seekingmygreaterperhaps

Howdy y’all! Welcome back to La Paz! There is quite a bit to see in La Paz, so if you missed the first blog post, go check it out! In no particular order, here is a round up of other sights we saw from our base camp of La Paz!

You can see this mammoth from many places in La Paz, and it’s called the Devil’s Tooth (or molar). The youth of the group ascended this beast the day I went to the hospital for my sprained elbow, so I couldn’t do the rock scramble required to get to the top. In fact, I almost fell down just the tiny bit that I did summit. You can drive almost the whole way, there is a parking lot right where I am standing where I took this picture. It just costs 5 BOBs per vehicle (less than $1USD) and you can go. It’s kind of a sketchy drive, so be careful. The views are spectacular, and I loved getting to watch my cousin Teresa sketch and paint while we were waiting for my other cousins to come down.

This is the Killi Killi Viewpoint. You can see the mountain in the back, and also the city from all sides!

Teresa would later help me jazz up my sling so it was more chique… but this was day 1. The views from this mirador were very cool. You can take a taxi up here, and there is no entrance fee, so take your time.

Tiwanaku/ Tihuanacu is an ancient site built by aliens! Er, I mean, it dates back pre-Incan times. It is a site of ruins, so be prepared to see lots of rocks. We had a very great tour guide who taught us about the ruins. My favorite fact that I still remember is that people from this culture show a mirror whenever they see a wind/dust tornado whoosh up because it shows the bad spirits to just pass them and their house right on over.

We also went and touched Lake Titicaca to say that we did. It’s only about 20 minutes from the ruins. We could see the mountains of Peru on the other side.

Cholita Wrestling is a tourist hot spot. This attraction is definitely for tourists, but who cares? Cholitas come together WWE style and fight. It is very clearly staged, but it is still quite fun to be a part of. I don’t like violence in general, but watching their skirts and braids twirl and flow made it much more appetizing. Plus you get a coke, popcorn, and a souvenir included in the price of your ticket, so let’s goooo.

The Valle de la Luna was incredible. It is an easy 45 minute walk through this beautiful canyon. The nature is not like anything I’ve ever seen growing up in Indiana. What heightened the ambiance was this pleasant man playing flute. He gave us mystical vibes, and I really appreciated it. We were walking around during golden hour, and it was beautiful. When I passed the man he was asking for tips, an easy decision, but I did not end up buying one of his flutes. I love seeing the contrast of landscapes that are on display here at the Valle de la Luna.

Basilica San Francisco was the last activity I did in Bolivia. We went on a tour of the convent (which lasts 2 hours) and then got to climb up the bell tower. I’m glad we did this on our last day, because I still was out of breath- the altitude man, it’ll get ya. I learned that the Franciscans are a rowdy bunch. Also, in the crypt the guide told us that they found a skull in a black bag a couple weeks ago and no one knew where it came from, so they just set it in there. Wild.

Bolivian Street Art Appreciation Time!!!! If you click the images, you can see the whole thing. I love street art, and La Paz did not disappoint.

Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for the highlight of my trip to Bolivia- a visit to Uyuni and the Salt Flats!