The border crossing from Peru to Bolivia took us an entire day. We didn't realize we needed visas to go to Bolivia now, at $160 a pop plus a list of required printed papers they wanted us to produce. We were so busy scrambling back and forth across the borders trying to get the visa and paperwork handled that we didn't have time for photos. We ended up driving in the dark to a little museum in the town of Tiwanuku to park for the night. When we were leaving the next morning, we noticed these unusual towering sculptures at the turnoff. Heavy stones hanging above other stones below.
We drove to La Paz. This was our first sighting of a snow covered peak just outside of the city.
The entire hillside in the background is covered in homes. La Paz is a huge, sprawling city of nearly 2 million people covering all the hills around the city center. They also have a cable car system/teleferico here to move people around without driving.
We parked next to the Orange cable car and this funky sculpture art was in a clear housing along the sidewalk next to the terminal.
Jason crossing a street in La Paz. Donkeys on the median don't even phase us anymore.
Colorful umbrellas above a tourist walking mall.
An old carved wooden door caught my eye.
Jason booked a bike tour on the 'Death Road' for the next day. They handed him this reminder of the things he should bring. Unfortunately, the pictures they took and promised to send me never showed up.
A typical Bolivian woman walking down the street. Many still sport bowlers, whereas this woman has opted for a more modern fisherman's style.
Jason eating a fresh bread roll before the bike van arrived to take him on the Death Road Bike Tour for the day. Would this be his last meal? Sixteen miles of downhill adventure riding on a cliffside road that has been closed to regular road traffic. It used to be a very dangerous vehicle road, but is now mostly for tour vans and bikers.
The van with the bikes on top and bikers inside. Jason said the driver drove like a kamikaze.
Gallery of Witches. There is a famous witches shop here that sells llama fetuses, used in some rituals by locals. It was closed on the Sunday when we wandered around so I never got to go inside to see the strange things that would be in it.
A church spire stands out from the steep street scene in La Paz, Bolivia.
Cute mural on the street.
Another tourist alley/street with colorful hanging art.
Little witches on brooms hanging at the entrance to a tourist pedestrian mall where there is a witches shop.
A cart full of fresh ribs being delivered to the butcher and/or restaurants. No refrigeration, no covers. And folks don't seem to be bothered or get sick from them.
You can see the Purple Cable car terminal here as we lift out of it.
A funky tower at the top of the purple line cable car.
Part of La Paz spreads out below us from the top of the Purple line cable car.
Grey walls of rock under the cable car terminal. Wow, a place without a home on it.
YOLO is parked up the little street on the right. You can see the white roof of our van.
This is where the police parked us after the nasty shop owners created a scene in the street where we'd parked before.
We left La Paz and found parking with this as our view out the window.
The river beside us was full of white foam.
We were in a little pulloff for this stone head of Zepita.
We stopped at the Valley of the Moon on our way out of town. More rock formations.
Weathered rock formed into spires and towers and odd shapes.
It was too early to be open yet so we just took these pics through the fence.
Metal art at the entrance.
Quite the landscape just outside of La Paz.
Valley of the Moon is the name of the park where these formations are located.
This cactus growing out of a hole in the rock seemed unusual.
Some of the rock was smoothed.
Karen at the metal art sculptures.
A large phallic rock across from the Valley of the Moon.
These rock formations seemed whiter than the others.
A lady sitting by her stand with logs. The braids with dark colored tassles on them indicates she is married.
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