La Paz is an incredibly steep city - there is no such thing as a flat road - and it is immediately a completely different place to anywhere we have ever been. The streets are thronging with indigenous people: short, plump ladies wearing full skirts, coloured shawls carrying goods or babies on their backs, and topped by the oddest bowler hats ever seen since Mary Poppins!
Most of the buildings look run down and unfinished but step inside and you are met with pretty courtyards, cute olde worlde style rooms, and very low ceilings. We are giants here compared to the locals (yes, even Kieran) and although we stand out a mile as gringos, the locals don´t really seem that interested.
We stayed in La Paz for just a day or two and managed to do nothing more than take advantage of purchasing opportunities, book various transport and tours for the next 2 weeks, and go to the obligatory coca museum complete with cafe where you can sample the subject of the museum. We spoke with a lovely girl over our coca tea (don´t worry mum, it had no effect) and she gave us the lowdown on South America and showed us how to properly chew coca leaves (um, ok mum, this one does have an effect). To be honest it tastes like you're eating raw teabags and quite frankly I (Eleanor) didn´t feel anything, although Kieran did profess to have a numb mouth and feel a bit more lively. Give me a G&T any day!
More purchasing opportunities
No comments:
Post a Comment