Potosi and Tihuanaco

We have come to our greatest challenge of the tour so far (except for surviving up till now).

Tomorrow we tackle Huayna Potosi. 6088m. To be honest, I am quite nervous. Probably for a reason. The air is going to be thin, very cold (it IS rainy/snowy season) and we have to climb the last 150m up a near vertical wall with ice picks and crampons. I´ll let you know how it went as soon as we get back and post lots of photos! We are now in La Paz. A city unlike any I have seen. This huge, poverty-stricken, incredibly busy and messy city is the highest capital in the world. It seems as if the houses are built on vertical walls all the way up to the mountains! We are using La Paz as our base of operations for the next week while we try and tame the mountains, most dangerous road and the pampas.

La Paz

We are staying in an area very close to the Witches Market. But I don´t think it is the same as a few years back. You can still buy a lot of oddities (dried llama fetuses, weird plants, magic potions and protecting amulets) here, but the area has exploded into a travellers mecca. There are hundreds of hostels, tour agencies and, off course, locals selling all sorts of touristy things. We have to admit though, we are buying tons of said touristy things! The wares are incredibly beautiful and very cheap. I have already bought two sweaters, a pair of gloves, socks and a hat. All made of alpaca (so soft and warm...) Today we went to Tihuanaco about 70km west of La Paz. This is was the capital city of the Tiwanaku civiliasation, one of the most powerful and longest reigning (200 BC to 1000 AD) of South America. The Incas descended from them when they mysteriously collapsed around 1000 AD. There´s not a lot left of this city, many of it fell in various wars and or was destroyed during the rule of the Spanish. There is one big pyramid that is still being excavated and seems to be in very good condition. The stonework of these people (or perhaps those before them) is unbelievable! Every stone is cut perfectly and fits together. The surfaces are also uncannily smooth. We spent some time wandering around the grounds with our guide. Many of the treasures have been lost or damaged by the Spanish (they carved crosses into some of the monoliths and used the stones to build their churches), but there is still a good collection inside the two museums we visited.

my new Tiwanaku friends (note alpaca hat)

Lloyd admiring the intricate stonework (note alapca gloves)

a stone priest with a vial of llama blood

Dr. Louw shows where the Tiwanaku used metal clamps to keep stones together

the sun god, Inti

The trip was very interesting and is apparently not even a patch on the marvels of Peru! OK, now it´s off to bed to prepare for tomorrow Neil