The people of La Paz like to describe the city as one of contrasts, and while it seems a cliché, it couldn’t be more true. I am constantly surprised. At a street fair today I saw bowler-clad cholas shoulder-to-shoulder with modern Pacenas walking pure-bred little dogs on harnesses. Mud-brick houses exist on the same block as gleaming Euro-style cafés. Steel-framed highrises stand out against the snow-capped Andes in the distance. Armed guards patrol every café, shop and office building while all I can see are peaceful-looking people strolling the streets (everyone walks slow which I figure must be due to the hills and altitude).
One thing I appreciate: while there are a lot of street vendors, they don’t hassle you like they do in Asia. Such a relief to walk the streets unmolested! On Day 4 I finally felt fairly normal, with no headache, and took to the streets amid the hail, rain, blinding sunshine and occasional wind. The weather changes constantly. It turned out that Sunday is a good day to walk as several of the streets are closed to cars and I wasn’t forced to breathe the fumes choking the narrow streets.
Tomorrow I am off to Lake Titicaca, which is the largest lake in the Andes and belongs to both Bolivia and Peru.
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