Day 97 & 98 (Thurs 14 & Fri 15 Sept 06) La Paz Bolivia

Yesterday marked our last day with Freddy and Julio... our Gap tour leaders who have been with us for the past 25 days and leave us here in La Paz so Shirley (who I am yet to meet) can take over and deliver us safely to Lima in Peru in 21 days or so. It also marked the end of the line for both Hugh and Fran... who leave us for a wedding and home respectively.

So on Freddy´s recommendation, our Gap group headed out to dinner at a Thai restaurant in the wealthy (expat) area of La Paz around 7pm and enjoyed a slightly more expensive meal with 2 courses and 2 cocktails coming in at just 100 bolis or $17 AUD. Interestingly the restaurant was owned by Freddy`s friend Alex who was also a Gap leader until a few years ago. Not a bad business to go into after Gap as you are probably guarenteed a crowd almost every night! Thankfully the food and drinks were also good as it was clear why Freddy liked it. Alex was hot... but straight and spoken for much to Freddy´s disappointment.

This was also our opportunity to serenade Freddy for his awesome efforts as our main leader and so we showered him with compliments, a thankyou cum birthday card (because it is his birthday in 4 days) as well as tips and a couple of copies of the pic of himself he liked (below). Without work clogging up my creative juices, I managed to pump out a little poem for him too. In response, Freddy performed one last recital of the Rocky Horror Picture Show lines Sher had taught him (and the rest of the group as a result). By the nature of his reaction, I think we hit the spot and he will never forgot us!

The pic I took of Freddy


















After dinner Freddy, Julio, "Sugar" Daddy (Clive), Denny, Mari, Hugh, Sher and me continued on to Mongos, the bar come nightclub down the road from the restaurant, to party with the local Bolivianos as well as a few other foreigners. I hadn`t had a big night in a while so quite enjoyed the opportunity to let my hair down again. When we arrived around 10pm we were the only ones dancing... but by about midnight the relatively small dancefloor was heaving with punters. I ended up dancing on the tables with a local couple... entertaining a local business man sitting adjacent(quite the pervert)!


From left, Hugh, Sher, Freddy and me enjoying another cocktail (Mohito)












Just setting everyone straight!















And Hugh too... he is married with a baby on the way!

















And Sher too... well sort of anyway!














Dancing on the tabletop! There wasn`t enough space afterall.
















We left the bar around 1am and after arriving back to the hotel by taxi about 20 minutes later, Hugh and I decided we wanted to continue partying and attempted to head back out. Unfortunately for us we were advised by the hotel staff that it was´t particularly safe to do so... and so as a last resort, we decided to climb up to the roof top of the hotel (via a ladder and skylight) and star gaze while the alcohol wore off. We returned to our rooms an hour or so later, only to discover that I had been locked out of mine. When my attempts at knocking and phoning failed to wake Sher inside the room and I was unable to get my message across to the staff to get the door unlocked, I bunked in with Hugh for a few hours until Julio returned at 4am shocked to discover me in his room sleeping in his bed. He quickly managed to get the hotel staff to unlock my door... and all was well again! Oh what a night!

I missed Hugh`s early departure but managed to catch Fran, Freddy and Julio before they left. Life on tour just won`t be the same without them!

Today I am having a day off and kicking back in La Paz. Tomorrow we depart Bolivia for Peru... Puno I think. Lake Titicaca here we come.

I hope the sun is shining for you all.

Adios amigos,
Emm xxx