Well I didn´t find Paddington, but ...
Phil and I made it to Bolivia and the falling down grandeur of La Paz. On the way into La Paz we stopped at the ruins of Tiahuanaca which were amazing. This civilisation pre-dated the Incas by a long way - they were building their pyramids and acqua ducts at around the same time as the Ancient Egyptians. The site was full of building styles that are typical of the Inca, so Phil and I concluded that, like all conquerors, they probably stole a lot of ideas from those they ruled.
Driving into La Paz was breathtaking - the city is built into a crater and the view from above as you enter is world class. Once you get into the actual city, however, you realise that Bolivia is EVEN poorer than Peru (hard to believe, huh?). You can tell that La Paz was once a beautiful, colonial city, but all the grand old buildings have been left to fall into complete dis-repair. The hotel that the tour group had us staying in was in the middle of ´Crack Head Street´. However, we were only with the group for the first day in Bolivia and then we were on our own.
And the paddington thing ... ? Well, there´s no Paddington, but Winnie the Pooh is EVERYWHERE!!! They have foam versions, balloon versions, stuffed versions ... Winnie the Pooh on candles, Winnie the Pooh shaped cakes ... it seems that someone forgot which Bear they were supposed to be in love with **teehee**
Once we had left the tour group, we stayed in La Paz for a couple more days. We went to the Valle de La Luna (Moon Valley) and saw the incredibley earie landscape that was left behind once the inland sea drained into the Pacific thousands and thousands of years ago. We also spent a day wandering through the Black Market where you could get Nikes for about $5 and Calvin Klein Jeans for around $10 - only problem is that shopping here is just as little fun as it is back home!
Both Phil and I will be happy to leave Bolivia for Peru. There is so much natural beauty here, in the mountains, lakes, etc, but the town and the people, while nice, leave me feeling guilty over the wonderful life we have back home. The bus trip back to Peru is our next task, stopping in Copacabana to cross Lake Titicaca once more! We will spend one more day in Poo-no and then we have a week in Arequipa. I´m looking forward to seeing the ´White City´after so much dirt and sadness here in La Paz.
B/.
