La Paz

The bus dove in on steep streets stacked with brick houses, for the first time in some time I felt intimidated. After a walking tour of the city I happily had a vague lay of the land, and a reservation for a mountain biking adventure with a charming group of Brazilians. Though I hardly planned to have a few days in La Paz I left more than a week after arriving. The streets are studded with vibrant markets, breath taking churches and sprayed with art. On one of my favorite days I found the museum of musical instruments. A lovely winding museum where every room you step into strikes up a tune and you can play the instruments! Afterwards I sat in the Murillo Plaza, where the pigeons take up more space then the people that come to feed them. Couples and children pose for pictures giggling adorned with the tame grey birds. Here, after a fateful conversations with Sean, I decided to climb Huaya Potosi. All details quickly slid into place and at 12 am Wednesday morning Sam and I set headlamps to our helmets and set out for the summit. I cannot think of another experience I've had like this, it's hard to say what keeps you going. We had snowy weather so in the fresh powder each step slid back like climbing in sand. 6,088 meters, my highest summit.