Potosi, Bolivia

Some say it's the highest city in the world, others say it isn't. I say, at 4090m it's the highest city I've ever been in. Potosi is famous for its mining. Back in the day it produced enough silver to bankroll the Spanish empire. There are still working mines here and tourists can take tours into them but there are no guarantees about safety. The work conditions are supposed to be horrific and there are also children working in them too. For my time here I just wandered around and hung out watching the locals.

Views on the way from Sucre to Potosi

A statue of miners

There always seems to be some kind of religous parade in every town we go to.

The old mint, now a museum.

There are over 80 churches in Potosi.

San Francisco Church

Same church, different view.

Next and last stops in Bolivia, Tupiza and a salt flats tour.

Sucre, Bolivia

Sucre is billed as the most beautiful city in Bolivia. I reckon they could be right, it's definitly not too shabby. It is a city full of white washed buildings and it even has wide sidewalks in the centre of town, which seemed to make everything look a bit grander (also a bit of a novelty after spending a lot of time walking on the road because there's no passing space on the narrow sidewalks).
Aside from being the most beautiful city, Sucre's other claim to fame is that independence was declared here in 1825.

Our accommodation

The Cathedral

View from our rooftop terrace

Having a bit of a yarn over some carcases.

First time I've seen cow snouts without the rest of the head.

Potatoes galore

Fruit salad or juice anyone?

Fruit & veg

Bet you'd never of guessed without my label.

My favourite place for lunch

Vegetable soup (yes that is meat you can see in it) a whopping NZ60c.

Saltena, an even more expensive 70c.

Sucre

Chewing the fat at sunset.

Great place to watch the sun set over Sucre.

Tana, Glenn and I celebrating Neil's (aka Mr C & Neilith) birthday for him with a bottle of Bolivian wine. Neil was in NZ at the time so couldn't be in the photo with us.

Neil's wine

La Paz, Bolivia

At 3660m, La Paz is the highest administative capital in the world. Ok, that's all the knowledge stuff you get. We spent 4 nights in La Paz. Two of them at a very nice two bedroom apartmentment where I caught up on movie watching, indulging in foods I hadn't had for ages, like real cheese (not the fresh squeeky stuff), and uploading photos. There was also a very nice French run restaurant down stairs where I had a fabulous onion soup and pork belly with mashed potatoes, apple and devine gravy. Yes it is true I am a tad obsessed with food at the moment. Looking forward to some good kiwi tucker.

Our bus making its way across Lake Titicaca on our way to La Paz.

Our fantastic apartment's kitchen. I made mac 'n' cheese there.

My abode

Check out the cheese oozing down the side of the onion soup. Yum!

Typical street in La Paz.

See how the city continues up the hill in the background, it's massive.

The beginning of the witches market.

There are normal stalls and then there are the ones with dead things and animal bits.

Multi tasking - selling fruit and spinning wool.

A dead things stall.
There were also piles of dried llama fetuses which are placed under the cornerstone of new houses for good luck. Supposedly dried toucan beaks keep away bad spirits. Who would have thought.

Next stop Sucre. In 29 days I'll be on a plane heading back to New Zealand!

Cocacabana & Isle del Sol, Bolivia

Our first stop in Bolivia was on Isla del Sol (Sun Island) the largest island on Lake Titicaca.

After a very slow, windy, and bumpy boat ride from Copacabana to Isla del Sol there was a slow climb up a lot of steps to get to the accommodation area.

There was other traffic we needed to give way to on the way up.

We stayed on the south end of the island and I had a very scenic two hour walk to the north end.

There were some traffic hold ups along the way...

but the scenery was fantastic.

The north end of the island where I had lunch.

The walk home was an unexpected three and a half hours over the top of the island.

First stop, the labyrinth, Inca ruins full of passageways.

This lady was my sugar fix hero. She had her little shop just before all of the hills.

The view from the sugar fix shop. Great marketing plan.

Copacabana

View from our hostel

The happiest pudding ever - chocolae fondue.

Market street in Copacabana.

Lake Titicaca from Copacabana.