Friday, May 22, 2009

Through Bolivia

Bolivians in their finery. La Paz May 2009

More travelling, less writing.

In La Paz there is an area known as the witches market. Many stores sell supplies for spells and charms including dried llama foetuses.

In Potosi we descend into the silver mines where men of poor prospects trade years of health to put bread on their tables.

In Sucre dinosaur tracks in ancient mud have been raised vertical. Or perhaps there were once spider dinosaurs that could run up and down cliffs.

At night we go see a local dance performance. Afterwards we still feel restless so we go out on the town.

Someone shouts a round of absinthe shots. I have never had absinthe before, but I have heard of its reputation - a strong woody drink with poisons in it that can drive you crazy if you have to much of it. The general consensus around the table is that it tastes awful. I don't mind it though - at least, I find it tolerable. Maybe because it meets my expectations.

The bar is too quiet so we wander the streets looking for some place lively. We hear the promise of music coming from somewhere - an energetic drumbeat playing ticca-ticca-TAC ticca-TAC ticca-TACCA-tacca ...

Soon we see a group of people outside a night spot. But as we get closer we realise they are just loitering around a bottle shop. There is an old car sitting in the street in front of the shop, unoccupied with its engine idling and rattling, ticca-ticca-TAC ticca-TAC ticca-TACCA-tacca ...

We wander on an eventually we do find a nightclub. In the upstairs room they play music in English and Spanish with an alternative rock sound. We dance with the locals. There's one crazy track I immediately love that I think I'd like to play at my next party. I try to remember some of the lyrics and months later I will scour the internet for it, but to no avail.

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