La Paz 

Our guide is a sociologist, anthropologist and communist philosopher. We've had great chats with him as we travel around. He told us that for 15 years, Bolivia had a stable progressive government,  but that in recent years the system is chaotic. He speaks with the frustrated voice of a local, and we can see why at many junctures. There are long queues for petrol! At a cafe where we stopped, the owner was lamenting the shortages of everything. Our drive though the city centre had to be abandoned in favour of walking as there was a protest in some square. We heard that there are frequent strikes and protests. The currency is very weak. This is the only place I've been to where you get a better exchange rate on the street than in the banks. For tourists, it's a bonus. A meal for two with water and a bottle of wine at a good restaurant cost us €40. Two happy hour cocktails, €4.50  - yes, for two!

Anyway back to the chaos. I can't see underground electricity cables coming in any time soon!

 
Wiring!

One of the tourist attractions in La Paz is the witches' market. A walk through a section of town filled with little shops and stalls. An ingredient in some "spells" is a llama foetus! Our guide took us into one shop, where we saw some examples of offerings.



 
Most of the stuff is brightly packaged in the style of Chinese goods!

On a lighter note, our enforced walk through the streets allowed us to see the city centre and get an idea of daily life.
 
I'm not sure what was going on here. Normally works are fenced off.


 
La Paz has its own chequered flag. The national flag is red, yellow and green, representing the blood of patriot dead, the rich mineral deposits and the natural ecology of Bolivia.

 
Young people gather to chat and feed the pigeons after school.



After the walk around the city centre we went to Moon Valley, a weird,  natural clay formation on the outskirts of town. 
 


 
It is vast!

I don't have photos yet, but the city centre of La Paz has many fine modern buildings. It's a blend of post colonial and modern architecture.  You will see women in traditional Andean costumes as well as people dressed in the latest smart fashions. It's very cosmopolitan. 





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