Tiahuanco
Before reaching the south, we make a detour to the site of the ruins of "Tiwanaku"
Upon leaving the campsite, Marco shows us a gas station where we can refuel.
And yes, a Bolivian specificity. Here gasoline is subsidized by the state to the tune of 50%. A few years ago, border workers from neighbouring countries came to Bolivia to stock up and some turned it into a real trade.
Also, the government has introduced two prices, the first is reserved for Bolivian and the second for foreigners. A 4-digit code must be presented with the license plate attached.
We do not have this code and filling the tank is at the whim of the attendant. In general he agrees to fill a 20 liter jerry can at a higher rate than the official one provided for foreigners. The difference goes in his pocket!!
The gas station we were told refuses to serve us. Not too much panic the tank is ¾ full.
We go the other way towards the ruins but this time with less traffic jam.
On our way we find a station that agrees to fill us the tank at the official price ....
When we arrive at our destination, we settle in the parking lot of the site and have a quiet lunch before visiting the ruins.
The city of Tiahuanaco, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, remains mysterious. Its Golden Age is around the 7th century, but it was the capital of a culture that stretched from 1600 B.C. to 1200 A.D. J.-C. and swarmed to Ayacucho and Nazca. Only the ceremonial center stood the test of time.
We haven’t had a lot of interest in it, and we think it wasn’t not worth the trip.
We spend the night in the parking lot among the cows!!
La Paz
Day dedicated to shopping.
In a few days we will be in the south of Bolivia to visit the "South Lipez" and the "Salar de Uyuni", two unmissable deserts.
However, although we are in the right season, the climate is cold and dry with the appearance of sometimes violent winds on the Altiplano. In winter (April to October) rains are scarce. Average temperature is 15°c and at night temperatures can drop down to -20°c in the Lipez region.
In anticipation of these freezing temperatures, we make some purchases of underwear and adapted clothing.
Back at the campsite, we ask Marco to fill one of our gas cylinders. His trick is to transfer the gas from a Bolivian bottle to an American bottle with a pump.
Why: simply because in Bolivia it is forbidden to fill gas cylinders. Only gas companies are allowed and they sell their own cylinders. We do not find a gas station like in other countries.
We hope to have enough gas for the next 2 months... Wait and See!!
La Paz
"La Paz" is the highest capital city in the world, perched at 3,610 metres above sea level at the foot of the Illimani, but its highest district, El Alto, rises up to 4,100 metres.
La Paz is the seat of the Government, even though Sucre is the constitutional capital of the country, and it is the main city of Bolivia with more than 2.7 million inhabitants including the agglomeration.
It was on October 20, 1548 that the city was created by the Spanish conquistador Alonso de Mendoza on the site of the city of Laja. Three days later it was moved to the place called Chiquiago, receiving the name of Our Lady of La Paz to commemorate the return to peace after the War between the Spanish conquistadors supporters of Gonzalo Pizarro, brother of Francisco Pizarro, and Blasco Nuñez Vela, Viceroy of Peru.
Oxygen is scarce in La Paz and we must be careful, However for more than a month we are navigating between 3000 m and 4000 m... We cannot say that we are accustomed to it and at altitude ice temperatures make it worse.!!!
To get to the city centre, we take a "colectivo" that takes us down to a cable car station in the suburbs.
Inaugurated on 30 May 2014, the cable car connecting La Paz to El Alto is the highest urban line in the world. This new mode of transport is a small revolution for the inhabitants accustomed to chaotic public transport and monster traffic jams. From now on you can reach the whole city by cable car.
We fly over many neighbourhoods and end up in the city center and immediately we are in the middle of a huge crowd that walks in all directions in crowded streets ... A veritable anthill.
Another reality, The streets zigzag a lot, go up and down in steep slopes and with the height, the air is more and more difficult to breathe.
The historic centre of the city is located on the Plaza Murillo, a large square surrounded by some of the oldest buildings in the capital, such as the cathedral, the presidential palace and the national assembly.
The only monument to visit : the "Catedral Metropolitana Nuestra Señora de La Paz" is an imposing neoclassical building from 1835 with some baroque elements. The main façade has 5 doors giving access to the 5 naves of the cathedral. Inside, the main altar, the staircase and the base of the choir were made with marble imported from Italy.
Then, at the corner of the street, is the "Museo Nacional De Arte". This colonial building, built in 1775 in a Baroque style, houses collections of colonial and contemporary art by famous Bolivian artists and from all over Latin America.
A specialty of this capital : the majority of monuments close from 12 pm to 3 pm !!!
It is more than noon, lunch time in a Cuban restaurant waiting for the opening of the next museum.
* Museo Nacional De Etnografia y Folklore: It is installed in the palace of the Marquis of Villaverde, built in 1720. All around the interior patio, the museum offers several exhibition rooms on various themes such as textiles, ceramics and traditional costumes.
Another museum where it is forbidden to take pictures. It is the same in churches or other monuments, same as in Peru.
We return to the campsite via a supermarket well achalander.
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ROAD BOOK 153
MAVROS ODYSSEE