Carnival Time!

Yesterday (Saturday 29th May) was ´Gran Poder´in Bolivia, a huge street party and religious festival which is only held once per year. This did rather scupper my plans to do contacts (talk to random strangers whilst focusing on one aspect of the McGuire tchnique), as no shops or businesses were open and everyone was drunk. Not conducive to contacts. (McGuire readers- I did do speaking exercises later on in the afternoon so it wasn´t a completely wasted day, speaking wise).

From about 8.30am the streets were lined with spectators, and the carnival music began. Scores of dance troupes filtered down Calle Illampu, the main street in La Paz, and the costumes and dancing were like nothing I have ever seen. Older ladies wore the traditional costumes with flowing skirts and lace shawls, whilst younger women wore the shortest skirts I have ever seen, adorned with sequins, ribbons and lace. Genuinely, I haven´t seen so many knickers on display since I fitted bras at Marks and Spencer! Men sported costumes that included dragons and other mythical creatures, all topped with feathers. So much time and effort had been spent on the costumes, it really was incredible.

As the day wore on, dancers were openly swigging from beer cans, yet still managing to stay perfectly in time. There was a real party atmosphere in the streets until midnight, and this was definitely a day I will not forget for a long time!

I´ve tried to upload some photos but they really dont do the day justice.

PS Apologies if there are missing ´e´s in this message- the e key is missing so I´m having to copy and paste e´s from the address bar.

La Paz...the City of Peace

I like La Paz more, the longer I am here. At first, you think its a dirty, smelly city with crazy traffic. Then you realise that it is those things, but it is also charming with very welcoming people, too! The markets are vibrant and interesting to explore, especially the food markets. Today I visited both the ´Witches Market´and the ´Black Market´. The Black Market had some food stalls that I really wanted to try but wasnt brave enough to as I felt conspicuous as a foreigner. Food here is really cheap- today I bought a 2 inch slab of marble cake (Bolivians REALLY like marble cake!) for 1 BOB, or the equivalent of 10p.

The photos are of a typical Bolivian street vendor selling freshly squeezed lemonade, and a cobbled street near the witches market.

Next week I plan to move onto Uyuni, the salt flats in the Bolivian desert, which according to a couple of people I met is even colder than here and is currently experiencing snow. Excellent!!!

Freezing in La Paz

Hi Everyone,

Well I got to La Paz, Bolivia, safely and its really cold... But I packed thermals and lots of layers so hopefully I´ll be ok. I am going to go for a little exploration later on but my first impressions of Bolivia are that it is very colourful; the women dress in traditional clothing including hats and the stripey haversack things on their backs(I´ll find out what these are called!).

La Paz is the highest capital in the world and I was slightly dizzy when I first got outside with the altitude but am quickly learning to walk slowly, which for those of you who know me well is definately a struggle.

My fingers are going slightly numb from cold so I´d better finish here and put my gloves on!

PS- My mobile isnt working for some reason, so please dont text me until you hear otherwise. Have set 02 on the case.

All ready and raring to go!

T-Minus 1 day until I (hopefully- if the volcano stays quiet!) fly...

I think I'm ready now- my bag is packed, my 'to-do' list is shrinking rapidly and I said goodbye to my Aunty, Uncle and cousin yesterday.

I got ridiculously sunburnt at the weekend; just what you want before travelling for 30 hours! But this will serve as a warning to me in hotter climes to be sensible in the sun. If I can't cope with Bournemouth sun, what hope do I have in Central America?! Thank goodness its hurricane season there (something I never thought I'd say!)

Next post....La Paz!!

Still in Bournemouth...

Hi Everybody,

I'm just testing the blog and making sure I know how to work everything. I'm all ready to go but am sure I have forgotten something and also need to decide which 3kgs need to be removed from my bag to get it under the weight limit!

Please keep your fingers crossed for me that the volcano stays quiet until next Tuesday when I fly and I shall update you when I arrive in La Paz. Exciting.

PS We are trying to figure out how to add photos but technology is evading us...