La Paz

Just an amazing place as it is situated in a bowl with the main city sitting at the bottom surrounded by a sprawl of slum houses all up the sides and on the top looking down on the richer dwellers at the bottom. One thing that strikes you is that being at such a high altitude the atmosphere is thinner and the sun that much stronger. Its like being an incubator although the outside temperature is not exactly t-shirt weather with evening temperatures dropping to minus figures. La Paz is such a modern city in many ways compared to Habana with a real western influence. Advertising everywhere like at home, loads of fast food (yey), modern cars that don´t spew black smoke, a mass of transport, modern cinema. Its a real mecca for the brit backpacker as it seems that the whole of Bolivia catters for the english speaking traveller. I´ve found that my spanish is not needed so much here compared to Cuba. I´ve also found Bolivians to be alot more passive as I´ve just been left alone which has been a real novilty.