hellbent hikers homers home

The entry into La Paz was breathtaking. Decending from the altiplano high above the city slowly entering the depths of the valley below where the city lies was truly a spectacular sight especially at night with the city lights shinning brightly below us. With our heads pounding from soroche and our lungs gasping for every last bit of oxygen we headed for the closest hostel just up the street from the bus station.  For 700 Bolivianos, 7 bucks Canadian,we bedded down for the night axiously awaiting what La Paz had to offer.  The morning came quicker than I thought but after a fast bite to eat we were exploring the witches market. Colourful dresses,boler hats ,alpaca scarfs and little old ladies concocting different potients with all sorts of things that only a Bolivian would know. We took it slow cuz of the thin air, chewed on some coca leaves with a pinch of baking soda that I had brought from Canada.  The soda is the catylyst that activates the potent ingredients in the coca leaves and yes we found it did lessen the effects of soroche.