La Paz, Bolivia

Since I can't go anywhere now to bring you photos, I thought I reach back to travels before we started the blog and show a little of what was happening in that dim dark past 10 or more years ago. This is the first of several installments on these "ancient" travels.

Thirteen years and three cameras ago, E and I visited La Paz, Bolivia. We were visiting a young woman and her family that we were supporting through the then named Christian Children's Fund.

The airport is located on the Altiplano at 13,325 feet is the highest airport in the world. On the way into the city, I asked the taxi driver to stop for a moment so I could take a few photos before we descended the 1,000 or more feet into the heart of the bewildering maze you see in the image above.



In the city we were immediately immersed in a place brimming with a culture that that delighted and amazed us. This woman was sitting on the sidewalk to eat her bowl of breakfast.

Others were sitting out for reasons that I don't think I knew a the time.

Not far from our hotel (which served coca leaves on the breakfast table) was the Witch's Market. This place was amazing and filled with a bewildering zoo of people and items the likes of which I cannot begin to adequately describe. There were spices and powders of all sorts for making potions, carved wooden and bone amulets and trinkets, and something (see below) that I cannot categorize. This lady with her dogs is running her store, selling items for who knows what purpose. Notice that she has animal skins along with the textiles around her.

Other vendors focused on carvings. No doubt these all have there meaning and place in keeping people and houses safe from various spirits. The desiccated white animal is the dried fetus of a llama. It is believed that if you bury one of these under the foundation of your house when you are building it, it will bring you prosperity. Clearly, these are valuable items. Other, smaller ones are arranged around the base fo the large white one.

This cobbler set up shop on the street under a tarp. A woman was getting some repairs made on her shoes.

This lady seems to be just enjoying the bit of sunshine and having a short nap.

Climbing the hills (up or down) was a monumental effort at this high altitude. I would awake at night gasping for air. Chewing the coca leaves really did help, although the side effects were interesting as well. Everybody urged us to partake. We were even feed tea made from the leaves. A constant, low-level buzz.

The real shock was when we returned to the airport to leave, the increase in altitude was enough that I, at least, started to turn blue. Since we arrived and promptly left for the city, I did not notice this much. But the return where we need to get to the airport early, was very noticeable. My finger ends and lips turned blue and I was getting weak. When we finally got on the plane and took off, the airplane cabin was pressurized, not depressurized to get to the standard flying pressure and I could feed the warmth flowing back into my extremities. A most curious and pleasant sensation.