Film Traveller #1 : La Paz, Bolivia lovely as always.

I parted from Uruguay a month and a half ago. All i wanted was to head up north and escape the humid cold. Two weeks later i was in La Paz, Bolivia.

There i meet my best friend from Uruguay and decided to stay for a couple of days. He was travelling around argentina and bolivia since two months ago. We befriended some europeans travellers who spoke some really good spanish, a rarity among them.

We woke up each day and went to have breakfast by the outside stairs of our hostel. With the sun warming our bodies, we wandered what to do in the day. Our italian friend Giovanni recommended (from his italian lonely planet guide) a place called Moon Valley in the outskirts of La Paz. And after that a trek to a close mountain called “La Muela del Diablo” - The Devil's Molar.

We took a local bus for three cents and arrived one hour later. It was named so after Neil Armstrong apparently visit the site and said how similarly it felt the Moon.

Jokenly we said how much better this was to Machupichu. Total silence whereas in Machu is visted by 2000 people daily. We stayed for one hour in the tranquility of the place and parted to trek the mountain.

We ate some delicious cheap burguers and left to climb the Devil's Molar. At 4000 metres above sea level, every step seemed like ten. My stomach with diarrea, the trekk seemed like hell but we made it to the top, breathless and all sweated. <now that we are here guys whats better: this place or Machupichu> Joked Giovanni. it was beautiful how the sunset was reflected upon its rocky mountains.

With the light going out, cold was starting very quickly. We descended and went to the hostel with a bottle of rum in our arms, it was going to be Matias's birthday and we meant to celebrate it accordingly. Though we were tired, we drank by the garding talking about everything that came to mind.

All hangover the next day, we went to have some late lunch at a vegetarian place. Something raro among its hundreds meat street food and cheap restaurants. On our way back we decided to go to a festival in a town called tihuanaco that celebrates the Aimara's New Years and the welcoming of winter.

A two hour ride to the town, we arrived already drunk with some bolivian grapa and Sprite. In its main square everyone was dancing to the tunes of the local folk music. We were ten travellers drunk among two thousand bolivians. I didn't remember the last time i was in such a happy state dancing awkwardly. Everyone in here was drunk with “te con te”, a hot mixture of tea and alcohol.

The festival was ending as the sun was about to come. We started our walk to the sacred Gate of the Sun but it took us a long time, thats how memory seems at least. The sun was slowly coming out and we were there happily to welcome it.

Somehow i felt alienated from others travellers before La Paz but meeting these guys made it feel like they were the right bunch. But i've already been in Bolivia in the past and wanted warmth so we said our goodbyes and hugged upon arriving in La Paz and parted ways.

I took a 2 hour sleep and left for Perú.