You never know what to expect when traveling around in Bolivia! I had to re-schedule my week of city visits in La Paz when the Pope came to town. The El Alto transportation hub was essentially closed for days as people prepared the parade route. And offices were closed too. So I had to cancel many visits until Thursday, after the Pope had left.
Then the only challenge was the road blocks. Road blocks are a common way Bolivians bring more attention to issues they think might have missed the governments attention, such as in this case, development work that was left undone in the city of Potosi.
Though not all is a huge challenge. The new Teleferrico cable car system makes transportation from the high altiplano region of El Alto to the center of La Paz 1,500 feet below a joy. I felt I was the Pope myself ascending down from the heavens to meet the people of La Paz, as I rode in my Yellow Line cable car for the first time. And at just $.45 (3 Bs) each way, you can’t beat the price.