Heading South

Short Version:
We watch football then drive south, meet the police, and find a place to stay in the city

Long Version:
Playa Buenaventuras treated us well again the next day, which was dominated by the sea. Particularly, sitting in it on plastic chairs, drinking beer. Eventually it grew dark, and we took the chairs and the beer to the house, where we added Scrabble to the mix. Beds were rearranged in response to the recurring, relocated biting ants, and we hit the hay for a great night's sleep, interrupted on ly by the occasional truck ignoring the "No Engine Braking" signs.

Up early again, but this time to the bar instead of the kayaks, to watch Nueva Zelanda v Italia at the Copa del Mundo. We celebrated the draw like it was a victory, rescued a tiny lizard from the jaws of the Manx cat*, then hit the road, south, towards La Paz.

Crazy striated mountains, cacti, wandering cows, heat. Holding a hand outside the (non-airconditioned) van was like holding it in the airstream from a giant hairdryer on maximum.

We stopped at Loreto for gas and snacks, and added it to our list of places-which-look-cool-enough-to-visit-on-the-way-back-north. At the start of my encounter with the Loreto Policia, I was inclined to look at removing it from that list, but by the end of the discussion, with my traffic transgression** no longer top of the agenda, I was back to feeling positively-inclined towards the place. Hi Officer Luis!

Onwards and southwest, to Ciudad de Insurgentes***, where we stopped for a driver change and a wee, and saw a toxic waste dump and some intestines. Not far away, though, was the most modernized/Westernized area we'd yet seen, which we're guessing may have been a post-hurricane rebuild. The number of small**** tornadoes we saw near the road - one within 10 metres of the van - certainly indicated that wind effects were not unheard-of in the region.
We made it to La Paz late in the afternoon, and after some no-street-sign exploring found the hotel we were seeking, which turned out to be awesome. Then out for dinner, which was great - especially the bit where the super-friendly waiter force-fed tequila to the drinkers. Beer til late, then sleeping, and now we're up and about to go shopping for turista stuff. I hate haggling, and don't actually want any of the stuff, so have assumed the role of the "no, it's too expensive, come on, let's go" guy. Nice to be useful.







* = The cat was ultra-cute, and loved Nene. They played a game of jump-up/put-on-floor for a while, then bar owner Mark took the cat outside and told us to watch the reaction. The cat attacked the welcome mat while staring daggers (or claws, as the case may be) at him

** = driving up the wrong side of a dual-carriageway boulevard

*** = City of the Insurgents, I think, which is a GREAT name for a city

**** = We guesstimated 2-5m diameter and 50-250ft high