La Paz

It's been about 6 weeks in Brazil. The time has flown by remarkably fast and though I'll tear myself away on Saturday, it's hard to leave. After Bolivia and La Paz, Brazil has felt a lot like paradise. Not that Bolivia did not have it's own charms, of course...

with the little square buildings climbing up the sides of mountains
and little old lady street venders in bowler's hats and shawls, selling all manner of things
Flowers, fruits, llama fetuses of varying sizes, shapes, and colors
and full of little mini-bus vans that always had one person yelling out the windows or open doors trying to hustle more passenger. Regardless of how full the van was, someone, sometimes school aged, was trying to attract more fares.
La Paz *smells* undeveloped and the nagging sensation in my stomach never seemed far off the entire time I was in Bolivia. And soon I will embark on another holygodlong bus journey back to the jungles of Bolivia...

I wonder how La Paz has changed in the last 10 or 30 years. Compared to Brazil (er, the Sao Paulo to Rio part), which in many ways is a very developed and first world in terms of fancy super markets, paved roads and shiny cars, Bolivia feels 30 years behind. In Brazil, you can even flush toilet paper down the toilet, a rare thing anywhere else in Latin America.

arg... but I must run... the adventures continue. more stories to come