La Paz was my next stop on the
way to Peru. I decided to spend their few days, catch up with the news, have my
sleep out but first of all – get used to the next altitude change. Surviving
the stay in La Paz without headaches and other side effects would mean that
Machu Picchu and Cusco, which are situated lower in the mountains, would be a
piece a cake. Well, there was also the trekking in Rainbow Mountains in Peru
but there is no way to prepare to that. You either prevail or not (you can read
about this trekking HERE).
La Paz, the capital city of
Bolivia, is a metropolis, in which around 1 million people live, so much less
than in Warsaw, Berlin or Paris. But the surface area of the city is huge. It’s
located in a valley and on the surrounding hills and expands gradually,
seemingly having no end.
It has a bad
reputation among tourists. Reading about this city on travel and keep fit for a , I learned most of all that it’s very
dangerous and generally not very interesting. I thought that these opinions are
very hurtful and I refused to fully believe them. Thus, I decided to give La
Paz a chance and calmly, without prejudice, observe how its citizens live and
absorb the cultural diversity.
I cared about talking to them to
learn what they say about the city and to experience it with their eyes.
Unfortunately I had no friends in Bolivia, so I found in the Internet a group
of students, who, as a hobby, guide around the town and show less touristic
nooks. We’ve agreed to meet the next day at San Pedro square. We were joined by
a few Dutch and British tourist –(Travel and healthy lifestyle).
The first point was the San Pedro Square
itself, mainly because of the prison situated nearby, or more precisely –
because of its absolutely unique organization. Well, this is a waiting prison –
for all the convicts awaiting their sentences. In Bolivia this is no joking
matter, because you might have to wait even six or seven years for your trial
(even for minor crimes, like stealing a loaf of bread). Of course, it might
turn out after this waiting period, that the accused was not guilty of the
crime… but before anyone verifies the issue, it might be a long, long time. So
in short, it’s a place where committing a crime is exceptionally unviable.
What’s more interesting, the accused are allowed to live there with their
families, with wives and kids. The prisoners are not allowed to leave the post
but their wives and children can, so they live a “standard” life. Women go to
work and kids attend the nearby school. They come “home” for the night, so
basically to a prison.
This place is famous for another reason too. For the recent few years it has been the biggest clubhouse
in the city. It was totally legal to organize tourist trips to the prison,
where the tourists visited the prisoners, played cards or soccer with them and
then drank and partied until dawn. Of course with a sea of alcohol and lots of
drugs, mainly cocaine, which was freely brought in and out because of the
prisoners’ families’ freedom of movement. Just a standard, prison life.
The most curious way to smuggle
cocaine? It was wrapped in diapers and threw out of the prison windows directly
onto the street. Well, it’s obvious that those who do not know what’s inside
would never pick up a rolled up diaper off the street. The diapers were seen
only by those who should have seen them. High level creativity.
And now something concerning
the matter of tourists and safety, because this is a boiling issue on travel
fora.
Recently, the most famous matter was a story
of a British guy who absolutely needed to get to the party in the prison. He of
course came there accompanied by a “guide”, because there is no other way. For
a few hours he partied to the fullest with the prisoners, with help of any
available drugs. But when he decided that the time came to get out, it turned
out that his guide did it a few hours before, leaving him alone in the prison.
When the Brit approached the warden, trying to get out, he only laughed and
answered, that in this prison everyone wants to get out so it’s not a reason to
let him leave and as he already is in the prison, he should probably stay in.
And the rollercoaster started. Getting out of the prison took him over a week,
of course with the help of the British embassy.
And now tell me that it’s not
the tourists themselves, who push themselves into dangerous situations because
of their stupidity and ignorance. Then they return with stories that Bolivia is
a dangerous place.
After this incident the
government intervened and decidedly forbade any trips to the prison (not that
it encouraged them before). But you can always find frauds who offer risky
trips. The naive tourists pay and the trips never happen, so they lose their
money. You’ve been advised for easy ways to stay fit
while traveling.
