonial building with an elaborate courtyard where you can visit the different rooms of the museum. As I wrote in previous updates, Bolivia (and Peru) is going through a period of rebirth in many aspects, but mainly in its recognition of its indigenous culture. This is most obvious in this particular museum. You can see Bolivia´s first indigenous artist`s work on display. I am no expert, but it was stunning, and it depicts Bolivia´s people in their most typical and vibrant form. It is worth going for the building and the displays of work described above. The rest is colonial art which to be honest, I have had my fill of.
I am writing this journal entry two days away from doing the Inca Trail for Project Peru. Thanks to everyone who has sponsored me so far. I really appreciate it ! You have until 30th March to sponsor me if you haven`t done so already. Please do so at www.justgiving.com /ciccia.
previous travel blog entry
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