la paz (again)

Claudia and i had a really long bus trip from cusco, peru to la paz, bolivia. there is a direct route between the two cities, and then there is a more round about way that involves a stop off in copacaban, bolivia. the bus company totally lied to us and said we had a direct route. the trip was supposed to take 12 hours, but ended up being 16 hours. at one point the bus stopped and there were a bunch of indigenous villagers selling weavings and trinkets to the tourists. these kids were there with a baby alpaca and it's mama. i gave them 60 cents for claudia and i to pet the alpacas. the kids said the baby was only two weeks old and still nursing. the mama alpaca kept coming over and kissing the baby. we hung out and talked to the kids for a little bit. their family has three alpacas, and now four with the baby.

after copacabana, all but maybe 6 other passengers got off the bus. the sun set, and it got really cold. this photo is one i took while biking through this region, but during the bus ride we couldn't see anything because it was pitch black. check out the snow on top of the mountain range in the background. it was freezing cold, and claudia and i hudled together underneath scarfs and plastic rain ponchos to stay warm. at one point the road stopped, and we had to take a barge across lake titicaca. i had done this previously on my bike, but during daylight hours. apparently it is illegal to cross the lake at night, so the buss driver told us to pull the curtains shut, and walked around with a flashlight collecting one boliviano per person as a crossing fee. the barges are just planks of wood held together, and the whole thing rocked rather alarmingly as we crossed the lake. finally we made it to la paz around 11:00 at night. we both were freezing cold with numb feet, and claudia didn't feel very good.
in the morning claudia woke up and was sick, so i figure i'll just hang out here in la paz until she feels better cuz it sucks to be sick and alone in a strange city. i'm really anxious to get back on my bike though.this is a picture of the wall inside the shower at our hostel. those wires go directly to the shower head, and then there is a switch to flip on when you want hot water. if you look closely, you can see that underneath the plaster, the walls are still made of mud and grass just like in the countryside.

it feels funny to be back in la paz. i've been traveling for so long now, that to return somewhere that i've already been makes me feel like i'm back in familiar settings even though la paz is wildly different from any american city. anything you could ever want to buy is probaby sold on the street. there are women with stalls selling electronics, toilet paper, flower arangements, locks and tools, clothing, sunglasses, snacks, weird looking drinks with strange wrinkled fruit in the bottom. sometimes it will just be one woman sitting on the ground with a bag of limes or some empanadas. yesterday i bought a shaving razor from this indigenous woman seated on the sidewalk with a display of various brands of razors layed out on a piece of cloth.
the city is clogged with traffic. very few people own cars, but buses and taxis honk their way through the maddness chocking the street with smog and noise. small toyota vans called "omnibuses" are everywhere. there is a driver, and then also i guy yelling out the van's destination and price. sometimes i think it must be a family affair because i've seen kids as young as ten yelling out of the van's open door. it's all pretty crazy, but at the same time it almost feels normal to be because out of all the places i've been on this trip, i've spent the most time in la paz. anyhows... hope everyone is doing good. love,
-jessie