La Paz Bolivia 3rd-10th March 2007

On the flight to La Paz we touched down at Iquique which seemed to just be hilly dessert near the sea. We soon arrived at the worlds highest commercial airport 4000 metres above sea level. Once we were in the hotel we spent the rest of the day acclimatising in our room. It was tough walking up to the 3rd floor and we both got headaches.

The way the locals dress is very different, the women have huge shirts with shawls, a bowler hot and a big sack on their back. Often they are knitting or eating! but don´t like us taking photo´s of them so we don´t have many (also because it´s to dodgy to take any valuables out!).

Helen then got ill with sickness and Diarrhoea and spent 24 hours in hospital, $420.00 later (lets hope the insurance pays out) we went back to the hotel feeling weak. The next couple of days were spent in bed watching trash on tv with us both feeling quite weak.

For the past 16 years Helen has given up sweets and chocolate for lent, this year she has failed! Maybe she´ll do the remainding 26 days later on in the year.

After Steve´s backpack got knicked we tried to get a flight from La Paz straight to Cusco but the airline kept cancelling so we are now going by bus. This means we may actually see some of Bolivia and Peru but it is not as safe for our belongings. Since we have been in La Paz at least two people have been robbed, one woman had a knife held to her throat!