This Saturday may have been one of my greatest adventures to date! 8am.. This is when our group taxi departed for a day of trekking the Andes Mountain Range in Bolivia. If La Paz at 12000ft, and El Alto at 13500ft was not high enough for the altitude sickness I have been experiencing, we drove and hiked to a solid 15000ft and it was so worth it! “EPIC” is the only word worthy of the sights I saw today. The drive was about two hours and we trekked for another 2 to 2 ½… Honestly, I don’t even know how I could possibly describe the beauty in the majestic mountain tops, the tranquility of the glacier-water lakes, and simplicity of the herding communities. After perusing the photos below, maybe you will have better luck than me: )
We were all pretty exhausted after the long morning of exploration, and the staff was kindly sympathetic giving us the opportunity to relax in the rooms for a bit before dinner. There aren’t too many channels in English but of course I persevered and found one! I spend my break watching Everybody’s Fine starring Robert Di Niro, actually let me rephrase, I spend my entire break crying to Robert Di Niro…What can I say? I am my mother’s daughter.
After an absolutely delicious Italian dinner (across the street from San Pedro Prison, which I am still absolutely intrigued by) the group was ready to hit the town! We first made our way over to the main street and were more than shocked to see a Gay Pride Parade, but I couldn’t get enough of it! The parade wasn’t exactly like the other we had observed or participated in. I felt like most spectators were not there in support, but just to witness the cross-dressing and behavior. Even though we were the only ones cheering (typical obnoxious Americans), I think those walking in the parade truly appreciated it.
I spoke with a gentleman who approached me about the parade who had been living in DC for the past four years and this was his first time returning to the capital. He described how strict and modest the city used to be, no one could walk the streets openly gay. Looks to me like the city is making huge strides for equality in this demographic as well and I have so much respect for that! It is awesome to witness positive change (and hopefully once I leave be a part of it)!
Afterwards, before returning to the hotel, we all checked out the local bar scene at this underground place called Tiko’s and that was a blast. A table near us was celebrating a birthday and we ended up tag teaming the floor with them dancing the night away!
After an absolutely delicious Italian dinner (across the street from San Pedro Prison, which I am still absolutely intrigued by) the group was ready to hit the town! We first made our way over to the main street and were more than shocked to see a Gay Pride Parade, but I couldn’t get enough of it! The parade wasn’t exactly like the other we had observed or participated in. I felt like most spectators were not there in support, but just to witness the cross-dressing and behavior. Even though we were the only ones cheering (typical obnoxious Americans), I think those walking in the parade truly appreciated it.
I spoke with a gentleman who approached me about the parade who had been living in DC for the past four years and this was his first time returning to the capital. He described how strict and modest the city used to be, no one could walk the streets openly gay. Looks to me like the city is making huge strides for equality in this demographic as well and I have so much respect for that! It is awesome to witness positive change (and hopefully once I leave be a part of it)!
Afterwards, before returning to the hotel, we all checked out the local bar scene at this underground place called Tiko’s and that was a blast. A table near us was celebrating a birthday and we ended up tag teaming the floor with them dancing the night away!
