After months of searching we've finally found it...

After spending Chilean peso after peso searching for the best street food in Santiago, Laura and I have finally discovered the cream of the crop here in La Paz. We both have loved trying street food for a few reasons: 1) it's very cheap 2) it's a cultural experience and 3) you're never exactly sure how your body will react which allows for an element of adventure.

We made it to La Paz after a roughly 10 hour bus ride from Uyuni which was an experience in and of itself. Right before the bus departed at ocho en punto or eight o'clock sharp, the company tried to convince us to take the train instead, although we had already paid for the tickets.
Apparently a "woman journalist" had an "interview" with the Bolivian President, Evo Morales, at 7 am the next morning and there was a "systematic error" which prevented them from recording her information. We tried to milk them for a 100% discount, but soon realized that it was just not a good idea and most definitely a scam. First of all, if you had an interview with the president of the country I don't think you would be spending time in Uyuni, a city 10 hours away, the night before. Second, shortly after the bus attendant tried to convince us to switch we witnessed him try to convince the group right in front of us, changing the arrival details and making the story change just a bit. This was a red flag and we decided to accept the hot, spaghetti dinner, watch the woman bus attendant spill boiling hot water on the girl in front of us and sit back to enjoy not sleeping almost the entire way to La Paz. The roads we traveled on were certainly no I-94 but rather the same roads we took in the 4WD Jeeps from San Pedro to Uyuni. Imagine those bumps in the very last row of a massive tour bus... experience. Enough said.

We got into La Paz at roughly 6 am this morning and after searching a few hostels for openings and being either turned down or disgusted we decided to stay at a nice family-run hospedaje with friendly service, "hot" showers and a good location. We are sharing a room with our two new British friends and it is about $4.50/night per person. We'll take that! We have been wandering around half-asleep all day long, tasting the different street foods, inquiring at the Witch's (yes, actual witches) Market and bargaining in the Artisan Market, watching Bolivian women work and getting scoffed at by them, laughing with our new French and Belgian friends, going to museums and watching the Uruguay vs. Netherlands game in a small cafe. All of this with a bright, warm day and you have a couple of very happy Midwesterners who are missing the summer weather back home.

But of course, the most important was what we actually tried from these heavily populous street vendors.

And the line-up is...

Humitas: a corn and some sort of mash mixture wrapped inside of a corn husk. Sweet, warm, and delicious. The woman also told us she would cry if we didn't buy them, so of course our bellies agreed. Price? 2.50 Bolivianos each = roughly $.25.

Salteña: an empanada type pastie, filled with spiced meat and vegetables. Dripping with delicious and spicy juice, which we have not tasted in a long time! I read about these in my infamous Lonely Planet book and we were not disappointed. In fact, we fell in love. Price? 2.50 Bolivianos.

Manas: breakfast. Another fried, empanada-like treat with chicken, potatoes and a few other veggies tucked inside. We stood around and watched the locals take a bite and load the next with a secret sauce we dared not try. We ate them plain but convinced the rest of our group to try them! Price? 2 Bolivianos = rougly $.24.

Ice cream cone: exactly as it sounds. Purchased from one of the sweetest old men in Bolivia and then spilled ever so gracefully into my hair. Price? 1.20 Bolivianos each = roughly $.15.



Peanuts!: salted and sweetened. Absolutely delicious and a sizable portion purchased from an informative Bolivian woman as she was opening up shop. Price? 1 Boliviano per package = roughly $.12.

All in all we have been eating well today and at a cost of literally less than $2 each. I suppose I'll take these Bolivianos over Chilean, Uruguayan, or (fake) Argentinian pesos any day.

I would let you know what we're doing tomorrow but let's just say that we're pulling out the adventure sides of Laura and Kelsey and I think the post-adventure story is going to be much more believable than the pre-adventure. Here's a hint: it was 500 Bolivianos (about $71 US), it's an all-day adventure and I think it will make up for all of the times I've missed riding my bike in the past 6 months.

Be excited, I know we are!

Love,
Kelsey Marie