Ok, dramas averted mostly, we arrive into the most beautiful city I have ever been to - a big call, and it's mine. The sign says it's the world's highest, others would probably say it's the world's poorest..
The beauty is astounding. On the approach, a glittering array of buildings appear on the plain. On closer inspection it was due to the intense sunshine melting just fallen snow. Then we began the decent, words don't describe how magnificent the setting was, and neither will my photos..
Let's just say the whole northern bank of mountains are 6000 metres plus and capped in pure white snow. These lead to steep slopes where the poorest cling, to be part of both the mountains and the glittering city nestled below in a perfect hollow.
Things got better, with every street a combination of stately Spanish colonial architecture, the cheapest of recent construction multi-storeys and, in amongst it all, more open street markets than the rest of the world combined. Nothing was off limits, if it is tangible, it is for sale on the streets of La Paz. Being a farmers marketeer, I was in paradise in the streets of fresh produce, with all the colours and assortments that would make even Jan Power, Australia's open air market afficionado, green with envy.
After being overloaded with ideas from the markets, we headed to an Englishman-run pub, which guarantees the worst cultural experience in South America. Nothing new, the same food, and music you're used to etc etc. Only to find Bolivia is the cheapest country in the non-communist world, which is funny actually, because everywhere you look there are billboards of the populist president Evo Morales arm-in-arm with Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.
Tiahuanaco is in the Bolivian Andes lying 3800 metres above sea-level. It is located some 24 kilometres from the shores of Lake Titicaca. Some have hypothesized that its modern name is a corruption of the Aymara term "taypikala", meaning stone in the center.
As with many other sacred sites on the planet it remains an enigma allowing reseachers to speculate on its origins and purpose - then paralleling their conclusions with other ancient civilizations - on other major grids points of the planet - left behind by unknown beings - surviving in time - with great stone markers which bear clues to humanity's creational story. Gods, temples, idols, metaphors - all clues in a puzzle humanity is unraveling at this time of conscious awakening. Much of the construction is unfinished.
Tiahuanaco is believed to be the capital of the Pre-Inca Civilization. The city is believed by some to have been built by the Aymara - the Native South Americans inhabiting the Lake Titicaca basin in Peru and Bolivia.
Some believe this is the oldest city in the world. Others believe it was built by an extraterrestrial race who also created the Nazca Lines.
Building was begun at some time before A.D. 500, and there is evidence of additional construction (c.1100 1300). About 1000, Tiahuanaco culture spread to E Bolivia, N Chile, and Peru; the culture flourished for about 200 years. Built of massive blocks weighing up to 100 tons and brought from several miles away, the structures of Tiahuanaco are superb examples of masonry. The stones, fitted together without mortar, were cut, squared, dressed, and notched with a precision equaled in no other aboriginal South American civilization, not even the Inca. Construction is largely of the platform or monolithic type decorated by conventional incised carving or heads in low relief. The creators of Tiahuanaco also excelled at ceramics; Tiahuanaco painted pottery is one of the great achievements of pre-Columbian art.
Tiahuanaco was the center of a powerful, self-sustaining empire. The roots of the Tiahuanaco capital can be found in the early village underlying the 2.4-square-kilometre civic-ceremonial core. The city was settled by 400 B. C. on the Tiahuanaco River, which empties into Lake Titicaca 15 kms to the north. The small farming village evolved into a regal city of multi-terraced platform pyramids, courts and urban areas, covering a total 3.7 square kms.
Traditionally it is thought to have been built by the predecessors of the Inca Civilization over 2,000 years ago. It is a mysterious ruined city of extremely ancient origins.
While restoring the city, huge staples were found between the stones. A groove was carve in the edge and molton liquids were poured within, which hardened, forming this staple.
Tiahuanaco society was self-sustaining, for its agricultural, herding, and fishing resource base was more than sufficient to support the complex state administrative apparatus and the population under its control. The Tiahuanaco Empire collapsed between 1000 and 1100 A. D. It was a magnificent royal city that was calculated to inspire awe in the commoners. The walls of the temples and the stone monolithic statues and gateways are now shorn of their gold, textiles, and painted surfaces, which for centuries had shimmered from afar in the bright sunlight.
Little is known of the 30,000 to 60,000 urban dwellers or of the city's crafts or administrative functions. We also know little about the storage system that was required for the bounty of surplus foods from the agricultural fields, the vast llama herds on the Poona, and the abundant fish caught in the lake. The core of this imperial capital was surrounded by a moat that restricted access to the temples and areas frequented by royalty.
Tiahuanaco fell from prominence after Lake Titicaca's water level lowered and the shoreline receded from the city. Today the waters are many kilometres away.
..or have other people bought stuff purely on the attractiveness of the sales person...
Ok, I've said it before and I'll say it again, these Argentinians are supermodels..and one such individual just cost me over 1000 pesos.
Due to the devaluation of the Argentine peso, everything here is a third of the price of Australia. I mean eating at a very swanky restaurant will set you back $12. So I decided, as I have lost a heck of a lot of weight while being in super model land thanks to a diet of Argentinian beef and, well, more Argentinian beef, and whilst I have to get new stuff back home, I may as well do it here where the styles are better and at a third of the price.
I entered a particularly beautiful Polo-themed store lots of dim lighting, lots of antique silver trophies in the stylish cabinets, which were being cleaned by equally stylish and very sexy senorita in a rather quaint black and white maid's outfit (I thought those were only for dress ups). The theme kept going with saddles, bridles, very, very grand leather couches and ornate wooden furnishings.
So, of course, immediately you are taken to the turf where masculinity and class abounds, and you just want to be part of it. and believe me, when "Adonis" appeared as I was casually checking out a few long sleeve summer shirts I WANTED to be a polo player.
Whatever he gave me to try on, I was ready to buy. My heavens, I have never seen such an incredibly attractive person in a great polo ensemble to boot. Hell, he looked like he'd just left the Moet & Chandon tent to check the state of play on the field.
I really can't believe I am now the proud owner of four very polo, very expensive shirts!
I am such a sucker, am I the only one ???
Damn these Argentines, I have to get out of here before I do something REALLY stupid. Well, they do have gay marriage here so where is the address of that store.
Jan 23, 2008
Last night in Paradise, and I'm trashed
Hi, my name is Dave and I am rather drunk! Not because I stayed late at a bar, made friends with the staff and hung out for 24 hours sounds fun but no, after the necessity of a huge diet in the Andes the opposite has occurred down on the Argentine Pampas, I have been eating just the once each day steak, steak and more steak and, well, today being my last day, I chose to add a glass of vino to my daily meal, Umm, my Spanish isn't what I thought, so when the bottle turned up to my table of one, I succumbed and continued with my steak and washed it down with the Malbec.
Only problem is, with my very small diet of the past weeks, the alcohol went straight to my head - So yep, there I was in the middle of Buenos Aries, drunk as a skunk. Funny thing is that walking into the steakhouse, I had been handed a flyer with the details of a local AA meeting - it was all too surreal!
The deal with my last day was to race around and either get to a beach in Uruguay or down to the insanely packed beaches of Mar del Plata. just so I have experienced it all (not just the Pampas, Andes and deserts).
A mere seven hours later I am still trying to sober up and no, I didn't even get far from the city centre and I reckon, due to my traipsing, that I probably passed most of the city's thirteen million inhabitants.
Back home I would just eat a greasy hamburger and hey presto I'd be good to go. Well I tried to force down an empanada and no such luck, my stomach has shrunk and still won't take a thing. So these are the joys of my last night in paradise - drunk and disorderly.
But the upside is I got back to my hotel without being arrested and anyone who has travelled with me knows that's a turn up for the books!!
