Zebras, Witches, and Coca...Oh My! La Paz, Bolivia.

Upon arrival in La Paz, Bolivia we made our way to our lodging for the next few nights, the very nice Hotel Fuentes, conveniently located near the city center and just steps away from Calle Sagarnaga, locally know as "Gringo Alley," since most of the shops and restaurants cater to the tourists. (Speaking of tourists, we have run into quite a few on our journey, however we see almost none from the good ole´US of A.) Here you can buy all sorts of handicrafts, exchange money, book tours throughout the countryside, or eat at a Thai fusion restaurant. And, you will most certainly be offered fake fossils from a shady looking dude. Honestly, the street was both comforting and a little annoying, being that it is a pseudo-cultural experience.

Since we´ve been here I have been offered marijuana once and cocaine twice. And the guys making the offers are none too discreet either. The first dude just spotted us walking amongst the locals and shouted out, "Hey man. Are you smoking the joints?" When I replied I wasn´t he retorted: "Cocaine?" We kept walking.

On the second occasion we were just chilling out on the curb, eating some American junk food (consisting of Pringles for the lady and Snickers for myself) when a dude walked by and said, "Cocaine?" rather loudly, amongst a small crowd of locals and within earshot of a local police officer. And this was in broad daylight! Luckily, he kept walking when I shook my head. I guess it´s nice that neither of the guys were taking the high pressure approach.

As most of you know, cocaine is a processed stimulant, with one of the critical components being the coca leaf. Well, we wanted to learn a little more about this leaf, which has been demonized in the west and used for centuries as an important herb in South America. So, where to? That´s right: The Coca Museum. The museum is a small, but very informative, place which gives a very objective and balanced view of coca...and cocaine.

Coca leaves, for example, serve to aid the human body in numerous ways: to reduce pain, assist in digestion and (perhaps most importantly for the gringo) to alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness. Almost all Andean people use coca leaves and some cultures (e.g. the people of Taquile island in Peru) greet one another with the exchange thereof, rather than a handshake. The plant has been used by indigenous peoples for more than 4,000 years and the first opposition appeared when Europeans arrived, and attempted to subdue the natives. The Catholic Church Council of 1569 decreed that the plant should be eradicated because it had Satanic powers. This was quickly reversed, however, so the users of the plant could be taxed.

Many centuries later, Western scientists were able to isolate the cocaine alkaloid from the leaf, creating a much stronger drug, which became used for many medical purposes. Freud wrote of the drugs wonders. Ernest Shackleton used cocaine on his way to Antarctica. It was available for purchase in pharmacies on Beale Street in Tennessee. But, only five years later the drug was made illegal by the US government after a member of the Pennsylvania pharmaceutical board claimed that, "most of the attacks upon the white women of the south are the dirtect result of a cocaine-crazed Negro brain."

Despite its illegal status, and our government´s so-called "War on Drugs," the United States is one of many countries which LEGALLY produces cocaine. Stepan Company imports around 100 metric tons of coca leaves every year, in order to extract cocaine (for pharmaceutical companies) and the sell the cocaine-free leaves to Coca-Cola and Red Bull. Many other Western nations have legal cocaine operations too, all the while the DEA is destroying clandestine manufacturing plants throughout South America. It is just a bit hypocritical...don´t ya think?

After we left the museum we walked through the Mercado de Hechiceria, otherwise known as the "Witch´s Market." Here you can get your standard witch fare of soapstones, talismans, llama fetuses and aphrodisiacs. The fetuses are prominantly displayed and typically buried during the construction of new buildings, as an offering to the goddess Pachamama, or "Mother Earth."

Oh, and I have to mention the zebras...

In order to combat the crazy drivers on the streets of La Paz, the city has begun implementing zebras to help pedestrians cross the streets. People are in zebra costumes throughout the city center, assisting people at crosswalks. The more enthusiastic ones will dance in the street, push cars out of the way and give a "thumbs up" to the curious onlooker. It´s a great way to keep people safe, and maybe put a smile on a face or two as well.

After La Paz, we left for Cochabamba on a rather boring 7-hour bus journey, which ran us about $6/pp. Cochabamba is a bustling city which doesn´t see many tourists, and so it doesn´t have a lot to offer, in terms of cultural centers, etc. (But good food is cheap as a result!) We came here as it is a jumping off point to our animal refuge near Villa Tunari, a few hours away.

While here we did stop at the Palacio Portales, a beautiful home constructed by Simon Patiño, the "King of Tin." The man was a self-made millionaire and wanted to flaunt his wealth to all in his hometown of Cochabamba. Sadly he died before completion of the place, and it was made into a museum. His great-grandchildren still run the foundation (and live off of his hard-work) which oversees maintenance of the joint. For about $1.50/pp we got to tour the magnificent structure, which has intricate woodwork throughout, paintings replicating those in the Vatican and a garden that would make Martha Stewart blush.

Tomorrow, we´re off to Villa Tunari and Inti Wara Yassi for two weeks of fulfilling volunteer work...