Day 75 - Enough with the foetuses already!

Cochobamba to La Paz

We had read that flying in to La Paz is an amazing sight so we requested a window seat and the check in guy was kind enough to tell us we needed the right side of the plane as well. It was the most beautiful scenery with a mountain topped with snow right outside the window, followed by the sight of La Paz with all the houses almost hanging on the mountains surrounding the town.

La Paz is back at altitude and we could feel the difference in the air in the terminal before we had even stepped outside. It is also a city with lots of steep steps and streets so combined with the lack of oxygen it's a good work out - we were in an almost constant state of breathlessness.

We wandered around town for the afternoon, and found the famous El Mercado de las Brujas (Witches' Market) which was similar to the one in Cochabamba, though it seemed a little less "authentic", and geared more towards tourists.

Spot the dead llamas

The main square and parts of La Paz were blocked off, due to a protest by the disabled citizens who want an increase in their pensions. They were wanting to talk to the president direct, but as he'd pretty much ignored them they had parked their wheelchairs across one of the main streets into the city, and we also found that the main squaure was heavily protected by police, they let gringos like us in and out easily, but some of the locals were having a bit of trouble.