La Paz

The night bus to La Paz was rough. There was no paved road for the first 160 miles. I sat beside a backpacker who probably hadn't had a shower in 3 days, and was slightly on the turn. For my sins, I'm sure I snored quite a good bit of the way. So we were quits. We arrived in La Paz at 7.00 am.  The stalls were in full swing and the streets were packed with traders. It's a rough city. Life is tough here. You can see it on their faces. The city is totally congested. Most of the traffic is comprised of taxis or micro-buses.  Ordinary people don't drive. To see the traditional dress on most people was striking for a large city. I was surprised by this.  Walking around later that day, I realized there must be some unwritten rule not to take photos of the locals. I felt it would have belittled them and made them no more than a curiosity. I really wanted to take photos of the everyday people but I just couldn't. It felt wrong. Not only that, I might have been flashy and dangerous. Below are some from a distance.  I was glad to get out.