Yes, the scribble, that now clearly looks like 60, is how many days we were allowed in Peru. We just assumed we had 90 days, like most visitors. We started talking about going to Bolivia the week before Easter, since our kids would be off school for a couple days. Since we were thinking about this, we started checking out our visa and could not figure out when it expired. Thanks to our spanish school owner, Rik, who clearly noticed the 60, we realized that we had 5 days before it expired. After doing some research(as well as a trip to immigrations where the man at the desk gave me his personal cell phone number-kind of sleazy), we decided we would just be illegal in Peru for 5 days and pay the $1 per day fee at the airport.
After a thorough inspection of our $1 bills and disregarding about 10 of them(they have to be perfect with no tears), we were able to pay our fee at Peru Immigrations and head to security. Kat got stopped going through security, because she had Scott’s duct tape(or should I say “medical” duct tape, Scott broke his toe earlier in the week and this is what he was using to tape them together) in her backpack. They confiscated the tape even though I tried to tell them in spanish that my poor husband need it for his broken toe and that he wasn’t planning on tying anyone up on the plane. 🙂
After a short 45 minute plane ride, we landed in La Paz, Bolivia at the worlds highest airport at 13,323 feet. The airpot sits on the altiplano. La Paz is the highest capital in the world at 11, 975 feet above sea level.
The view of La Paz is striking, especially from El Alto (“The Heights”), and driving on the highway into the city. La Paz is nestled into a high valley of the Andes Mountains(much like Cusco), surrounded by the altiplano. The city has expanded onto the steep hillsides surrounding the valley.
We spent our first day in La Paz taking in the sights and sounds. Our favorite part was shopping in the Witch’s Market.
Wandering around the “witches market” is an experience to remember. On top of the usual fruit, vegetables, herbs and touristy merchandise of other South American markets, the La Paz Witches Market offers dried Llama fetuses that locals bury under their front porches for good luck. There are stalls selling spells and local remedies for illnesses.
It was wonderful being in La Paz on Palm Sunday. In front of the churches, ladies were selling palms, food, and Easter candy.
One of our favorite moments in La Paz was feeding the pigeons at Plaza Murillo! The joy in my families faces feeding the pigeons was priceless!! Who knew that 29 cents worth of pigeon feed could provide countless fun.
Pictures from Plaza Murillo:
Scott’s La Paz corner:
Well, after Lima, I was a bit skeptical of big cities in South America, but I have to say La Paz was great. At ~2 million, it struck me as “Cusco’s older cousin.” Very similar geography, perhaps more diverse in Architecture, a bit less touristy (the street vendors are not in your face). We had a great time there, and really just started to scratch the surface of this place. If you are traveling to Bolivia, and have 2 weeks, I’d spend at least 3 days in La Paz.
