In our departure of the desert town of Arica, CH, we set out on an old beat up bus that would take us on a 12hr ride through the high, dry Andes into the verid hills of Bolivia. At first the landscape was desolate with hardly a hint of life in the vast, clear desert terrian. As the old bus creeped up the mountains, you began to see an occasional cactus the resembled a tree with an umbrella like top. Once nearing the top of the mountain, small streems began to flow and soft open beds of meadow opened up with llamas and alpacas feasting. When passing the isolated ponds, one could get a brief glimpse of flamingos in the distance. We soon reached the Bolivian border and antcipated a bit of struggle considering the copious amounts of preparation we had geting all of our documents in line. To our surprise it was a breeze, and within a few short moments we were in and on our way. The countryside turned into rolling hills with the occasional thatched-roof dwelling and fields of potatos and grains. The clouds were piling up and growing darker, letting us know that the rainy season had not fully passed.

We dozed off for a few only to awake to piling congestion of cars and people. We had reached El Alto, the neighboring city of La Paz just to the east. Traffic was at a stand-still, and it seemed to take ages just to go a few meters. Finally we began to move on and almost instantlly, the magnificent city of La Paz opened up beath us. Never have I witnessed such a city with so many contrasts resting within such a dramatic landscape. The city itself resembeles a shattered terracota pot against sharp, jagged Andean hills. When reaching the center, the air was thick with exhaust and people flooded the streets, selling whatever handful of random goods that made up their livlihood. Most of the center is essentailly one big open steeet market, with each block concentrated with like items ( Calle de Cocinar, Camino de Comer, and other randoms like light-bulbs or shoes). All the women dress in a very traditional manner with big, round skirts on the lower, and layered blouses and shaws above. Each wears a small, round top hat that never seems to fall. On their backs, they all carry whaterver precious goods they might have in a colorful cloth resembling a large blanket that is wrapped and tied around their shoulders and back.

The city itself does not offer alot as far as tourist attractions, but is perpetually entertaining with its street vendors. On the second day, all the bus drivers had gone on a two-day strike because they were upset over a new law prohibiting drinking and driving. Este es Bolivia. By the end of the week the buses were running again, and we were able to get to one of our main destinations, the UMSA Herbario and the Jardin Botanico. We talked to the director of the herbario and were able set up future dates for vegetation sampling using a novel method (GLORIA) that asses the impacts of climate change on alpine peaks. Delighted with the prospect, we wrapped up our time in La Paz and headed for the deep tropical jungle.