Oct 30, Sunday
City Tour of La Paz from 9 am to 1 pm. Today both the driver and the guide were named Marcelo. Made things very easy, but I got more information about La Paz from Eduardo yesterday than I got from Marcelo the guide today. La Paz and Bolivia have a varied past and have been in many wars; first for the independence from Spain, then internally with Chile and Peru where they lost land to the south and to the east to both countries. They no longer have access to the Pacific Ocean and are land-bound.
Went to the main square of La Paz, which used to the called Plaza de Armas (what else, other than Plaza Bolivar!) but has since been renamed Plaza Murillo, for the leader of the Revolution against the Spanish.
Plaza Morillo
Plaza Morillo
One of the buildings damaged by bullets during the last uprising in La Paz
Also went to see the Valley of the Moon; supposedly named after a visit from Neil Armstrong, the astronaut (they keep referring to him as JOHN Armstrong). He indicated that the formations left by the receding lake eons ago, looked just like the surface of the moon. From then on, they have referred to it as such.
Carving on one of the rock formations
Valle de la Luna
Valle de la Luna
The tour was supposed to be in English, but Marcelo’s English is very limited and difficult to understand, so we spoke in Spanish instead, with a few explanations in English when I could not understand his meaning. Unfortunately his English didn’t always help to clarify exactly what he meant. Oh well , they were both very nice, but I guess he isn’t used to tourists asking him so many questions. Thankfully I had the previous info from Eduardo.
Plaza Morillo
Plaza Morillo
One of the buildings damaged by bullets during the last uprising in La PazGot to see the newer parts of the city (Miraflores where the middle class live & San Miguel where the wealthy live.
Also went to see the Valley of the Moon; supposedly named after a visit from Neil Armstrong, the astronaut (they keep referring to him as JOHN Armstrong). He indicated that the formations left by the receding lake eons ago, looked just like the surface of the moon. From then on, they have referred to it as such.
Carving on one of the rock formations
Valle de la Luna
Valle de la LunaThe tour was supposed to be in English, but Marcelo’s English is very limited and difficult to understand, so we spoke in Spanish instead, with a few explanations in English when I could not understand his meaning. Unfortunately his English didn’t always help to clarify exactly what he meant. Oh well , they were both very nice, but I guess he isn’t used to tourists asking him so many questions. Thankfully I had the previous info from Eduardo.
I’ve booked the hotel room until 4 pm, latest I could check-out as long as I was willing to pay an extra half price for the room. This way I have time to pack and update my blog and my HUNDREDS of photos. I’m only putting up a very small number on the blog. My flight to Santa Cruz is at 9 pm, so I’ll have LOTS of time waiting in the lobby of the hotel and at the airport. Started reading "Eat, Pray, Love" which I found upstairs in the Internet Café; have seen the movie but not read the book.
Flight to Santa Cruz went well. Arrived after 10 pm. Staying at the Hotel Cortez, Avenida San Cristobal de Mendoza. Very nice with a swimming pool outside in the back courtyard.
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