Passing Time in the Lunar Valley (a month ago)

My time in La Paz was mostly spent relaxing and spending time with my coworker`s family. Each day we would try to do something unique, but mainly we enjoyed relaxing after busing all over southern Bolivia.

With my coworker mostly recovered from his oxygen scare the night before, and an extremely late start to the day (with a breakfast of more salteñas), we decided our main event of the day would be to check out "Moon Valley", a unique environment a short drive outside of La Paz. The national park looks very lunar, with brittle dirt columns rising high above dark crevases. A narrow path through the area allows you to feel like you are walking on a lunar landscape. It was an interesting way to spend the afternoon - mostly taking goofy shots of one another surrounded by the odd landscape. When we arrived I walked up to the park entrance first and asked, in spanish, what the entrance fee was. The lady behind the desk asked, in english, if I was Bolivian. I said yes. She said she didn`t think so. My coworker and his cousins walked up and she asked them. They said we all were. She charged me the extranjero entrance fee and the others paid the citizens´ fee - a fourth of my fee. No idea how she knew.

There didn`t seem to be any literature explaining how the terraine was formed - just a map to get through it. So feel free to google "Bolivia Moon Valley" for an explaination.

I went into town afterwards to schedule a bike tour down the "World`s Most Dangerous Road" and to reschedule my plane ticket to Santa Cruz later that week. Both were done easily and left plenty of time to head back to the `burbs for a bit more sight-seeing: A couple of dance groups who would be performing in Carnival were practicing at the local park. Carnival in Oruro, Bolivia, is one of the must-see carnivals in South America. The dancing is fast and folk like, and dancers are all in traditional costumes - some with devils masks to boot. It has some of the best dancing on the continent. Or so my coworker`s proud cousin told me. The group we went to watch was entertaining. While they didn`t wear the costumes to practice, many had bells lining their boots for some extra oomph. It was really cool to see. And a great second unique outing for our day.

Check out the dancing here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHC-1Wq6c-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPr29AUpi_Q

For pics of my time in La Paz, follow this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/15233918@N00/sets/72157603944779719/