La Paz itself has an amazing location. It´s down in the crater of an extinct ( we hope ) volcano. The bus approaches the rim through the suburbs, then suddenly you drop down into the crater to reach the city centre itself. Pretty awesome. Have a look at the photo ( I nicked it from the web - not one of mine ).We spent yesterday sorting out the next 3 weeks of Bolivian action ( off to the jungle and pampas to interfere with monkeys, parrots, cayman and perhaps to wrestle with anacondas, then we're off to cycle down ´Death Road´ ( not Athena, ´cos she has a brain ) and then finally we'll head to the Chilean border via the Salar de Uyuni ) which was a bit of drag, but now we´re free to explore the city.
Much to our surprise, we actually quite like La Paz. Yes, it´s scruffy, chaotic and the wiring is nothing short of shocking ( ho ho ho ! ), but it has a nice buzz ( ha ! ) to it. It´s also cheap which is always nice.
I ( Alan ) tried the local dish for tea last night, Pique Machu, and very nice it was too. It´s a spicy mix of beef, tatties, peppers, onions, tomatoes and eggs. Mmmm - beats guinea pig.
And finally, after unkinking the Bolivian internet cable, here´s a video vista over the city.
