Photos 4.1: Bolivia - Lago Titicaca & La Paz

Catching a bus from Puno (PER) to Copacabana (BOL, still on the Lago Titicaca), I found I was enjoying the bus ride. And since the hotel I had picked out was full, I just kept going to La Paz.



Welcome to Bolivia!



In La Paz, I jumped at the chance to take a tour to Chacaltaya mountain (5400m) the day after my arrival. That one above is nearby Huayna Potosi which rises to 6100m.



Sitting gingerly above a realtively gently falling mountainside, I felt a bit off, not on account of the height but rather because slight bouts of vertigo gave me a hard time.



A little more at ease, with a great view behind me.



A 5 minute walk away, you could feel the warm air blowing up from the valley.



The San Francisco monastery in La Paz was a great 2-hour visit...



... after breakfast in a nearby cafe!



Translucent Alabaster "windows" in the church make for great swirling displays of cloudy white.



Apparently, in the 50s, city planners decided the monastery's main court had to be chopped down to a quarter of its size to make way for a large street.



Monks made their own wine for mass (ha!) and in order to generate a bit of revenue.



The entire monastery - or what's left of it - was given a thorough noce-over by conservationists a few years ago. I have no idea what made them think Yves Klein's YKB blue would make for a good paint job!