First Day

We have made it through our first day in La Paz! Everything went smoothly going through customs. Our previously arranged driver met us in the airport and we descended down the mountain from El Alto to La Paz, about a 20 minute ride. I am living in an apartment with another girl on my research team, Mel. The apartment is owned by Mery and Carlos, a very nice elderly couple who have a little dog named Román. While at times I do wish that I was doing a homestay, Mery and Carlos are very friendly and I think we will have good conversations with them.

When we got to our apartment, we had about a billion stairs to climb up, each with two 50-pound suitcases. We were super tired from our long day of traveling, and we could definitely feel the altitude when we tried to hike up the stairs. Luckily, Mery and Carlos greeted us with some coca tea and we rested a bit.

Coming in from El Alto to La Paz

We arrived in La Paz at 5:30am, and the city was already bustling with people. On a street down below we could see a large group of people gathering. We were informed that they were holding a big protest today. I didn't think anything of it until later at my apartment when I was trying to take a nap and kept hearing what sounded like gunshots going off. Later, Mel and I were talking with Mery, and she said that the noises were explosions from the protest. We learned that the highway to the airport had been blocked off with people. We are pretty far removed from that part of the city, so we weren't in any danger. I'm not exactly sure what was being protested, but it could be any number of things. This was all I could find from the US Embassy in La Paz:


The U.S. Embassy in La Paz has received information that various demonstrations and road blocks are expected today in La Paz and in other major cities of Bolivia. ...The U.S. Embassy reminds you that demonstrations and road blockades are not unusual in Bolivia. Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence between security forces, demonstrators, and bystanders.

View from the lookout point

If you feel like you're in shape, just come to La Paz for a nice reality check. On our 10 minute walk home from the grocery store, carrying one bag of groceries, Mel and I had to stop three times to catch our breath. And we weren't even walking uphill. I haven't felt nauseous from the altitude so sometimes I forget how high up we are. But any set of stairs reminds me that we indeed are 12,000 feet above sea level.

Illimani

Toward the end of the day today, Kevin, Hunter, Funmi, Mel and I (all students/friends on my research team) met up for coffee and then went on a little trek to a lookout point. The view was amazing. We could easily see Illimani in the distance, the second highest peak in Bolivia at just over 21,000 feet.

View from the lookout point

Just some things I noticed today:

• Bolivian women really do wear the traditional clothing that I've seen in travel books...
• Including different varieties of bowler hats...
• But not all of them do
• Stray dogs are everywhere, even just laying in the street
• The driving is, expectedly, very crazy
• Making out in parks is a normal thing to do
• Chicken is a very commonly eaten meat
• Seven is a difficult number to divide by (the exchange rate is 7 bolivianos : 1 dollar)
• I am very very fortunate to have internet in my apartment
• I am very very fortunate to be here

Tomorrow we have an early morning with some of our research collaborators at the Universidad Católica Boliviana. I am very excited and nervous to begin working and meeting with people. We had a pretty full first day and I am so looking forward to what the summer will bring.