Sunday, February 28th - La Paz, Bolivia

This morning I was late getting up and getting to breakfast as I just couldn't get to sleep last night.  I know I was still awake after 4:00 and possibly after 5:00 and then didn't wake up until 8:00.  Luckily it was a rainy morning so no one was going very far very early anyway.  We sat around the breakfast area until after 10 and then went to our rooms to pack up and move to our new shared locations by 11:00.  I moved my suitcase into Gillian's new room as it was available (no one in it last night) and because it was just two doors down.  When we went down to the desk to hand in our other keys they suggested I just stay there and they'd put Gillian's scheduled roommate in with my scheduled roommate and everything would be fine.  We thought that sounded like a great plan so agreed.

We are gradually meeting members of our group.  Charlie is 62 and from Moncton.  Eve, who was to be my roommate, is in her 30's and from England.  Sam is also from England and maybe in her 40's.  The six of us spent most of the day together and it was great.  We got a taxi van and went to the Valley of the Moon first, then we went to the start of the cable car and road it down to Plaza Espana where we met our taxi again and then back to the hotel and out for coffee.  We were inventing things as we went and the taxi driver was great at accommodating us and at a very good price.

The Valley of the Moon is about 10 km south of the city.  On the taxi drive out the views were incredible.  This is such a hilly city that around every corner you get a different view and with higher hills and mountains all around the city the views changed continually.  As we approached the Valley of the Moon the landscape changed to include more sculptured formations - pillars of different shapes and sizes.  Once we got to the actual park, these shapes dominated the landscape.  Residential areas are encroaching on the area, which was larger at one time, so the area has now become a park and is protected.  I'm not sure how you would turn an area like this into a residential area but I guess you just knock all the pillars down and level the earth so you can start building.  It must take a lot of work because the pillars are really just dirt or clay.  They aren't exactly stable so would need a lot of compression to be a solid foundation. 

All of these pillars and structures were made by the wind and rain over many years.  They are still standing so they may be stronger than they look.  Many of the pillars have solid rock or rocks on top and that is what protected them.  A walkway winds through the area and there are lots of narrow walkways and steps up and down.  It looked very secure but I have to say that when two wild dogs came charging down the path toward me I was afraid to get too far out of their way for fear the path might give away.  The area is called the Valley of the Moon but it doesn't look anything like my image of the moon.  It is desolate, yes, but I just never pictured the moon with so many deep holes and high pillars in one location.  Cactus plants grow right out of the pillars and huge flowering yucca plants tower above one part of the landscape.  We spent an hour at the park and then went back to our taxi and had him drop us at the nearest cable car station.

The cable cars are La Paz' alternative to a subway.  Currently there are three lines in operation: red, yellow and green.  The next phase brings on six more lines and more are planned for the future.  Each cable car holds eight people and the ride is incredibly smooth.  You don't think you are going very fast but given the distances you cover and knowing the windy, narrow, congested streets of La Paz, riding the cable car is a great alternative.  Because  La Paz is built on such a hilly area and not necessarily on strong ground, a subway was not possible so the cable car was the solution.  It costs only 3 Bolivianos or about $.60 to ride on any one line.  We started on the green line and ended on the yellow (I think) and that took us from the south west near the Valley of the Moon to the south near Plaza Espana.  

Because we had to meet the driver and he picked the spot we didn't think we'd get much of a ride but it was a long ride and absolutely beautiful.  We went over many hill tops and saw many different areas of the city.  Some were poorer areas and some were wealthier.  All of them were colourful and everything seems very packed together.   We didn't see many big yards or gardens or swimming pools among the residences.  And on all sides there are hills and mountains.  The houses crest the tops of some of the hills but there are rugged mountains in the background.  We didn't see Mt. Ill mani, which is the really high snow covered peak but hopefully before we leave Bolivia we will have seen it.  

Once back at the hotel we didn't waste long heading out again, this time in search of coffee and lunch.  We had a long wait for our taxi at the beginning so we did grab an empanadas before we started our journey at about 11:30, but now we were ready for more.  Charlie knew of a coffee shop that served a good lunch so away we went and it was indeed very good.  From there we wandered back through the streets and did some shopping in the market stalls.  We were definitely in part of the Witches' Market this time and there were dried baby animals for sale.  They looked pretty gross to me but I guess if you are a witch or into witchcraft you really don't' care what they look like.  It was a long meander back to the hotel so once there I decided to call it a day.  Some of the others went out for another coffee.  

At 7:00 we gathered upstairs in the breakfast area for our group meeting.  The meeting lasted about an hour and there were a few surprises.  Temperature wise it is going to get really cold, like below freezing at night, so more winter clothes may be required.   Also, while on the salt flats we will just have our back packs and not our suitcases so we have to rethink our packing for those days.  We don't need sleeping bags though so that's good.  Nothing else was too new or surprising.

There are 15 of us in total: 4 Canadians, 2 Americans, 2 Chinese, 1 Italian and 6 British; 9 females and 6 males; 9 singles and 3 couples; and about 50/50 in age above or below 50.  Everyone seems nice so that's a good way to start the trip.  Six of us went out to dinner afterwords.  Others had just arrived or had an early owning planned so just wanted to get to bed earlier.  Our leader picked the restaurant and it was a very unique Asian restaurant that served dishes from anywhere in Asia.  I had a white fish in a coconut sauce and it was really good.  In fact everyone said their meal was delicious and they all looked great.  Once back at the hotel it was bedtime for everyone.