Slowest internet connection known to man!

Its Sunday here & I swear all the fast internet cafes are closed... I wanted to upload my photos just in case the CD gets misplaced or stolen whilst I'm traveling but it'd take 4 hours to do here so I'm only uploading about 10 or so. Hopefully the fast cafe will be open tonight & Ill get to do all of them.

I didn't get to finish updating yesterday... Think I got to Friday.

Friday (7/05) - The bus to LaPaz & crossing the Bolivian border... When I got on the bus they gave me a Bolivian immigration form to fill in which was cool then after a few hours the bus stopped at the border & said that this was the place to change money. So I changed over some money then went to get back on the bus & was told to walk... Very interesting I thought... Someone pointed out the Peru immigration office so I stepped over the chain that blocked off the road so the bus couldn't go through & went & got my passport stamped - my passport is looking pretty cool & is getting lots of stamps :) After that we had to walk about 100m or so (cant quite remember) then que for the Bolivian immigration office & get our passports stamped & our entry visas. After everyone had that done we got back on the bus & made our way for Copacabana which is a lovely little lake side town. We got to stop here for just over a hour which was cool. I walked around the town a bit & had some lunch. I wasn't sure of the exchange rate but think I did ok. For soup & a bottle of water & it cost about Bls.9.

What I didn't realize was that in Copacabana we had to change busses. What sucked was that this one had no toilet & was a bit smaller. Here was me thinking it would be fine to drink a whole bottle of water cause there was a toilet... Needless to say I spent the last 2 hours of the bus trip hanging out for a bathroom. Anyway the trip through Bolivia was just a beautiful as the Peru part. Looking out over the lake with the ice capped mountains in the background & the bright blue was really nice. At one stage of the bus trip we all had to get off the bus & go across to the other side of a narrow part of the lake by boat, the bus went by barge. It was really nice, not to mention pretty :) I met 2 Aussie girls on the bus along with a girl form Holland, Kitti, who sat next to me. We got to Lapaz about 5ish I think, cant remember. Kitti & I decided to stay at one of the cheap hostels together, so made our way there with a couple of other girls Id met on the island tour.

Its Catcus hostel & cost Bls.23per night I think. Something like less than $4au per night. The bed I had was really bad & so lumpy so Id planned on changing hostels yesterday but Kitti offered to swap beds so I slept really well last night :)

Saturday (8/05) - Kitti & I slept in then spent the day wondering around the city & sitting in a few of the plazas people watching. It was really nice just to be able to sit there & not have some one approach you wanting you to buy something. In Cusco it was really bad & in Puno when we ate dinner they waited out side the restaurant so they could try to sell us something when we came out.

Its funny, everyone warned me about LaPaz but I actually really like it! Its strange, I never thought I was really a city person but its reminded me how much I actually missed been in a city. We ate lunch at a local restaurant - Laza for Bls.5 ($.90au) for the standard 3 courses. The restaurant was full of locals so was a bit of a experience. The food was good but the floor was filthy. After lunch we walked around again then went back to the hostel & chilled out a bit.

For dinner we went to another restaurant & paid Bls.18 for a really really nice meal. Once again 3 courses. I cant finish it all so I don't even bother trying. Still think I'm loosing weight which is a bit annoying cause my pants don't fit right... I spose Ill live :)

Today Kittis gone to the local markets about 15min out of the city & I went and had a great breakfast where I ran in to one of the people on the bus so we sat & ate together which was nice. I had fruit salad, banana juice, scrambled eggs & Coca tea, a very nice breakfast for Bls.15. This morning I also brought a really nice poncho, supposedly alpaca, for Bls40.

I haven't taken my camera out with me here though. To many people telling me to be careful. I've decided I want some photos so are going to do the real tourist thing & get on a red double decker bus this afternoon & do a tour, $6us/Bls.48.

I've booked my tour of the salt pan desert for Tuesday so I'm going to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow & catch a bus to Oruro then hopefully get a train ticket for the 3.30pm train to Uyuni. It takes about 3.5hours to get to Oruro form LaPaz then the train leaves at 3.30 & gets to Uyuni about 9pm I've been told. I like catching the bus (train) during the day that way I actually get to see a bit of the country. I haven't booked the bus ticket to Oruro either, the agent I booked the salt pan tour with said its easy enough to get form the bus terminal. So cross your fingers for me that I make it to Uyuni tomorrow night...

Oh, It also sucks here that I have no mobile phone coverage. First in Puno I couldn't find a power point & now no coverage... Oh well such is life :)

Probably wont have access to the internet for the next 4 or 5 days either, so mum don't worry about me, Ill be fine. There are so many other travelers here its not even funny.

I think that pretty much gets me upto date. I better go other wise Ill be late for my tour.

Oh & a huge HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to mum & both my Nanas. Id hoped to send a e-card but this internet connection is just so dam slow! Love you heaps!

LaPaz - Bolivia, Sunday 9th May, 1.40pm