La Paz just won`t let me leave!!!

There is something annoying about getting up in the morning, ready to start the next chapter in your travel journey, and then being told it´s not possible. Like taking candy from a baby, this exact thing happened to me on Sunday because of the bloody strikes - and it was not the first time. The week before we had tried to go to Copacabana on the day of nationwide transport strikes and had to stay another night - I had another mini tantrum.

So this time I walked to the bus terminal to get a ticket around lunchtime, thinking that was plenty of space before the night bus, but when I arrived I was told there was either no space, no service or no answer from the limited number of companies that serviced the La Paz - Uyuni route. Grrr.

Once I got over my annoyance, I thought I would make the most of the extra time - considering the strikes were not even confirmed and indeed not confirmed to run an undisclosed amount of time as first thought - and do the Death Road the next day. Everyone else who did it highly recommewnded it to me, so I was bummed I dind`t think I had time... now it seems I was meant to do it after all.

Thinking through my schedule, I also started to realise that just one extra day would mean I could go to the ruins at Tiwanaku on the same day the Incas celebrated their new year and the birth of the new sun. So I haggled a discounted price for both activities from the travel agent, still no doubt getting ripped off, and was thoroughly satisfied that I would not have to spend my last days in La Paz twiddling my thumbs and spending money I didn´t have.

Dutch K left that night on a bus to Sucre, sad times for us as the group was starting to dwindle. We played a little more pool, as is the norm, and then I called it a night early to prepare for the extra early start for the Death Road the next morning.