La Paz (Bolivia) - highest everything

The journey to the highest global capital, across the Andean plain, was a treat in itself. Snow capped mountains, clear blue lakes and llamas everywhere. Once there, the city is geographically pretty interesting. A sprawling city trapped in a divot between mountains and ridges, with views of peaks all around. That said, it's a bit of a dump and the smattering of colonial buildings, surrounding by less elegant modern offerings, do not put it in the league of a Lima or Quito.

Wandering around at the hilly streets at that height is tricky and I wasn't feeling the best. So, apart from the obvious, obligatory visit to Bar Ruta 36 (enough said about that) and a curry in the world's highest indian restaurant, all I really did was shop. My most treasured purchase was a painting by the internationally exhibited artist xxxx. It feels a bit wrong bargaining with the man himself (imagine trying it in Australia), but a reduction from $450 to $220 is not to be sneezed at. After that, I assembled a huge collection of scarfs, t-shirts and hats, in an attempt to find something for everyone who helped me get away 13 months ago. Unfortunately, the size of the haul meant the only bag I could find to fit it all in, was a hippy-style, cloth guitar case. For my last 10 days, there is every chance of me being mistaken for an Argentinian busker.