Valley of the Moon
What a difference a day makes; I feel so much better from the altitude sickness and am really enjoying the city. I really love La Paz, it´s an appropriately named, peaceful city. I am going to try and change my ticket back to Chile, because I am scheduled to leave as soon as the tour is over, but I want to stay here longer and see more, maybe spend a couple nights on an island in Lake Titicaca.
I wanted to see the Valley of the Moon yesterday, and it was very cheap to take a half day city tour and a ride out to the valley, so I did. Turns out it was a private tour, just the driver, the guide, and me. I saw the highest point of La Paz, which is very working class, and the lowest point, which is very rich. The temperature can differ between the two by ten degrees celcius, with the better weather being lower.
My guide explained a lot of things, such as the dress of the women here: they only wear multiple skirts and petticoats, as well as their hats, once they get married. He was very concerned though that the younger women are dressing western, losing their traditions, his sadness about it weighed on me a little.
Eduardo,the guide, also told me a lot about the socioeconomic situation here, which being my father´s daughter, I found fascinating, as well as stuff about gender roles and history. I learned more about the festival of Alasita that began yesterday, and his quote "We believe that you have to pay for your dreams" still rings in my head.
After seeing several museums and markets, we drove out to the Valley of the Moon, which is a beautiful canyon of erosion, and hiked around a bit. It was also a spectacular view of the mountains, I have always enjoyed watching mountains. Someday, when I return to reality, I will get pictures posted.