La Paz . . . what can I say you have to see it yourself

Lets see if I can recount the last little while. Volunteering at the orphanage was amazing. The kids were great and if anyone is ever looking for a cause to donate to this place is an amazing one that really needs it. I really learned about what a difference one person can make, Sister Josephine was very inspiring. We really didn´t get up to much else in Cochabamba. I did become some thing of a spend thrift and bought myself a very cute 30 dollar guitar that I am in love with but really don´t need to be carrying around. Anyway we just marketed it up and wandered around town. There was some huge protest going on the whole time we were there in the town centre that I never fully understood but there were always crazy crowds and people giving speeches and then a whole bunch of guys pretending to be crucified. I think it might have had to do with the referendum that is happening now. The country is basically on strike at the moment and it is hard to find bus companies that are operating through the strike, I am sure at some risk to themselves and their property. Anyway we left Cochabamba yesterday, March 31st the last day before the strike. It was an awesome bus ride out. All up hill into the mountains, spectacular scenery. We got up high enough that there was snow on the ground, and remember it is summer down here. Then we reached La Paz. Now I can´t really say enough about driving into La Paz, you reach the outskirts and the chaos around the airport and it is nothing really new, just lots of crowds etc. And then you reach La Paz itself and you are completely blown away. La Paz sits in this huge valley ringed by mountains, the entire valley basically leads up the foot of this immense beautiful snow covered mountain. So as the bus reaches the lip of the valley your eyes are greeted with this huge city that just fills the valley, all the way up the valley sides. It is almost like flying into the city because you are so high up to begin with. Words don´t really describe it, sorry it was just breathtaking. La Paz is an insane city. I love it. It is old and chaotic and hustling and bustling and every street is either straight up or down, which is damn tiring to walk around. I am staying in the area around the ´witches market´ where there are all of these stalls selling everything for potions, including llama fetuses and exotic things from the jungle. There are bad things about the city too including the fact that there is so much exhaust that settles everywhere making the air thick and kinda gross some times. And as I said the streets are crazy steep. But I haven´t really had much time to explore, Anna and I went out walking around today to just take in the sights and I started to feel really really sick. All nauseous and dizzy and ill. I went back and laid down and felt even worse. I was feverish and achy and very very ill. I had pretty serious altitude sickness, which I found weird because it hasn´t affected me before and I have been higher than this but I think that it was a really rapid altitude gain from Cochabamba and it kicked me in the ass. I couldn´t even get out of bed until our friend Madeline (from the salt flats tour we met up with her here) came to see me and gave me some altitude pills which have really helped but I still feel like crap. But I am sure tomorrow I will be doing much better. And I am excited to see more of La Paz. From the window of our room we can see out over the valley and the old church spires and roofs of the houses that lead up the base of the incredible mountain that sits at the end of it all. Just unbelievable. Miss you all.