La Paz: Anyone fancy a llama foetus?

Foetus anyone?

A very large, bloody high sided goldfish bowl full of freaky fishes. La Paz

Any excuse to dress up, this lot

That goes for the llamas too

Popcorn?

Time of writing: San Pedro Di Altacama, Chile. 29^th October 2004

La Paz: Welcome to the most bizzare place on Earth.

We arrived in La Paz in time for the weekend of Tim's birthday. Tim was hell bent on partying after such a chilled birthday. We came in by bus. After one of the windiest, bumpiest bus rides ever, with our backpacks thrown on to the top of the bus we shuffled into the outskirts of the city - the slum area. That's when it started to rain. Hard. When it didn't stop after half an hour I resigned myself to having to sort out a drenched back pack and stared out of the window. Something I am normally too restless to do for more than five minutes, but this was different.

This has to be one the craziest cities I have ever seen. It even beats Caracas. Continuing Bolivia's highest everything in the world theme, La Paz is down in The Lonely Planet as the world's highest capital city. However I’m told Sucre is actually the capital, even though anything of any importance is situated here. So let’s say it’s the highest ‘big city’ in the world. And boy do your lungs know it. The population is 1 million. Its houses and buildings are built into a massive, perfectly bowl shaped valley with a bottom that is flat. I thought it was an enormous crater, but apparently not. The top of the rim is about 3600m high. The houses start all the way at the top and blanket run, higledy pigleldy right the way to the bottom and up all of the other sides again. In fact from the top it seems they've left no more than an inch between each building. I'll never call London sprawling again.

Sprawling it may be, but it looks really cool. Down at the bottom just about anywhere is a nightmare to get to because of the altitude - and of course everything is virtually a 90 degree slope to climb – I’m talking knees to chin, just to get round some of the streets. The centre is a massive sprawl of shops with about a meter space of footpath and then a second row of market stalls selling everything from tights and socks to cd's, cigarettes, popcorn and llama foetuses. Yup, you did read that right. They are hanging up everywhere you look. The first night Tim went out a bit stoned and it completely freaked him out. There were dead armadillos too. Many of the stalls form part of the Witches Market. Old Bolivian women in traditional dress selling potions and lotions all said to have some miraculous cure. There's one for arthritis, one to cure skin ailments, stomach problems, diabetes and to spice up the sex life. They sell bags of frog powder that is supposed to bring money to the owner. Dried frog with a cigarette in its mouth is supposed to be extra good luck. The llama's embryos are put into the foundations of new houses to protect the house and its occupants. Burnt llama's embryos on a decorated platter with herbs and sweets bring good luck to business. And here’s one I really should be bringing back to London – apparently the armadillos are put on top of doors to stop burglars. .

Have I already mentioned the most bizarre place on Earth?? Everywhere you look people are selling ready assembled offerings for the Gods. Some have leaves and flowers and dolls in them. Others have fruit. Some tourist friendly ones have mini fake dollar bills in them! I loved this place within minutes of arriving. Every woman over the age of 50 is dressed traditionally with layers of flowing, multi coloured and multi patterned skirts. If you are 50 plus you are obliged to have really long, thick, black plaited hair and an expression that seems to say I have lived for 300 years.