Kitchen surprises

Most apartments in La Paz are rented furnished. These are some of the things that we found waiting for us in the kitchen: "I love America" mug, another one with "Pause... KING SIZE!" Coca-Cola ad printed on it, and one with an ear instead of the holder, to go with the theme "Ecoute j'ai un secret a te dire..." ("Listen, I have a secret to tell you..."), but my favorite is the plate commemorating Apollo lunar missions 7 through 17 (!!?!).

Sea Access

Must be one of the weirdest monuments I've seen. Bolivia lost its coastline to Chile in 1884 and have been hoping to get it back ever since. The message is "that which was once ours, will be ours once again", but I guess there is no stronger message than having a dude in sandals bayoneting the other guy in the throat.

Carnivoros Anonimos

On Sundays, El Prado (the main avenue here) becomes a pedestrian zone with stands, a street fair. This stand helps people overcome their addiction to meat (!!). The sign says: "I want to quit meat but I can't. Carnivoros Anonimos was created for you." The stand was well attended.

Rush hour

Rush hour in La Paz, view from our apartment window.

Transportation options

1. Micro (blue bus) - about half or so of the regular bus size, similar to yellow school buses in the US. Cheapest and slowest option. 

2. Mini (white minivan) - capacity is about 14 passengers, the most frequent of all public transportation options, have fixed routes that are listed on the front windshield (and yelled out the window by the driver's sidekick every 5 seconds). Sidekick (usually a teenage kid) also collects fares from the passengers. The cost is from 1 to 2.3 Bolivianos, depending on the distance and the time of day. 

3. Trufi (car on the right) - "Taxi de Ruta Fija", taxis that have set routes (also listed on the front windshield; no sidekick). Capacity is 5 passengers, as they somehow fit 2 people next to the driver (and the car is with a stick shift). The cost is 3 Bs.

4. Taxi (behind the micro) - the same as anywhere else. The cost is usually 12 or 15 Bs for most distances. 

Note: 1 USD = 7 Bolivianos

Cables

They are everywhere. I guess every time someone adds a cable TV or internet connection to their apartment, they just put up another cable. Simple enough.

Valle de la Luna

...and the creature that lives there.

La Paz

La Paz, Bolivia - home for the next eleven months...