Soon enough we were through passport control and I collected my luggage and the first person I saw as I left the luggage area was Adrian, who I recognised from his photo on my Atahualpa (Rumillajta) CD cover, even before seeing the placard he was holding with my name on it. He handed me two lovely variegated carnations and said ‘Welcome to Bolivia’ and I was really charmed at such courtliness.
There was a cambio counter nearby so I changed some travelers-cheques for some Bolivian money as I did not have any and had already learned the hard way in Peru that if you pay in dollars you pay a lot more as they up the price! We took the airport bus and again my suitcase was slung on top without being secured, there being no room in the bus, and feeling a bit shy I did not do more than express the hope it would be okay! I wanted to pay our fares but he would not let me and then produced a beautifully wrapped present - to my delighted surprise - and when I opened it, it was his band - Kallawaya’s latest CD called Vuelo Corazon - I was really thrilled to bits because I had been trying for the past 14 months to get an earlier CD of theirs called Kallawaya Fiesta, without success.
The drive towards La Paz was very interesting with Adrian pointing out places of interest on the way. Being higher up it was much colder here and all the mountains around were snow covered (and in fact Adrian said they had recently had snow in the town, it being winter there at that moment). The majestic highest mountain called Illimani looked incredible in the background and in fact every time through high buildings since then when I caught a glimpse of it, the beauty of it was really stunning. I took a few photos from the bus as we descended into the canyon in which La Paz is nestled and whenever the bus stopped to let anyone off or on, Adrian leaned out the window to make sure my case was still there. When we were in the busy part of town and had to keep stopping I was quite anxious in case anyone snatched the case, which was a distinct possibility. Eventually we got off and straight onto another bus and thereafter shortly arrived at our destination.
I was staying in the huge appartment at Kallawaya's recording studio, which is the whole second floor of an enormous two-storey house. The Kallawaya musician who normally lived here was away in Japan, I think organising the next Kallawaya tour in Japan this coming November. As in Peru, property there had to be heavily secured and the house was surrounded by a very high wall topped with broken glass, and above that the spikes going in two directions, therefore impossible to climb over. Similarly the gate to get into the property was a very high metal barred one, heavily secured with deadbolt and padlocks. And to make sure, once inside the front door was triple deadlocked. With all this in mind I felt highly honoured to be able to stay in such a place, with my own set of keys, in such a nice appartment which had several bedrooms, a huge lounge and adjoining dining room, bathroom and kitchen and a nice area off the kitchen enclosed in glass full of potted plants (the first thing I did was water them as they all looked as though they were gasping for a drink!) as well as the recording studio itself.
This excellent accommodation was all arranged for me by Jacco, my Bolivian friend in Dallas, Adrian being one of his best friends, and I couldn’t thank him enough, not just for organising such excellent accommodation but also for being able to meet and be looked after by an ex member of Rumillajta, now an integrant of the new band Kallawaya (although Rumillajta are still going strong and I would also be meeting Rumillajta’s charango player, Jorge Laura, later in the week with whom I’d been exchanging letters since Christmas.
The first day I spent quietly resting which was the quickest way to get acclimatised to the even higher altitude without feeling discomfort. Adrian left me to unpack and rest and came back later with some provisions and then left me in the evening with a promise to come back early in the morning. He lived high up on the hillside, quite a distance from there. I could see the canyon walls from the window and decided to go exploring next day as the studio was right near the centre of things. I did not venture out that night as I could hear a lot of dogs - it proved to be even worse there in that aspect than in Peru - but it wouldn’t stop me going off to explore next day! So I spent the evening quietly, listening to the brilliant Kallawaya CD he had given me and getting settled in. In the lounge there was a great hi fi system - although unfortunately no turntable so I could not play the Rumillajta LP called Ayni (one I haven’t got), which was among the LPs, tapes and CDs alongside it.
The next morning Adrian phoned and said he would be with me in half an hour with my breakfast! I kept busy while I awaited him by sweeping the beautiful parquet floors which were dusty as the appartment has been unlived in for a while, plus I swept all the dust from the surfaces, including all the instruments strewn around (Adrian had workshops making Andean instruments as well as his work as a musician). The breakfast was really delicious - he brought some Bolivian pastries filled with cheese and then made me a really frothy milkshake with apple and banana, which was really delicious. I would definitely make that for myself thereafter as there was a lady selling fruit right on the corner near the house. After that he said he was going to one of the workshops and that I was very welcome to go with him to which I readily agreed. We went on a series of buses as it was quite far away - you would never believe how many people they can pack into those little buses - if someone wants to get out, a load have to get off and then get back on again as there is no room between seats.
As we walked towards the workshop we were almost attacked by two dangerous looking dogs who came running towards us. Adrian had to pick up a stone and pretend to throw it before they backed off, growling quite menacingly and I was terrified and trying to circle around Adrian nearly fell over backwards as in the panic forgot the state of the roads! We got into the workshop without problem though and Adrian said to be very careful as many of the dogs, including those two outside, were very dangerous. Not a very comforting thought if one went wandering off away from the busier parts of the city centre areas!
It was very interesting in the workshop where four men were busy making charangos by hand - great to see the different processes and the different sizes of charangos all in different stages of construction. Adrian pointed to a big pile of wood in the corner and said a load of charangos would eventually be made of that. I took a few photos in there, including a couple of Adrian himself and before we left one of the workers took a picture of me with Adrian with the others. From there we went walking - quite a long walk, up steep hills, down others, up more steep hills - and I mean steep - La Paz is all up and down, hardly any streets level, and I coped amazingly without any problem (but was really glad I took it so easy the previous night as it might have been a different story otherwise). After that we went by bus back to the centre and Adrian left me here, promising to phone me at the house at 4 pm and again at 5 pm if I was not back by then. That morning we had discussed ideas of what to see, and I was very sorry to learn that it was not possible to go to Puno and the Isla del Sol as no one could travel into the countryside because the transport people were on strike. He said it would take three days to do that trip properly, even if we could get there, and that it was only possible to get a boat across to the island at weekends - the problem being that the coming Saturday night was the big Kjarkas concert which I also didn't want to miss. If it had not been for the transport problem, we could have just squeezed the trip in and got back in time for Saturday’s concert. Adrian also suggested flying to Sucre, which used to be the capital of Bolivia and is a really beautiful place - if I went there I could have stayed with his musician friend there - a member of a band called Los Masis - by whom I have one cassette at home. I was tempted but decided in the end to give it a miss as the flights each way were quite expensive.
I was looking forward like mad to Saturday’s concert - it was the 30th anniversary concert of Los Kjarkas - amazing to think they have been famous all that time and are still so well loved. Everywhere in Peru I heard their music being played on radios etc - much preferable to the Peruvian pop music that was also so popular. I heard from Elva again that day who said the roads were no good to travel on and for me to get a flight from Cusco to Arequipa and that she would come to meet me there. This was so kind of her, as it is five and a half hours in a bus to get there from Ilo. I decided to await my return to Cusco before booking the flight and thus save the business of having to reconfirm the flight. I could then phone Elva and let her know the time and date of my arrival which would be a couple of days before my birthday. I was amazed whilst in La Paz to learn that Adrian’s birthday was 8th of July, the same as mine and also the same as Jacco's.
La Paz Street SellerAfterwards we walked for ages trying to find an address where he was buying a charango case and I was really pleased that I could cope so well with all that hill climbing. I didn't notice any difference than if I was back home. It must have been all that coca tea I was drinking, which was a really delicious herbal tasting tea - pity we couldn’t get it in England - and I could not take any home without the risk of ending up in prison! The one thing that did bother me during the day though was the amount of loose dogs, sometimes three or four together, and most of them unfriendly or downright dangerous. While I was with Adrian I felt a bit safer especially as he fended off those two dangerous ones near his workshop. Around the middle of the day he took me back to the centre and left me by the post office as I had letters to post and emails to write and he told me which bus to get back on and where to get it, and also where there was a supermarket fairly close to home.
So I happily went into the Internet cafe and ended up spending four hours in there as I had the long one to everyone to write plus answer a few others. So I didn't actually get to see much of La Paz that first day. When I came out later and after posting the letters, I waited a while for a bus but the traffic was hardly moving and I was still worried in case I got the wrong one as they didn't seem to have numbers on them. A taxi came along and I got in and asked him to take me to Plaza Espana where the supermarket was. Adrian had advised me to get off there and then walk to the appartment as it was not too far. When we arrived at Plaza Espana I asked the driver which direction it was to Plaza Adela Zamudio and he said it was quite far and drove on! So I walked back to Plaza Espana, all the while wondering if it was a wise thing to do as I passed quite a few dogs and had to keep crossing the road to avoid them. One sneaked right up behind me and I nearly died of fright, but luckily didn't bother me. After the shopping, I started walking back but because of the dogs I kept looking to see if a taxi was coming, thinking it was well worth 3 bolivianos just to get back safely even if it was only a short distance. In the taxi I wasn't taking note of the route and when he went all down a street right to the end, where the road disappeared into the canyon if you were unwise enough to continue (!) and said that was the name of the road I had given him (as written on paper by Adrian), I had not recognised we were in the right road. He turned round and two dogs that were resting nearby leapt up snarling and barking and ran after the taxi after it had turned round. This frightened me enough, but then we drove right along that road to the plaza and I could not find the house (I did not know the number) and every time we stopped to check one that looked familiar it wasn't the right one, and we came to the end and I had no choice but to get out.
I started walking back down that road and suddenly a dog appeared and ran towards me snarling and barking and I really did nearly die of fright this time. I am sure it was only the two shopping bags that saved me from being bitten and I managed to back away to the plaza without tripping over backwards - yet again I didn't even remember the state the roads are sometimes in, I was so overcome with fright! Back in the plaza I didn't know what to do and was in a terrible panic and by that time crying as well. I was too scared to go back into that road to look for the house and too scared to linger in the plaza either as by this time it was getting dark. A guardian angel must have been looking out for me because next moment a man was backing out of his drive in his car and saw my distress and came to my aid. When I explained the problem and showed him the paper with the road name etc on, which also had Adrian’s phone number, he said the best thing to do would be to ring that number. He rang on my behalf at a nearby cake shop and spoke to someone but not Adrian, and whoever it was did not know the house number either. So he then suggested I get in his car and he would drive really slowly down the road and that I could take my time but that with his help we would find it. I was so unbelievably grateful for his kindness and when we found the house, he waited in his car until I got the complicated locks undone and the gate open and was inside, before driving away. I wished later that I could remember exactly where in the square he lived because I would have liked to knock on his door and thank him again. Without his help I don't know what I would have done. When I got inside I was so relieved and at first was okay. I put some music on and started cooking but about half an hour later - it must have been delayed shock or something - but I was trembling all over, crying again, and if I could have taken flight away from La Paz I would have done so that night. The person I most longed to run to was Elva in Ilo - she became such a wonderful friend while I was there - and I would have given anything to be with her that night!
However, next morning I was okay when I got up. That was yesterday and this was another day and although I was convinced the previous night that my agenda that day would be to look for a Lloyd Air Boliviano office and change my ticket for a flight to Arequipa, I thought differently when I woke up. I decided that I would check to see what number the house was before going out and would pay the taxi driver double to wait until I got the gate open and got inside. When Adrian phoned shortly after and said he was on his way over I felt happier still. When he arrived he said he was taking me to El Alto and I left with him happily, full of anticipation of seeing another place outside La Paz. It was only about 20 minutes later that I remembered I forgot to look at the house number, so hoped I wouldn't have similar problems that night! I decided I would make sure I got back in daylight and that any shopping would be done in the centre so that I could get all the way home in one taxi without getting out and being vulnerable to dogs again!
