Forged Documents and a Bolivian Jail in La Paz

Beaurocracy is a nightmare. In response to the United States' policy on visas for bolivians, Evo Morales has enacted a policy that went into effect two weeks before Dave and I crossed into the country. In addition to $100 and an invitation from a host country national I needed proof of a yellow fever vaccination. I received the shot in Panama, and had brought a copy of the document knowing full well that I would need it eventually. At some point during the first six weeks of travel the papers grew a pair of legs and walked off to go tour South America by themselves. No problem though, a little work with a copy of Dave's vaccination record, a copy machine, and some white out, and we soon found ourselves on our way to La Paz, Bolivia.

It took only ten minutes of being in Bolivia me to turn to Dave and say, ¨I can already tell that I am going to like this country.¨ I can't say exactly what it was, it could have been the uncomfortable bus, the local music on the radio, the bumper stickers that lined the inside of the bus, the drunk guy wanting to wrestle, or the going into blind curves three cars abreast which turned into a well ochestrated symphony squealing breaks, screams, but no crunching of metal. I can't put my finger on it, but there was something about the creative and unsafe way things were done that just felt right.

Case in point. At one point we had to cross a 500 m section of Lake Titicaca. We grumbled about our seperate uncovered boat until we saw the ¨ferry¨ that carried the bus across the channel. It was made of plywood with a minimal support structure. Just long enough and wide enough for a full size bus to fit on with a foot of clearance all around. As the boat rocked on the wind tumbed water of the lake, I couldn't help but wish I had my camera for two reasons: one to take a picture of the craziness, and two to protect it from the icy water that seemed inevitably sure to tip the boat and consume our ride. I did find this picture on the internet. It is of the same crossing, but our bus was at least twice as big as the truck in the picture.

We arrived late into La Paz, and the next morning we go out to walk around the highest capital city in the world. How high is La Paz? La Paz is so high that FIFA World Cup does not allow world cup games to be played there. In the history of the world cup Bolivia has NEVER lost a game there! In addition to a perfect home record, La Paz is an amazing city.

When inquiring about Bolivia on our way south the response was almost universal, Bolivia is great. But when asked specifically what it is about Bolivia that makes it so geat there is rarely anyone that can come up with anything besides it is cheap. I now understand their problem with being able to describe it, because it is more of a vibe that one gets than specific list of things to do. In general, the major difference though is that we are not treated any differently than any local. We don't have to barter with taxi drivers, no one openly stares, and people have gone out of their way to be helpful and knowedgeable.

One of the attractions(?) to La Paz is the San Pedro Prison. It was popularized by the book Marching Powder about an English drug mule who got caught trafficing cocaine and was imprisioned. In order to survive in a Bolivian prision the inmates must make their own money usually though artisanry. So the intrepid Englishman began to run tours through the prision to buy dinner, and became such a big cult tour that the bolivian govenment has banned tourists from the premesis. Dave and I went and looked in because it is right in the center of town, and though, ¨It's crazy to bribe our way into a prision in Bolivia!¨ and ¨It's not the getting in I'm wrried about, it's the getting out.¨ So we chickened out, and didn't even try to get in which should bring my mother's blood pressure back down to normal levels.

But this might send it back up... I don't think it will surprise anyone to know that the most dangerous road in the world is located in Bolivia. Another strange tourist attraction is to ride bicycles down this road to a near by town.