La Paz. Peace. Anything but. It feels like you've been beamed 20 years back. La Paz is a bowl like city, and the whole city slopes up from a central point, with houses the only thing to see on the horizon. Dried llama foetuses hang by the neck from witches' market stalls, and smells you wish you'd never smelt colour the wild, people-filled streets. Lee gets his bag slashed, but luckily nothing is stolen. Becky replaces her camera with a superior model.We book a bike tour along 'The world's most dangerous road'. What better way to celebrate my last day in my 20's!
And as we set off along a barely started let alone finished road, sheer drops to my left hand side and road corners dedicated to accident prone cyclists, I wonder if I will make it to the big 'three-oh'. In 5 hours we wind down 64km of road and 3600m of height, almost losing Lee to a badly timed skid inches from the precipice. Relieved and exhausted we reach an eco-nature reserve. Monkeys, bears and parrots cheer our success.
A funny tummy greets me as soon as I step foot into our hostel room. The best timed illness I have ever had thretens to ruin my birthday the next day, as I cling to the toilet and rest my head on a well placed sinkbowl. But a breakfast of Pringles and coke fuel my recovery on a 3 hour trip to 'The Isla del Sol'. I am fighting fit to spend my first day as a thirty year old on an island where the Inca dynasty originated. It cheers me up to receive open cards with messages from friends and family, and I'm not ashamed to say I had a tear in my eye as I read ¨getting old¨greetings from my nearest and dearest. Thanks Becky, you lovely, sneaky thing!
A boat trip to the island from mainland Copacabana, and a long trudge up the virtual cliff face along Inca steps, and we're in the most amazing spot in the world, overlooking the reflecting surface of Lake Titikaka. Our hostel owner promptly ruins the suprise but not the effect of the biggest birthday cake I have ever seen... who would have thought I could understand 'cake' in Spanish, I must be improving! Local girls tuck into and consume 4 slices of cake in record time and pose for a lovely birthday group shot. Face mask, flower pot hat, chocolates from Lee&Lou, stripy scarf and a rainforest trip - how lucky am I?
Well timed Easter day fireworks explode in the sky as we tuck into a wine soaked trout dinner served by giggling teenager waitresses. What a place to be on such a wonderful day!
View `I'm Firty´photos here
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