South for the Summer: 12 Hours in Bolivia

La Paz, Bolivia

I took an overnight bus from Cusco to La Paz. It was pretty nice. I actually slept, but I think its thanks to the decongestant antihistamines the pharmacist gave me for my sinus infection that had been going on for a week. We went through the border crossing, and did the whole customs thing around 7am in a really small town called Desaguadero. The town is located on Lake Titicaca, which we then drove around for bit before veering off to head to La Paz. I'm glad I at least got to see the Lake, even though I wasn't able to spend any time there.
Bolivia is a lot like Peru. However, having only been here a few hours I did notice a difference in the way the traditional women dress. It’s similar to Peru, but they wear different hats, and tend to wear shawls, and skirts made of plain cotton, not wool. The hats are really interesting. They look like a man’s bolero, but just sit right on top of their head, instead of around their head, as if they’re too small, and don’t fit. Then there are two super long dark braids that fall down their back. The braids are usually hidden though, because the women carry their children and babies on their backs wrapped up in a blanket. It’s honestly a beautiful sight to see these women in person.
Unfortunately, I didn't like my hostel in La Paz. I was staying at the Adventure Brew Too hostel. The hostel was totally under construction and deserted. It was also freezing at night. They gave you wool blankets, but I ended up having to use a hot water bottle, because it was just too cold. Their associated hostel, the Adventure Brew hostel B&B, was a lot nicer, and had an upstairs bar, and had way more people in it. Thankfully it was just two doors down, so I hung out there, and just went back to my hostel to sleep for a mere 4 hours before I had to get up to catch a 6am flight to Mendoza with stop-overs in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and Buenos Aires.