Bolivia
La Paz Vendor
We had walked down the entire length of the Witches’ Market when we came to the vendor sitting there among her wares. It was a full service one-stop shopping experience. She had an Incan god for every occasion, herbs to cure all and llama fetuses for every room in the house. We learned that if you buried one under your home you could expect much good fortune. Sales may have not been going well this particular day.
Desaguadero Frontier Station
We were taken off the bus in Desaguadero and asked to walk across the frontier into Bolivia from Peru, clearing customs and immigration on the way through a set of iron gates. It was another half-an-hour before the bus was allowed to proceed over the border. We decided to go and sit with the locals from the bus while we waited. The conversation between these two Quechua women was lively and the only game in town. It was a fine place for a snack bar serving cold drinks, had there been one.
