Cholita Wrestling
We couldn’t resist the temptation of ‘Cholita wrestling’, where we were told we could see traditional Cholita women fighting. The wrestling was truly tacky but brilliantly entertaining. Front row seats were a bonus as the wrestlers interacted with the crowd (throwing apponents on the audience), and audience participation (throwing things back… anything you liked) was encouraged.
San Pedro Prison
We had heard much speculation about the possiblity of ‘tours’ around one of South Americas most notorious prisons. Ask any locals and they will tell you that you can no longer gain entry into the prison, but on arrival at the hostal in La Paz, we met a couple who heard tours were still possible on the weekends so long as you bribed the guards. We were in luck…it was a Saturday! Although the whole process sounded a little dodgy, accounts of the prison were incredible, so we headed in the direction of San Pedro square where sure enough we were appraoched by a guard asking us if we wanted to enter. One by one we slipped pasted the entrance and handed over our ‘bribe’…we were in! Our tour guide/inmate Mike took us through most of the prison sections. Rest assured we had guards with us at all times, although later found out these guards were inmates with life sentences… great. The whole prison (male only) is corrupt and run by money. Those with lots of money can have a large cell with TV, kitchen and bathroom while other with little money can barely last the night. Wives and children live there as a family as life in the prison is considered better than outside as this is normally all they can afford. There are also restaurants, gyms and saunas in the ‘luxury’ sections of the prison. Asking Mike what he did to get inside he replied ‘I killed someone’. Hmmm wasn’t sure what response one gives to that, especially when he reveals a large stab wound under his t-shirt from a fight he was in a month ago. Mike introduced us to his wife and told us she was pregnant and he hoped to be out the prison within a year. Not sure if he was high on something or getting too much money from tourists to bribe a judge but we didnt have the heart to question this assumption. We were just glad that after our 2hr tour we were able to slip out the gates and leave the most bizaare prison on earth behind us.
Needless to say we weren’t allowed a camera inside the prison, so we only have a postage stamp as a souvenier and some pics from the web…
La Paz
La Paz was one of the most intense cities we’ve visited; a manic 24 hour city, which is loud, dangerous, smoggy and busy. At 3660m, you certainly feel the altitude as well as everything La Paz throws at you. Set high in an Andean valley, the main street (El Prado) runs through the centre, with the city growing up the mountains on either side. This makes navigating quite simple as wherever you are, you simply walk down hill to El Prado and find your bearings. Walking also makes a lot of sense as the roads seem to be constantly blocked with traffic (one 10 minute taxi drive took us literally 5 metres round the corner before we gave up!), however the steep incline of the streets can make going anywhere impossible on a hangover! Protests, apparently, are a daily occurance and cause complete chaos by closing one half of ‘El Prado’. The city’s architecture is mostly dull, decaying and dusty, but is contrasted by colourful people (particularly the traditional ‘cholita’ women) and numerous markets. The Withches Market was particularly worth visiting to see the Llama foetuses and other oddities on sale for use in ceremonies. La Paz is known as a bit of a party town, so we took the opportunity to take in some nightlife with other travellers.
Southern Hemisphere Shenanigans... 