Costs: Matrimonial room with baño at Hostal Cactus 60b.
The sun came out and we entered the outskirts of La Paz which consisted of streets crammed with vans full of people, these are the local buses and have routes they ply and are numbered. After a while we came to the edge of a canyon and went over the top and there was La Paz (altitude of the city ranges from about 4058 meters (13,313 feet) above sea level to 3100 meters (10,170 feet) in the lower residential area) laid out below us. The valley walls are steep and covered in houses and down at the bottom is the city with tall buildings. We wound down cobbled steep streets to the cemetary where we were dropped and walked down thru the markets to find a place to stay. We ended up in the tourist area called the 'Witches Market' which is full of anything a vacationing tourist may want to buy.
On Saturday we went to the local museums but then discovered it is Saturday here and they close at midday (we slept in until 11am) so we will go tomorrow. As usual we explored the town, Carols foot has come out in a bruise even tho she took arnica and her boot gives her support but the paths and roads can be a bit diabolical at times, and the cobbles. She did ok tho. The main road of La Paz is just like any other city full of skyscrapers and shops, we found a mirador (viewpoint) and took pics of the hills surrounding us and the mountain 'Illimani' overshadowing the city which is over 6000mtrs high.
Ok we got to the museums and spent the morning going thru 4 of them and they were very interesting, one was all about the coca plant and it's history. We climbed up one side of the valley, very steep streets and big drops but fantastic views. Please look at our pics gallery as we got some great photos!
Next we head north to an area called Rurrenabaque where we hope to help at an animal shelter.
