I have been feeling pretty negative the last two days really. Mostly to do with the fact that both Martin and I have been a little physically sick (a cold combined with the altitude sickness is not all that pleasant) but also pretty tired with constantly moving, living out of a backpack, being looked at a lot (although Bolivia believe it or not is better than Argentina) and just not knowing how to respond to all the poverty that I see around me. Martin thinks that I make it more complicated than it really it is. I think he makes it more simple than it really is. As usual the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

There have been some good and interesting moments though. After our nap in Oruro we went for a walk around that town. Again nothing spectacular but I enjoyed walking around. We sat in a plaza in the sun for awhile and I shut my eyes and felt the sun on my eyes and it was so soothing. We also visited an old mine that is no longer in use so they turend it into a museum. How awful it would be to work in a mine. I was feeling really sick and claustrophobic after like half an hour in there I couldn´t imagine been in there all day.

The next morning we moved on to La Paz. We bought tickets at the front of the bus upstairs so the drive was pretty spectacular especially driving into La Paz. What a crazy city it is. People everwhere, still dressed very traditionally and all with some crazy thing to sell. We went and checked out the Presedential Palace. It is quite attactive and we were hoping to get a glimpse of Evo Morales. Bolivia´s first indigenous president who is making some pretty big changes. The Bolivians we have spoken with tell us that they are yet to feel them but there is hope for the future. We sat in yet another plaza outside and after been hassled for about five minutes Martin aggreed to let one of the shoesshine boys clean his shoes. He did and then Martin cleaned his. You should have seen the looks of the people walking by when they saw that. Anyway we got chatting with them and it turned out that Bolivia was playing Uraguay in the America´s cup that afternoon and the boys did not have a TV to watch it or the ten Bolivianos it costs to see at the cinema so we invited them to watch it in our hotel. It was a fun 2 hours that we spent with them although Bolivia lost 1-0 so they left pretty disappointed. Then Peru lost 2-0 to Venezuala so I had a very disappointed Martin as well.

After a lot of soccer we went out for dinner and stumbled upon a drag show in the street that was trying to raise awareness of gay rights. It was pretty tame compared to Sydney but the crowd was still pretty quiet and didn´t fully know what to do but it was good to see that there is some openess to the rights of homosexuals and lesbians.

This morning feeling much better but still pretty tired and out of shape. Walking around this place is so hard. Two flights of steps and I am gasping. I am not sure why the altitude has affected me so much more this time as I am much fitter but it has. Today we head off to Valle de la Luna which was somthing I tried to see last time I was here but didn´t manage to due to getting robbed and few other disasters so I am hoping today will go well.