La Paz... Dislocated

After the violent events of the previous day, it was no surprise that we had another accident-related incident after checking out of our hostel, en route to meet the others and head to Copacabana. While eating a delicious and ridiculously cheap fruit salad with M’s crush from the hostel, a young girl fell off the see-saw behind us and dislocated her elbow. I will never forget the look of terror on her poor face as she looked up at me and saw my look of horror at her hideously bent limb.

I was shell-shocked, taking a complete step back to avoid the girl seeing my face again and panicking further, while M and his crush sprung into action. Luckily there was a police station just next to us so they whisked her away and called an ambulance. Hectic.

Getting to Copabacana, however, was an entirely more complicated process than getting a young girl to hospital. We had heard from our hostel people that Bolivia was on a one-day transport strike and there was – along with a strike from drivers – actual blockades around La Paz that prevented anyone from going anywhere. So we were grounded. We tried to think of other options, but even using a private taxi we were told would cause protesters to throw rocks at our vehicle as we passed the main problem area.

I had checked into the same hostel as the Turkish brother/sister combo, not wanting to walk the hill again with my backpack, and left M at the other hostel meeting us the next morning. However, with him stressed that he wouldn’t get up in time, I found him in the foyer of my new hostel asking which room I was in. Now I was fine with that, but sharing a bed with him I found a little annoying – he doesn’t believe in deodarant and also doesn’t shower all that often. Luckily, after some haggling with the bitchy owner, we changed to a room with 2 double beds and all was forgiven.

So we resigned ourselves to staying another day in hectic La Paz, and used our time to check out the markets. I had started to become obsessed with buying an alapaca/llama poncho, and also wanted to see prices for some other handmade items I wanted to buy. Some bday money had arrived in my account courtesy of the olds so I was feeling a little more generous with my wallet. At fucking last, I say!

Before we knew it, it was getting late and I almost missed the second interview I had set up with the Caribbean chick about work. So I settled myself into the local bar we’d started to call our meeting point (still having bought nothing – thought it best to wait until the very end to lug it around), and waited. And waited. And waited. About half an hour after our arranged time, I called it quits, frustrated that for the second time this lady had bailed on me. But, remembering she lived on a tiny island, I forgave her for her tardiness and awaited her repentence.

I knew it would be an early start so I laid off too much booze – also I was feeling a bit funny from the medicine I was taking for my tooth, and tired from everything from the day. So I basically laid my head on K’s lap while the others played pool and drank a few, and then we called it a night.

Back at the hostel, M and I came back to the room and he starts madly scavenging around his bag. I ask him what is wrong, and he tells me his cap is missing… OK, not cool, I think. Then he tells me inside the cap was 300 Argentinian pesos. Definitely not cool. He never finds it, obviously gets annoyed about it, and I fall asleep to him rummaging around.

At 5:30am, my alarm went off for my medicine and I noticed the room was empty besides me and my things. I had no idea where M went, but I noticed the door was left unlocked. Something a little amiss, given there was clearly a thief around that could even get in with a key… so I was naturally a bit annoyed. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for what went down the next morning…

La Paz delivers EPIC

First night out in La Paz = EPIC.

I woke on Saturday on a mission, determined not to disappoint myself again with the failure to see the inside of a La Paz nightclub during my stay here. Again, I was woken by my bearded French friend, who I had told to come at 11am to get me up. Sure enuf, in he floated on his little legs and I thanked the stars he came when I had the room to myself. I had been looking forward to feeling better for this particular visit...

A short while later (ahem), I was ready to get up and go, mildly disappointed by the day's happenings given the amazingness of previous similar occasions. If you get my cryptic rumblings, you should feel sorry for me.

We went to his hostel to collect his friends and then had a reasonably pricey (for Bolivia) lunch, at which I had soup again. Fantastic. Afterwards, we arranged to meet at the lookout to see the sun set (how very romantic) before which I would sneak in a siesta. Not wanting to tempt fate again, that is...

Post-siesta, I roped in a couple of friends from my dorm to come along to the lookout and so we - armed with some beers - went along and got some beautiful pics of the sun setting over the city... I just love that place. My French friend didn't come til after the sun came down, useless, but then we planned on meeting at his hostel (closer to the nightlife action) later on. And we parted ways.

Next order of business, for a Saturday night in La Paz, is to get some party favours... which we did down the road by walking into a random doorway, me waiting outside and then seeing the others return 2 mins later. Deal done. It was pretty strong stuf, I didn't have too much before going out but I was buzzing - almost skipping - down the hills to my mate's hostel... and when we didn't find him there, we skipped down to a nearby bar.

At said bar, we befriended a Dutch guy and his assortment of traveling friends... henceforth we went from bar to bar, the first couple a little gringoish for my liking but then to the most popular bar for both tourists and locals, Tiko's. Had a good boogie there, took a lot of local delight, and checked constantly for my wallet in my pocket. Between one of those checks, the wallet disappeared and I was bummed.

120bs down (a day's budget for me really!) and I was still looking around for at least my wallet... when abracadabra, there it appears in front of my feet, sin dinero, even without the friggin coins, greedy buggers. Money in the bra from now on. The condom was still there, though, so their priorities clearly didn't stretch to preventing the spread of sexual disease and unwanted pregnancies. Not that the latter has even seemed to cross the minds of people here... there are babies EVERYWHERE. Sometimes I almost step on them.

But I digress. Was glad to have my wallet back, and also happy I wasn't the only one stupid enuf to get myself robbed. Along with a bunch of wallets going missing, apparently one Belgian guy found his tobacco pouch also in front of his feet without the tobacco. Cheapskates!! Can you believe it...

Then came Route 36. The most random place in La Paz. ONLY for gringos, this 24 hour hellhole was introduced to us by the Dutch guy and his Bolivian friend (who could get in because he knew people)... but the 2 hot Bolivian girls spent 1.5 hours outside trying to get in purely because they were local. The place moves every 2 weeks because it is highly illegal and neighbours complain... and rightly so. Would you want that kind of scene near you??

They sold coke over the counter and then allowed you to do it whenever and wherever you wanted, in full view or otherwise, with the only rule that you needed to do the coke you bought from them. Ha! Definitely a memorable experience, that one.

So after it was passed around, I found myself watching as people paired off to begin insanely deep yet profoundly uninteresting conversations about next to nothing, and I myself began to notice that I was doing exactly the same. Ho hum.

At one point, I got up and announced that it was time to go, and M and I waited until a cab arrived so we could swish away secretly... only to be locked out of our hostel for about 15 minutes while we banged at the door for someone to let us in. It was to be the first of 2 nights of this for us... I was impatient because my tooth had started to hurt again (I failed to bring my tablets out with me). And 7am rolled around.

As I said, EPIC.