Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia

 Four of us took cable cars to EL Alto to check out the Mercado 16 de Julio that opens every Thursday and Sunday taking up most of the La Ceja district selling pretty much everything you could think of. Some of the more notable items include car parts, sports equipment, illegal copies of dvds and computer software, second-hand clothing, fake ipods and used medical equipment.  This huge open-air market (estimated five square kilometres) is considered to be Bolivia ’s largest. After about 1.5 hour walk, we had fast food for lunch, then walked about another 45 minutes.  They three went cable car ride passed over the center Cementerio Ajayuni and Chualluma (one of the most colorful La Paz sights). The walls around the cemetery with glass panels in front that almost look like hundreds of tiny apartments. Typically the dead are buried or put in a crypt, but then cremated and ashes are put in one of these spaces. Then families will decorate these spaces with plaques, flowe...

Today I enjoyed my lunch at Manq's Restaurante, a highly regarded fusion restaurant, Manq’a combines authentic Bolivian flavours and ingredients, and presents them beautifully.  The lunch special costed 85b ($6.7) including bread appetizers and three courses with f my choices: (1) Quinoa Salad Bs. 25 (White and red quinoa sautéed with roasted vegetables, herb sause, cheese shingles and dressed fresh leaves). (2) Fish from the Amazon Bs. 56 (Amazonian fish encrusted with chive, açaí sauce, roasted yucca stuffed crumble and crispy cassava). (3) Tapeque Amazónico Bs. 30 (Almond mousse, filled with cupoazú cream with passion fruit on a crunchy cocoa and cupoazú). The dishes all tasted delicious and flavorful, while colorful and refreshing.  I do like Manq‘s dining environment and food tastes better than Bolivian Popular Food. The beef dish yesterday was a little dry while today’s fish was juice and tasty.  The major differences between Manq‘s and Bolivian Popular Food are (1)...

Today I started with the street my hostel island located: Calle Jaén. Aside from being a photographer's dream, Calle Jaén also has a cluster of four interesting museums: Casa de Murillo, Museo del Litoral, Museo de Metales Preciosos and Museo Costumbrista. Purchase tickets at the later for all four museums. Calle Jaén is also the location of many legends and ghost stories, passed down through generations of Bolivians. One of the most famous legends is the story of the "La Dama de Blanco" or the "Lady in White." According to the legend, a beautiful woman in a white dress haunts the street at night. Since I always came back the hostel before dark, I haven’t seen such thing yet. I then walked to Mercado Camacho and the Parque Urbano Central. There were a parade for people with disabilities as well as an exhibition for people in the civil engineering industry in front of the Mercado Camacho. It is a traditional community market with fresh produce and local delicacie...