Estoy en La Paz!

Well, I lied about the trip being 18 hours (apparently) but, after changing planes in Atlanta once on the runway because of faulty emergency equipment, I made it safely to La Paz. I arrived at 8am and took a taxi to my hotel. Once the taxista realized I could understand him he gave me a nice introduction to the city as we drove in.

La Paz is surrounded by the Andes. Below is a photo I took of the sacred Illimani, the highest peak in the Cordillera Real. Illimani means "golden eagle" in Aymara.


60% of Bolivians are indigenous, either Quechua- or Aymara-speaking. Bolivia now has its first indigenous president, Evo Morales. Times are interesting here now politically because on August 10 there will be vote on people's confidence in him as their leader as some departments have threated to secede: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7396809.stm

Thanks to my fellow Emory friends, I had a hotel reservation when I got here. Hotel Espana is centrally located and has one internet connection in the lobby, of which I have been making great use. The only downside to this hotel (and apparently any building in La Paz) is that there is no heat! This is an issue because although during the day it might get to 70 degrees, at night it can get down to 20 degrees!

Here I am attempting to go to sleep. I brought my sleeping bag which I put between the heavy blankets on the bed. As you can see I have my hat and neck warmer on. What you can't see is that I have my gloves on too!


La Paz is a city of over a million people and is a mix of many things. Men in suits walk next to Aymara women in their colorful skirts and bowler hats. Here is a photo of a plaza near out hotel:


Here is the obligatory political mural (what else did you expect?):


This one seemed appropriate for a city named "La Paz":


Signing off for now. More to come once I actually start my research on Monday!

Love to all,
Kim

BIENVENIDOS!

Hi y'all,

I leave tomorrow at 6pm for Bolivia, an 18-hour flight via Miami. I'm excited but madly packing and trying to figure out what to bring. I'm hoping to have time to keep everyone updated via my first-ever blog. I hope to posts updates and photos to share my experiences with you all.

I'm going to be doing research on the health effects of pesticide exposure on pesticide retailers and will be working with the NGO PLAGBOL (www.plagbol.org.bo). There is very little information on the effects of pesticide exposure on this group of people. My current plan is to spend most of my time in La Paz (which is at about 12,000 feet) with trips to Cochabamba and Santa Cruz to do interviews there as well.

Thanks for checking in and feel free to leave comments.

~Kim