Cuentas sobre America Latina
Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 16:45:52 +0200
Subject: South America Report 6
Hi my friends and other list members!
4 days ago I arrived in La Paz (3600m and snowfall during the night!) after some uncomfortable 14 hours in a night bus from Sucre. Though it is not that much higher (Sucre=2700m -> 900m difference) I felt the hight badly the first days. Problems to breathe and walk for all streets are very steep here. So I decided to visit the local Coca museum and buy (after knowing more about it) a bag of coca leafs which I am now chewing all day long.
It's actually the best drug (though coca itself is basically not a drug) I have eer encountered. You do not feel hunger of fatigue when chewing. Perfect for La Paz and the Altiplano.
In La Paz it is normal to have all 4 seasons in one day. The day I arrived we had snowfall in the morning, later rain with april-like storms, then sunny t-shirt-weather. :-)
Unfortunately my friends (Jannethe, Jaqueline, Susi) have to live with their uncle up in El Alto which is 30 minutes by taxi from the center. So we can't meet as often as we were used to from Sucre.
But I learned to know a funny and weired professor from a british university (political geography) who's travelling around here. So we joined for some days. Great storries to tell he has!! Has been travelling to India 14 times and is kind of addicted. Feel similarly though it only has been once.
You remember that I mentioned that latin americans don't know anything about good food? Have to correct that. Was only the problem that I was too dumb to look out for good typical restaurants!
Here some of the nice specialities they got:
Chicharron: Delicious grilled pork with potatos
Salte�as: Great pasties stuffed with meat or chicken, olives, egg, peas, potatos, spices.... (1.5 Bol)
Empanadas: Similar, but different types w/ cheese (0.5 Bol), chicken or pork
Cu�ape: Fantastic cheese biscuits
Tamales: Fried maize, vegetables and pork mix
Sajita: Chicken in hot pepper sauce
Llama: !!!!!
Api: A hot burgunder-red maize-drink with lemon, cinnamon etc. (1 Bol) If you are feeling cold, there is no better way to warm up.
(P.S.: 6.67 bolivianos=1 US$)
....and lots of other stuff.....
does not sound too bad does it! anyway... planning to continue to lago titicaca on wednesday morning. Don't know why, but people tell weather's better though it's above 3800m.
best regards from freezing cold La Paz
Oliver.