La Paz

I thought going back to Cochabamba after Sucre but decided to go straight to La Paz. A good friend of mine, Gonzalo, was waiting for me. I went with him to Florida International University and we kept our friendship. I stayed in his house so besides saving some money I got to experience his daily life and the way a non-tourist lives. La Paz has a lot of things, besides from the big hills like the Illimani, a huge snowed mountain that can be seen from anywhere in La PAz, there is also the Tiawanaku ruins. This was one of the things I enjoyed the most. Since I was a kid in elementary school i was surprised by this pre-inca culture (1500 BC to 1200 AC) which we studied in our Peruvian History class, but I was a little disapointed when I found out that the big ´Puerta del Sol´(Sun gate) was in Bolivia and not in Peru. But it was a blast to finally be there and take a picture of it. Its name , Sun Gate, is not just a name it was used to calculate the seasons of the year so it could be applied to agriculture. After visiting the ruins, we went to the small town of Tiawanaku. They a parade for some saint since it was Good Friday, Gonzalo and I decided to get a beer afterward and were a little nervous and skeptical of getting them since on good fridays alcochol is prohibited on cities and town like these ones. The lady didn´t think twice and invited us to her store to drink the beers. When we were done and the procession was too, we saw everybody carrying boxes and boxes of beer. Our stupid, embedded, catholic guilt was erased in a second.
I went also to the museum of Coca in la Paz and took the ´touching the sky´tour, which takes you to several spots in La Paz. The open roof of this bus allowed me to watch the blue skies and breath the air. The tourist group was also warned not to get up from their seats. I soon found out the bridges and electrical cables were not to high for this bus, or for our heads, if that can give a better picture. I stayed five days in La Paz also because I decided to get a handmade coat. I don´t get myself things when I travel but this leather coat I like. We went out almost everynight. I think that happens whenever you know a local and you are in a big city. I run into several other travellers I met on other cities before getting to Bolivia. We said to get together but it never happened. For this week I didn´t feel like i was travelling. It is funny how I sensed everything different since I was with a good old friend and I didn´t have to worry about where to go or hang out.
Next stop will be the Lake Titicaca. This highest lake on the world which is shared between Peru and Bolivia.