La Paz bus terminal - a place I now know well - waiting for a couple of hours for Daniela's bus to arrive from Chile I met a lovely group of Peruvian musicians, self-called 'cholitas' (ladies who dress traditionally) on their way to a Christian convention in Cochabamba. One lady in particular was really chatty, curious to know about the weather and harvests in the UK, telling me about her family and life in Peru and happy to teach me a few Aymaran phrases to the laughter of her friends: camisaraki (how are you?) waliki (well) and the only one I could remember "waliki skilva" (nice to meet you).
"For 'la mamita' (literally "little mother" - an affectionate term for a girlfriend or wife) with love"
Mural facing our doorway at the hostel "Family House Hotel" on Pisagua street, very close to the terminal.
Iglesia de San Fransisco in Plaza San Fransisco - turning right at this corner leads to a warren of streets known as the 'Mercado de Hechichería' or 'withches market' where you pass llama foetuses that are apparently buried under a new home to bring good fortune to the inhabitants. The streets are also full of artisan gifts of all sorts, Andean clothing and musical instruments, including the 'cuatro venezuelano' (4 stringed Venezualan guitar) that Daniela bought.
Museo de Instrumentos Musicales
Ekeko - "the household god and keeper and distibutor of material possessions" according to the Lonely Planet Bolivia guidebook. Ekeko miniatures of varying size, colour and material can be seen throughout the La Paz markets. During the festival time of Alasitas Ekeko figures like this one from the museum of musical instruments are draped with miniatures of objects and possessions that the family would like to acquire in the following year, and also apparently show what the family can share with the community.
Altitude: the lay of the mountains in Bolivian. La Paz is the highest altitude capital city in the world at 3,640m. It's high altitude position explains the shortness of breath that I and all newcomers to the city experience in first walking its streets. Potosí (where I am as I write) is the highest altitude city, at 4,067m.
Daniela Arcena - beloved friend from La Serena in Chile, one of 'la Familia' from the fantastic couple of weeks I spent there back in March earlier this year.
Fruit stalls line the streets of the Villa Fatima neighbourhood leading to the bus station.
"Rivales" (Rivals) - this image of Obama and Osama Bin Laden painted on the back of this bus made me laugh when I spotted it at the Fatima bus station. Daniela and I caught our less colourful bus to Coroico from here.
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