Friday, October 2, 1998
I like riding the public bus, which is a good thing because it is often the only mode of transport available in the third world. Sometimes, like today, I get lucky and get an extremely comfortable bus with a good driver.
Anette and I headed to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia. From Puno, Peru, it's only about a 9 hour ride. No problem. We arrived at the bus station at a little past 7 and got our tickets -- a mere $8 each. If I've learned one thing, it's that third world transportation is great value.
So, we board our bus and find that there are only a few passengers. Excellent! Leg room, relative quiet, and no stench that often accompanies crowded transport...
After a few hours, Anette asleep the entire way of course, we arrived at a small city on the Peru/Bolivia border. The bus driver ordered us off the bus to "change money." All of the good little tourists on the bus disembarked and headed straight into the change office where the calculators were waiting. Of course, not one of them had a clue what the proper exchange rate was... I have seen this trick before many times in Africa, so I just hung back and watched. Anette changed $60 in travelers checks at a rate of 5 Bolivianos for $1. Many others did the same. We got back on the bus and fifteen minutes later we entered Bolivia.
The border crossing was very easy, although I forgot to request 60 days instead of the normal 30. It probably won't matter anyway. Just over the border, I saw an exchange shop -- official rate, 5.58 Bolivianos for $1. Chalk one up to third world experience and gut instinct.
After
a quick lunch in Copacabana, Bolivia, we changed buses (this one
wasn't so nice, but not aweful either) and headed to La Paz. What
we didn't realize, however, is that you have to cross Lake Titicaca
-- by boat -- to get back to the main road. Our bus was loaded
onto a not so sturdy flotilla and chugged its way across. We boarded
a small boat and followed behind, praying that today wasn't the
day the flotilla decided to sink -- our backpacks were still onboard!
Another
three hours, and we entered La Paz just after 5. The city sits
at 14000 ft and is right between some massive 22000 ft mountains
on all sides. Quite spectacular! The bus stopped in front of a
nice looking 3 star hotel, and we just decided to check in and
be done with it -- $10 a person.
A quick walk around town, and I fell in love with the city. First, I found a McDonalds -- a very welcome sight after approximately a month of fried chicken. Second, I could use my ATM card to retrieve much needed US Dollars. Third, there were movie theatres, nice stores, and very nice people everywhere. It's a very easy city to navigate...
I returned to the hotel, took a quick shower, and then headed out again with Anette -- she too was excited about McDonalds and that was our first stop. After that, we went to the movies -- "La Mascara de Zorro" (The Mask of Zorro). I tried to convince her to see "Vaseline" (Grease) but she'd have nothing to do with it...
Saturday, October 3, 1998
A lazy day in La Paz. I left the room on my own at around 9. Anette is a notorious late sleeper and I didn't want to wake her. I walked around the various markets and saw some quite interesting things... Among the most disgusting was a shop selling dried llama fetuses, apparently good for curing all kinds of ailments if boiled in water and sipped by the infirm.
I walked around the city for almost 6 hours -- and returned to the hotel around 4. I wasn't feeling at all well, flu-like symptoms, so I decided to nap until dinner. Anette woke me up at around 7 and we headed out to meet some travelers we'd partied with in Lake Titicaca a few nights before. I ate about two bites of dinner and then rushed home to get into bed -- feeling absolutely terrible. I took an all purpose cold medication and took my temperature -- no fever...
I slept restlessly, mostly due to an extremely loud street party going on right outside the hotel. About a thousand people were drinking beer, playing really loud brass instruments, and shooting off firecrackers until about 3am... Never did find out what the celebration was all about...
Sunday, October 4, 1998
Awoke feeling much better. After a quick breakfast, we headed out to find a travel agency so that I could book a ticket out to the Amazon basin. Unfortunately, nothing was open. Eventually, we found a nice park and just people watched for a few hours. I took a lot of pictures of kids, some of which actually turned out OK...
I needed an afternoon nap and came back to the hotel after lunch. The festivities from yesterday were still going strong -- seems the parade on this street never ends!
After a few hours of much needed rest, Anette and I awoke. She showered and readied for dinner. After over 3 1/2 weeks of traveling together, I wanted to make an occasion of our separation. So, I took her to the tallest building in La Paz, the Radisson Plaza Hotel, and the restaurant on the 15th floor. We were the only people in the restaurant. I had a magnificent Caesar Salad and followed that with beef flamed right at the table in some sherry or something. Much to my surprise, the restaurant also had a grand piano -- I took the opportunity (seeing as no one was in the place) to play for about an hour. We headed home shortly thereafter. I needed that -- good food after almost a month of fried chicken, fried fish, rice and potatoes for every meal. Every once in a while, I like to remember how the rest of the world lives!
I'd certainly need the nutrition... a very long 18 hour bus ride to Rurrenabaque, the heart of the Bolivian Amazon River, is on schedule for tomorrow...