B is for Bolivia – and yes, we were there for just one day during our 2011 South America tour. In a ridiculously packed day, we drove from Puno in the south of Peru to the Bolivian border at Copacabana (not that Copacabana, another one), took a boat trip across Lake Titicaca, and then drove to La Paz, arriving there early evening, just in time for dinner and then a night-time stroll before getting up at about 3am to get a flight. Hectic, but great fun!

So what does Bolivia bring to mind? Ladies in those funny bowler hats, perhaps?

What came as a surprise to us, in Copacabana, was seeing the ritual of priests blessing vehicles, in order to keep their occupants safe on those dangerous roads.

If you’ve got the cash, they’ve got the blessing.

Then  there’s stunning Lake Titicaca.

We visited a few of the islands, including one of the famous floating islands, where some islanders came to greet us.

We met one particular family – father, children, and camera-shy mother.

They took us in one of their tiny boats for a little tour around their island.

After we said goodbye to Lake Titicaca, we hot-footed it to La Paz for dinner, and then we let ourselves loose on the capital by night. Nearly all our travelling companions decided to stay indoors. They missed out on a treat!

I particularly liked how they integrated their adverts into the night sky!

The street art could be a bit in your face, mind.

It was a fascinating experience – and a very memorable day. Travelling light was essential!

Thanks for allowing me to share some of our Bolivian memories with you. You can read more about our experiences here, in the blog post I wrote at the time. Tomorrow, it’s back to the theatre, and some shows I saw in 1976. Stay safe!