La Paz, Bolivia

We´ve been in La Paz for a few days now and it´s a city like no other we´ve seen. It mostly consists of market stalls and traffic with the odd building thrown in for good measure. Bolivia has over 300 species of potatoes. That little tidbit is a gift from me to you. Next time you dominate at trivial pursuit you can buy us a drink.

Well we´ve just gotten out of a Bolivian prison. It has to be one of the oddest tourist experiences I´ve ever had. The prison was made famous by the book Marching Powder about a convicted English drug trafficker (apparently Brad Pitt has bought the rights to the book and is going to make a film about it).

It´s in the centre of La Paz and once you are sent there you're pretty much on your own. Everything is for sale there...everything! You are expected to pay for your cell (ranging from $300 to $800 US) which you keep for the duration of your stay. If you fix it up you can sell it for more when you get out. You only receive one meal a day, which alot decline and there are food stalls and shops around as well as barbers etc. If you know someone there you can enter for free otherwise you need to bribe your way in like we did.

There were kids of inmates running around asking for sweets and playing table football, pool, etc. Wives were there making food. It was like a little community all by itself. The eight sectors of the prison have a football tournement each year and get to paint a huge wall with their symbol if they win. If you have money then you´ll do OK and eventually bribe your way out (like I said everything is for sale), if you don´t...

I pumped some iron in the court yard to try to fit in. Not sure it worked.