Hi Mrs.Guazzo!

Thatnks for the compliments. I think writing has always been theonly thing I've been honestlygood at. Every time I do something else for work, I feel like I am lying. With the possiblñe exception of cooking - I am good at that as well. Hopefully,I will make an honest living when I get back. We'll see.

Being sick did really take the wind out of my sails and I also broke up with Carmen, so morale has been a little low. According to the doctor I saw in Cochabamba, it was dysentery (sp?) - a very bad afternoon. My energy was tapped out for about 2 weeks in total. Very demoralizing.

But I am in La Paz now and I like it here, despite being locked out of my hostel at 2 am and having to spend 2 hours looking for another place to stay. If I am ever going to get mugged, I thought, itis here. I even got into a cab to find another place and got a very bad vibe as we headed towards some dark spots of the city, so I left it at a traffic light and had to walk back to the center. Uneventufully, thankfully.

But I was out late watching the La Paz Big Band at a Jazz club called Thelonius and they were amazing. I met some very beautiful Danish women there and it was a fine time. I'm meeting them to go to some of the markets ina few hours. Should be nice. La Paz, fromwhat I have seen, still doesn't seem to have psychically recovered fromthe violence a few weeks past. The cops were fighting the army due to a pay decrease for the cops. They then seized a building in the main plaza in protest and the government called int he army to settle it. 31 people were killed. This kind of thing was a first in Bolivian history.

But at least the hostel I am staying in is beautiful and feels very secure. A very nice old building in the heart of the city.

Travelling this long is tiring, but there are stillmany beautiful things that I want to do here, including several parts of Peru. I am leaving South America on April 17 and going to Mexico City and Cuba for a bit before returning home. I'm meeting a friendin Mexico City, so I hope that will recharge my batteries for the last bit.

And I have lots of photos. I'll be sure to come by when I return.

Hope all is well. Good to hear from you.

Love,

Keith

Hey there-

So I got into La Paz last night and, after searchign for it for an
hour or so with a cabbie, found the Hospedaje Milenio that had been
recommended to me bya few people. I got settled and then wentout to
a Jazz club called Thelonius to see the La Paz Big Band for a
Saturday night. I heard that they were incredible and they were. I
had a few JD & Cokes and listened to good jazz. It was a taste of
home. And the 2 Danish girls that I wound up hanging out with all
night helped things along.

You also needto know that Carmen and I broke up over a month ago and
have been travelling seperately since. Again, this isn't something I
feel like telling M&D until I get back. No sense worrying them
unneccesarily. I've been travelling with a lot of different folks
over the past month and have met some really interesting folks. It's
all for the best.

The illness that I had in Sucre was dyssentery, according to the
doctor I went to. I was in a bad way for about 2 weeks, but am just
fine now. Actually, I feel really excellent these days. He told me
it would not be a logn term problem at all. I'll talk to another
doctor when I get back. Man, does that shit knock you for a loop. I
couldn't move very much for 2 whole days. Again, I am much better
now.

So I left the club at about 2:30 andwent back to the Hostel - many
cabs wait outside the club, so no problems. I get to the hostel, the
cabbie leaves and they don't answer the door for over half an hour of
my hitting the buzzer, pounding on the door, etc. with increasing
anger. These were my first hours in the city and the map is kind of
all over the place - 16th century Spanish settlement - the streets
are a bit chaotic.

I start walking, trying to find a hotel open nearby. The best option
is one for US$50 a night. Considering that I am paying about US$4 a
night for really nice places, I decided to continue walking. I get a
little lost and a cab comes along. I hail the cab, ask for a place
very near the center and near this other hotel and off we go. Abotu
10 minutes later, I notice that we were going to some really shady
areas, so I jump out at a traffic light and ask the guy how much for
the ride, getting a really bad vibe of the situation all of a sudden.
Good thing I only had 2 drinks at the club. He tells me it's 10
Bolivianos, I say it's 7 to get anywhere in the city and then I give
him the coins. He comes out of the cab, follows me to the other
side, shoves me and tells me to give me all of my money.

Do you have a gun? I ask. He looks angry and a little confused, so
I bash him in the face as hard as I can and rush him into the middle
of the street and trip him up to drive him to the ground. I kick the
guy in the head, stomp on his ankle and run down the street back
where we came from. As I round the second or third corner, I run
into a bunch of military guys and ask them for directions to the
center. I walk it quickly, but am seeing more and more military guys
out on regular street patrols, so I relax a bit.

Then I suddenly notice that I have been lightly singing Iron Man for
the past 20 blocks or so.

It's about 3:30 by now and I find my way back to the main drag of the
city. Here I ask a cabbie (from outside the cab) for a good place to
stay. He says there's one right by and I go down the hill. I go to
the first one, they answer the door and I get shown a nice room. A
little haggling over the price and then I try and settle in without
all of my crap. It takes me hours to fall asleep and I wake up at
about 8am.

Over at Milenio,they were very apologetic as I explain everything
that has happened. What if this had been a woman? I ask, really
really pissed off. The just keep apologizing.

Tomorrow, I'll report the whole mess to the tourist office. It's
almost a waste of time going to the cops here.

And then I went to lunch with one of the Danish girls and am meeting
them both for dinner (they just arrived, actually). Strangely
enough, I am very relaxed today and really like La Paz. Funny, huh?

I am really okay, but a hell of a night.

Love you both and see you soon.

K

American women can be a real headache, especially if they're from New
Jersey or Long Island. And just forget Connecticut. Mark my words.
People's hyperconcern about what part of the tri-state you're from
isn't just petty provincialism, it's based on a weird and long string
of experience.

The Dane has classes all day - if she still calls me at the hostel
for a drink later on, that's going to say a lot. Let's hope 2 nights
is enough - she's brilliantly intelligent and pretty gorgeous. I
could do worse.

Jesus H. Christ, is Bolivia a frigging mess. I was planning a trek
and was told that they've had cannibalism issues in one area I was
considering strolling. Ah well - I do need to do some treks, tho'.
There's a much more interesting and difficult route to Macchu Picchu
that I want to take. It's 10 days trekking, but at least it's not a
shopping mall of other tourists going along. I am starting to want
to relaly get away from them. Patagonia and all of it's desolate
nothingness was really the thing for me.

I also got locked out of my hostel the other night and then got into
a fight with a cabbie (not over a cab, with a cabbie). I laid the
guy out - you would have been proud. It was all really strange - I
got in the cab at 3am after I had been locked out and asked him to
take me to a decent hostel in the area. I didn't check to see if it
was a regular company cab. next thing, I start getting a really bad
vibe as this guy starts taking me to some shady part of town, 20
blocks away from where I was and wanted to be. I got out at an
intersection, paid the guy, then he came out and asked me for the
rest of my money. I asked him if he had a gun and he looked
confused, so I hit the guy, rushed him and threw him down. A few
kicks and off I went.

I might have overreacted, but whatever. I actually found a very nice
place thanks to another cabbie that said I could just walk a block
and around a corner to one. Amazing.

Cigarettes are about 50 cents a pack in most places here, up to 75 if
you're getting ripped off. As such, I am smoking constantly and it's
not a good thing. Bloomie's got the right idea in some ways - they
do suck for you. He'll ban it in bars before his term's up. I'm
sure of it. Seems to be the only platform he's got, as far as I've
been able to tell.

Mama Cassie's might be a lot of fun and it will let me write. In all
seriousness, I want to start promoting my wriitng and getting some
things published. I already have a website that wants me to do a
piece on the Antarctica trip, but I have months for it (6) because
the season just passed.

Vy is great. Good for Shareef. And he is a good cook, I think - he
seems to care about food, which is 50% of it. I just wouldn't do too
many eggplant parms, they're such a pain in the ass to make at home.

Blair unfortunately alligned himself with America's worst president
since Polk or possibly Taft. At least Taft did nothing, though.
This one is playing too much on people's fears to support and agenda
that no one seems to be able to reason out.

Ah well.

K
----- Original Message -----
From: "Purdom, Stephen"

Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 09:59:18 -0500
To: "'Keith Christiansen'"

Subject: RE: danish

> You're too much...
>
> Women arent hard to read when then not AMERICAN... well, at
least that's my current view. And I could well be biased. Who'd have
thought that, huh?
>
> Dont be sorry about work, i was just whingeing cos it was sunday
and you were off cavorting with the Danes. hardly that bad, and at
least i do have a job. More rumours of cuts at CSFB by the way, who'd
have thought that, eh? knock me down with a feather...
>
> As for a job, I have already secured you one (running Mama
Cassies's!). It gets a rewf-it and a name change next week. It only
cost $50,000 for a 3 year crack at the biz. I'd be tmepted to put up
that sort of cash myself, that place should be a gold mine.
>
> Two nights in a row? Come on Keith, that ought to be enough for
you. you're hardly a shy retiring type when it comes to women
fancying you, surely? I mean... well, i'm sure it will work out for
the best. More than likely you'll show up in Cuba with her on your
arm and her friend left in bolivia. that would be SO funny - can you
imagine:
>
> S Hey Keith, great to see you.. oh, and who's this?
> K Hey buddy, yeah (kisses danish chick) this is Sylvia (snogs
her again)
> S So how's your trip been?
> K Erm, yeah, super... listen, do you mind if we take an early
night, its been a long trip...
>
> ha ha ha!!
>
> i will say hi to the gang, i'm sure they'll be glad to see you.
Shareef moved in with Vy this weekend; jeez, he made it sound like he
was getting married. i think he thinks he is, in a way, if you see
what i mean. he was partying big time beforehand and has already
invited me round for dinner. Sweet, as he's a decent cook (well, he
was under your guidance!).
>
> As for other things you can do, hmmm, not sure. I guess we're at
that big KC conundrum point again, aren't we? You know, the one which
loomed REAL large last autumn but you dodged (quite understandably,
dont get me wrong, this isnt criticism!!) by heading south to erm,
well, the Antarctic, to be precise. To photograph penguins. And walk
round sniffing live volcanos like it was the new cocaine. And eat
beer brewed in old women's mouths. Hmmm. That's ONE way to avoid
life's big decisions!!
>
> Sorry, the above was cos i couldnt resist it, sat chained to my
desk on a very corporate monday morning with war looming. I think you
should do something where you're your own boss. certainly for the
first few months - it will be too big a change to come back and just
join the corporate schema again after all that travel. That's my
serious advice rather than mild piss taking!!
>
> Oh, and your boy Bush (i know he's not your boy) is - according
to some reports - going to be responsible for bringing down the only
sensible prime minister we've had in 30+ years in the UK. I'm not a
huge fan of Blair, but he is REALLY a lot better than the others
we've had, and supposedly his support for the US without a possible
second UN resolution means his own party is about to turn on him,
supposedly. his choice, I know, but a bit of a blow to the UK. oh
well, i guess at least if we DO get rid of him, we'll be able to
count the votes properly...
>
> ok, gotta havea ciggie - oh, BTW, bloomberg putting ciggies up
to $10, which is the most preposterous thing i've heard. this city is
becoming ridculous to live in.
>
> laters
> S
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Keith Christiansen [mailto:adrifter@mindless.com]

> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2003 9:42 AM
> To: Purdom, Stephen
> Subject: danish
>
>
> We'll find out about the Danes. I'm supposed to be meeting one
of them for the next 2 nights in a row. Who knows, tho'? Women are
tough to read at times.
>
> Sorry about work, but it's always something, isn't it?
>
> Make sure to say hi to PB, Ryan and Shareef when you see them.
Looking forward to seeing those guys when I get back. And why
shouldn't her sister want to meet you? You're one charming bastard.
Otherwise, dating does suck. That's why so many people hate it. Not
looking forward to it myself, but it's not all so bad, either.
>
> Not sure the Danes'll come to Cuba, but I'll try.
>
> Starting to think more about work when I get back. Really think
I need a change of pace and I am not going to do what I used to - too
damned dull. Any thoughts? You've got a slow week.
>
> K
>

I'm looking forward to Peru although not to the Inca Trail. It's very well trafficked. And even though Cusco is supposed to be an amazing city, it's also plagued witha lot of bad elements, including a government that isolates tourists from the locals and forces them to pay more money for most services - most notably are the 2 trains that go to Macchu Picchu. One is cheap and for locals. The other in 10x as expensive for gringos. The incidences of muggings are also high.

After the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) movement was brought under control, it seems liek the gov't has rapidly put its attention toward taking advantage of tourism in a pretty unwelcoming fashion. A shame, really. I guess it's the Inca civilization that was incrdedible and advanced and not the Peruvian.

Bolivia has a great share of ruins as well and I am looking forward to checking out a few different sites in the La Paz area up tot he border with Peru. The Altiplano was amazing and truly shared a lot of the magical qualities of the Peruvian Andes.

My personal solution to the Inca Trail is to look into another Macchu Picchu trip that has been mentioned. It's a tougher route, but supposed to be incredibly striking and goes through one or two other sites, including one of the last citadel strongholds of the Incan Empire. I still keep thinking that I'll want to do the Inca Trail as well. It depend on how thorough the route is. It's supposed to be a 10 day trek, so maybe I won't be in the mood for more hiking afterward. And if I can't do that, the Inca Trail is the fallback.

Northern Peru is also full of amazing sites that I have found out a lot of informatuion about, but probably won't have time to check out. I really need to do more reading on the subject, but finding books in English, especially on subjects like this, is very diffiicult down here. I'll probably be coming back to Peru later on and will likely include Colombia in the trip -it really is an amazing country, despite the warnings. Columbia is putting tremendous effort into reducing negative effects on tourism and I have a lot of COlumbian friends in various cities.

I'll be going to Lake Titicaca soon and then over to Peru. The Island of the Sun in the middle of the lake is the location of the Inca creation legend and there are some interesting sites there. I'll probably spend a week aroudn the lake, starting some time around this weekend. That should be impressive.

I am really glad and feel really lucky to be doing this trip. I should read Shirley MacLaine's book when I get back. So much has changed there, hopefully there is still a lot of charm in the countryside. I hope so.


And yep, it is cold at 4000-5000 Meters, it really is. Much more in the winter when most of the tourism is. I bought an incredibly nice alpaca sweater today for about $11. I'll probably get a poncho on my way back thru La Paz. A lot of weight to haul when modern polar fleece does a fine job for warmth. The textiles here are fantastic, tho'. I'll probably devote a lot of space in my backpack to them for the last leg of the trip. Now is the time I can start buying stuff.

I also found somethign for Rob that I think he'll like. It's a little late for his birthday, but it's on it's way now.

I'll be very impressed if I see a UFO. Could add a very interesting leg onto my trip.

Hope all is well.

Keith


----- Original Message -----
From: "Carol Guazzo"
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 18:42:38 -0500
To:
Subject: hi



Hi Keith.
Was good to hear from you.
Sorry to hear you and Carmen broke up. That is always painful. Will it affect your itinerary?
I am very excited that you are going to Peru. Shirley Maclaine had some very interesting experiences there. It sounds mystical. UFO's seem to a common happening in the ANdes. The natives don't even pay attention to them. Guess servival is a very pressing matter.
I remember the first thing Shirley Maclaine bought was a ponch and brimmed hat. THe nights in the mts. sounded soooo cold but the poncho was toasty. I always wondered what kind of material was used. We sure could have used ponchos here this winter.
Machu and Picchu, Lost City of the Incas were mentioned. I must look it up.
Hope you are feeling first rate now.
Take car.
Love.
Carol G.

Cool - thanks. Cooking would be very cool. I miss it. I think I
said that.

I'm on a 3:30 bus to Puno then Puno to Cusco. Should be there in the
morning... As for Cusco as a stopover... It's actually got a lot of
things going for it as it had been the seat of the Inca empire. It's
supposed to be an amazing and beautiful city just chock full o'
history. There are ruins all over and everyone I have met has told
me that you need a good week just to check the place out. The
unfortunate thing is there have been a lot of robberies and a lot of
other really negative incidents. A lot. A Danish friend of mine bet
me a bottle of wine that I'd get mugged. I'd really like to win that
bottle, myself. Listening to all of the people I've met, I think
I've got about a 30% chance.

But I hope with the right amount of caution, I can still enjoy what
is a jewel of global heritage and learn more about the civilization,
etc. And I never get sick of the Andes. I took a 64k bike ride
througha few valleys yesterday and it was incredible. The vast
majority of it was downhill, so it wasn't really murderous. These
mountains are so incredible. There is something really enchanting
and magical about the Andes.

I'll let you know how this leg of the trip works out. Stay warm and
dry in NYC - is it snowing again?

K

Dear Friends,

After my pampa trip I had to spend another day in Rurrenabarqque as
there weren’t any flights out. I wanted to use the chance to do some
riding, but that is not one of the standard options the agencies
offer. Ronaldo, the boss of the agency I did my tour with, promised
me to organize a horse but it got later and later and whenever I
asked the told me to wait a little more. Finally at four he told me
that he had been two hours on his motorbike, trying to find his horse
that had run away. You may have noticed that I used the time to write
you another report that got quite long according to the otherwise
useless time I had.

Also the next day I had do practice patience, a subject I learned to
be a master in. We were told to be in the office of the flight
company by nine and then the told us hour by hour that we should come
a bit later as the flight was delayed due to bad weather. It got half
past one till we left for the airport. The used the same method for
their prices: First I paid my ticket, then they told me, that I had
to pay for every kilo of luggage exceeding 15 kilos, then there is an
extra charge for the transfer to the airport and finally an airport
tax AND a tourism tax. All in all none of these was expansive but
after spending some days in a town without any banks or ATMs we were
all quite broke.

The plane had only twelve seats and I were sitting directly behind
the pilots, saw the pointers circling on the altimeter. It isn’t a
long distance but some 4000m off altitude difference and the poor
plane had to circle its way up for almost all of the trip. For a few
minutes we even were at some 19’000 feet or 5800m, of course without
a decent pressure cabin. Who wanted could use one of the oxygen masks
but real men have to face the risk of head aches, dizziness,
tiredness and death by altitude sickness.

The arrival over La Paz is spectacular, the city fills the
surrounding valleys and mountains, a fantastic panorama. I like this
city, it is huge but relatively clean, the classical architecture is
nicely broken by some modern skyscrapers and I immediately felt home
and safe (what definitely is not true after sunset). In the middle of
the city is a viewpoint where you can take wonderful pictures.

In the evening I met with Carmen whom I had met on the Uyuni trip. We
almost had also met Keith, but using the internet this is not as easy
as with the omnipresence of mobile phones. For dinner we afforded a
real nice sushi that was quite expensive considering local prices but
incredible cheap considering European prices for the same quality.

But there were new adventures to face: We wanted to visit San Pedro
prison, the main prison of La Paz and Bolivia. We knew that the
prison consists of one whole block of 100 by 100 meters and that
there were two parts, the normal one, were the situations are at
least as bad as you imagine them and one part where you can go if you
got the necessary money. The latter is possible to visit. We had some
controversial information how to enter the prison from some guide
books and Chris (also from the Uyuni trip) who had been there a week
ago. We walked to the prison and so some people waiting to be let in.
Through the gate we could se a crowded court yard. That didn’t look
too nice, but didn’t they say it wouldn’t be a problem?

Carmen had read that it was only possible to enter if you know the
name of one of the inmates but a first trial using a name she
remembered was blocked of by the guards, there weren’t neither any
tours nor a person called John. We reread Chris’ report and found the
name Richard but that didn’t help a lot, either. Bribe them, maybe? I
tried showing my passport including some money bills but nothing. But
the man sending us away had none or only one strip on his shoulders
and there were a two star and a three star officer … finally the two
star person led us around the corner … we had been trying the wrong
entrance the one for the bad / poor prisoners. If you should want to
do the tour don’t go to the eastern entrance facing the park but the
northern one just around the left corner.

Here they knew Richard, yes, we were some friends of his. Richard is
a thin black Caribbean with dread locks. If there is anybody matching
a drug dealer cliché than it is him (though he just looks like a guy
selling you some weed, compare my 2002 Belize reports). He had tried
to step up in the traffic carrier, went to Bolivia, spent there ten
days and then tried to fly home carrying some strange white powder.
Nobody believed him as he said that he had no idea what this powder
was and how it got into his luggage. The ten days soon turned into
years … Richard confirmed that we were friends of his, explained that
we had to pay some eight dollars each, including a fee for the guards
and then guided us through the nice section of San Pedro where only
some 50 prisoners live while in the main section there are more than
1000.

In the main section there aren’t any laws but the one of force, might
and violence, the police enters the prison only in groups of ten or
twenty, normally they don’t enter at all, leave the prisoners to
themselves. Whoever has the possibility pays some 250 to 350 dollars
and moves to the “luxury section”. The money is paid partly to the
self organisation of this prison part and used to maintain the site
and partly to the guards, but only the important ones (stars on the
shoulder?) who get paid for quite a lot, even their daily food is
paid. Then you have to buy a cell, a nice room about 14sqm with own
kitchen and a little but nice bathroom is available for some 4000 USD
(can be sold to others again after you’ve done your time), a good
investment if you have to spend there some years. If you can’t afford
to buy one there are also some to rent. The best cell in the prison
had three stories and was owned by a former bank manager who had
stolen some 10 million dollars from the company. Chris wrote that he
even had a Jacuzzi and his private chef. There are all kinds of
delinquents: many drug dealers but there are also murderers.

Life isn’t bad in there, you can receive visitors 24/7 and some of
the prisoners even have there family living with them which is
possible for an extra fee. There are computers, mobile phones (not
allowed but tolerated), two or three restaurants, a fitness studio
and a pool salon. Living here you have to be 100% self-reliant, but
it is not so expansive, if I understood right 100 bucks a month may
be enough though there is no upper limit. Everything needed is
strangely bought from the other side of the prison rather than from
the outside. In the other side literally everything seems to be
available. While we were waiting in front of the wrong gate we saw
some Japanese looking business man in best suits delivering a
computer with all the stuff you need. I don’t want to know what else
was in those boxes. Chris also wrote that one of the inmates had some
ten kilos of drugs in his cell but was never caught as the officials
always informed him before his cell was to be searched.

The prisoners in the nice section control the life in their part
themselves, turbulence, violence or theft will not be tolerated, you
can even get punished for making noise after half past twelve in the
night. If someone broke a less important rule than he may be punished
with some time in an isolation cell, but in the worst case the will
take you back to the main part of the prison and this is about the
worst thing that can happen to you. Therefore life in prison is
comfortable and secure. If you pay enough you might even get vacation
from the prison, but the price is that high, that you can expect,
that the prisoner will NOT come back after 15 days and hopefully
succeeded in leaving the country.

If you should want to visit this prison just try to smuggle some
drugs or ask Richard who will be there some more time. We definitely
can recommend him, he took more than an hour for us and our
questions, was friendly, funny and competent. If Richard shouldn’t be
there for what reason ever (it didn’t seem to be clear how much more
time he had to spent their) try asking for Anderson, a Swedish guy
who also has to spent some years in La Paz. When we were there his
Bolivian wife was there with their two month old baby. Anyway I had
the impression that all the wives and girlfriends are there all the
time. But even if you don’t know a name it shouldn’t be a problem,
said Richard, just go to the gate and they will help you. Though it
seems that not all of the officers appreciate the tourist tours as we
had to hide in the computation teacher’s cell for a few minutes
before we could leave as there was another officer at the gate who
Richard did not want to see us leaving. He even said that it wouldn’t
be a problem to take a little camera but we didn’t just to avoid
problems. By the way, you can visit the prison everyday, not only on
Thursdays and Sundays as some of the guide books say, though it might
be a bit easier and cheaper on those days.

Chris had another information for the totally crazy of you: If you
pay some 250 dollars, he said, it is possible to spent a night in the
bad part of the prison. The price includes personal security service,
a private cell and all the drugs you want.

What a tour! After a fantastic Lebanese lunch Carmen left the city
and I went to the coca museum. On the museum’s homepage http://www.cocamuseum.com/ you find some
information including a nice photo of El Tio and a mineworker on the
first page. Here a summary of the most interesting points:

History: The use of Coca leaves is very old, the Inkas did even
operate brain tumors using Coca for anesthesia. After the Europeans
came to the Americas the church did forbid the Coca, but when they
found out that the slaves working in the mines were much more
effective when chewing Coca they allowed it immediately again. A
single mine worker uses up to 380 grams of Coca each week.

Usage: Following my newest information it is necessary to use natrium
bicarbonat (bica) as the cocaine can only be extracted if your salvia
is alkaloid. So you put it in the mouth, chew a little bit to break
the cells, let it suck a bit and then add the bica, that’s it. But
don’t use only a few leaves, the people here always have a very thick
cheek that I thought he had a tumor when I saw the first one.
Alternatively they sold coca sweets in the museum that you also put
into your cheek. The taste is a little better but I didn’t feel a
lot. If I was informed correctly the drinking of coca tea has no
effect at all as it is missing the bica. But at least the leaves are
said to be very healthy, many vitamins and other stuff. With the new
information I am tempted to try it another time, but the taste is too
ugly and if you take a lot you get an awful halitosis.

Effects: Chewing coca is more or less the same as a very slow and
controlled consum of cocaine. Coca does not make you stronger but you
can work longer without getting exhausted. Working at their maximum
capacity the coca chewers did use significantly less oxygen as non
chewers. Using coca the body tends to use the fat reserves of the
body, the glucose level in the blood is much more stable. So if you
want to loose some kilos or suffer from diabetes then get some coca …

Cocaine production: It needs some 320 kg of coca leaves to produce
one kilo of coca paste. The past is made by a poor worker who has to
trot for hours in a piscine where the leaves are mixed with kerosene
and acids. The paste is more or less the same as crack, it is
extremely toxic and addictive. Bolivia mainly exports the paste that
afterwards gets cleaned in some improvised laboratories in Europe,
the States or wherever, to finally get the cocaine. All this costs
approximately 3000 dollars for a kilo.

Usage: Besides the worldwide drug abuse (about 50% in the USA) it is
commonly used in medicine, for example there are some 146kg of legal
cocaine produced in Germany each year, 500kg in the States. They told
us that the anesthetics used by dentists are normally based on
cocaine or the synthetic and half as strong PROCAIN. And finally
there is Coca-Cola. Between 1894 and 1914 it contained cocaine, but
still today they use coca leaves for the taste.

But now for something completely different. On the witch craft market
they sell dried llama fetuses. I imagine what would happen if I
brought my mom one of these as a souvenir …

The next morning I wanted to leave for Copacabana and the Lago
Titicaca. As I couldn’t sleep very well due to the altitude I got up
quite early which is at least an advantage. In the lobby I met two
friends who were also going to Copacabana and were just waiting to be
picked up. I managed to get a ticket for the same bus and half an
hour later we were on the way.

In the bus I changed my mined and wanted to go to Puna in Peru first,
visiting Copacabana when coming back. But when we arrived in
Copacabana they told us that the road to Peru was blocked by
protesting campesinos (probably because of the plans to reduce coca
production). So I am here now and rented a little sail boat to spent
the afternoon. But after one hour in the self build boat I gave up
because it was impossible to cruise against the wind. For those of
you who don’t know sailing: that’s very important because otherwise
you will never be able to return to the place you started from.

Tomorrow I will visit Isla del Sol, the place were the Inkas believed
that the human race (or at least the Inkas) were created by god. I
probably will spent their a night and then I have to leave Bolivia as
my visa expires … I would have never thought to spent a whole month
in this country, incredibly.

All the best from Cocacabana, Bolivia

Volker