Bolivia

I knew I would love bolivia. We rode on the bus for a long time through various desert wastelands. Stopping at truck stops along the way for fried fish. Deserts that meet the ocean are weird. Then we got to this town called Puno that s next to lake titicaca. Its really high up around here so after you re done climbing a flight of stairs you re pretty pooped and have to lie down for a bit. Constantly chewing coca leaves like cud certainly releives the body weaknes and tastes great too. Also I think it makes you more funny! So we got a room because we arrived in town really late at night. Curling up to bed in a cold room sweet. I find sleeping in the cold easy and comfortable maybe from treeplanting. Anyways, I awake into this ultra real dream about arriving at a masive hotel with talking monkeys and glow in the dark ceilings. I notice something is odd and think to myself, wait a second, this must be a dream, either that or Ive been drugged! But then I realize I am dreaming and so I wake up. Turning to my travelling companion I ask, are you ok. We both get up and Im walking around the room but things still seem really strange so I ask, Whats going on, Have we been drugged. And my lovely travelling companion says {No its just the new tvs that they ve put inside our heads. This freaks me out and then I realize Im still dreaming! So I wake up again and my travelling companion awakes too and we were having the same dream. Truly, I dont beleive Ive ever had such a strange experience. I was sure that If I went back to sleep I would reenter that state but the rest of the night went dreamless. What does that mean. So next day we hopped on the bus to Bolivia. Boarder crossing was peice of cake and then around the corner we arrived in Cocacobana. This is where you get the boat to The Island of the Sun. Unlike most south american countries, Bolivia is mostly indigenous. We happened to arrive on the day of a crazy festival! So all these ladies dresed like in the picture are all dancing around spinning their partners and getting plastered! Theres five full brass bands going on at once parading around the square with all these crazy ladies spinning around and falling all over the place with these crazy little hats on! As it turns out, they wear those costumes because of a decree placed on them by the king of spain. I guess before that they were dressed in feathers and stuff like the Incas. The Island of the Sun is where the Incas say their original founders were depósited by the sun god Viracocha. Viracocha is also the name of the god worshipped by an earlier culture called the tiahuanaco. The Tihuanaco were contemporary with the Egyptians like 1000 years before Jesus. They moved masive blocks of stone to build their palaces and nobody knows how they did it. Ive read some places that say that the Viracochas were actually vikings! They say the vikings came here long before Cristopher Columbus and settled on the Island of the Sun and founded the civilization. The Viracochas are described as white dudes with beards. I find that story about the vikings really funny and from now on Im going to beleive it. Just imagining my viking anscestors journeying all the way here to the amazon jungle and instead of pillaging and destroying like those bastard gold hungry spaniards they all dressed in white robes and founded an enlightened society. I could see why they would stop here. It is an earthly paradise. Imagine Banff without winter. The lake is stocked with fish, the air is thin and clear, not to hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too wet. Just perfect. So we decieded to head over to check out the capital city LaPaz. La Paz is a grungy crowded place. We stayed in a neat hostal in the witches market district. All the indiginous ladies in their funny outfits really do look like witches and I guess they really are. In the market theres all these shops selling magic potions and soaps and insence and llama fetuses are hanging everywhere and the witch is sitting their grinning and inviting you in chewing her coca leaves. One witch even spotted the massive hole in my crotch and sewed it up at no charge. She reminded me of my grandma and even told me to have a shower like my grandma always did. I guess you can never be clean enough for grandmas or witches! Here in Bolivia everything is about a quarter or les of the cost than back home so we blew the last of our cash on sweaters and trinkets and bolivian cigarettes for the boys back home. Bolivia is neat because theyre colors are the same as the rasta colors red green and yellow. Also che was finnally cuty down here and he s bigger than jesus. I love it. This is my home! Now we re back in Cocacabana getting ready for the final chapter on the Island of the Sun. All the songs are basically done and Ill be praying for the incan gods to imbue them with mojo so that they enterain you when you hear them. Oh ya, and I bought this ridiculous white outfit to wear when I play the songs. Its all quite ridiculous and strange and wonderfull.