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First Impressions
 The city of La Paz, Bolivia lies at more than four kilometers above sea level. And does your body know it! Standing in the parking lot at the airport after our arrival, we were nearly halfway to the cruising altitude of most commercial flights. I had been forewarned prior to the trip that the city takes most visitors' breath away-- both figuratively and literally. The overwhelming first impression is the view: stark and immense, with a majestic Mount Illimani standing guard over the city. The earthen colors of the high plains juxtapose dramatically against a brilliant blue, seemingly endless sky.
 Our group immediately felt the effects of both view and altitude. Fred Housel, CARE donor and photographer, Suzy Hopper, CARE's photo librarian, and I (Andrea Bigner, writer) ambled slowly down the jet-way and began a 10-day field visit to document CARE's work in Bolivia.
It was winter in Bolivia. The crisp wind cut through clothes-- a stark contrast to the wet sponge summer we had left behind in Atlanta, headquarters for CARE USA.
As we rode through El Alto, a burgeoning city adjoining La Paz, we came upon a great vista. La Paz appears suddenly from below and sprawls upward and outward from a bowl set in the ground. House after house climbs up along the sides, clinging precariously to impossibly steep sides. I wondered why. Why build here on this inhospitable terrain?
I fumbled through the question in Spanish, asking Primitivo, the CARE staffer delivering us to our hotel. He replied with a  single word. "Oro." Gold. Generations ago, the shiny stuff brought settlers here, to dig a fortune out of these cold hills.
We drove on down a twisting highway deeper into the city. Another question, this one more aesthetic. Where does the bright palette of colors that the people have adopted come from? The natural colors that surround the city of La Paz contrast starkly with the vibrant colors that ink the buildings of the city and adorn the clothes of the Paceņos (inhabitants of La Paz). Shades of brown cloak the vast altiplano (high plains). This is lightened by the gray and white of mountains and topped with the deep  cloudless blue sky. It is starkly beautiful. But upon the backs of this improbable city's people are colors, vibrant and nearly electric. On its buildings, both old and new are bold, playful and happy colors. Aqua, lavender, red-swirling and dancing playfully together and put together in a haplessly beautiful non-design that in this place, made sense. It is exciting-- a feast for the eyes.
I had read several guidebooks prior to our trip, and spent much time at the library, examining photo essays on the country and South American culture. But nothing could have prepared me for the breathing, walking and talking reality of this country's people. I'd seen the pictures of Aymara women, with their traditional layers of petticoats, babies upon their backs, swaddled in colorful textiles. I had studied the lines in the faces of people who live in the high plains, whose skin is red and chapped from wind and sun. And I had seen maps depicting just how high this place is. And though a picture is worth a thousand words, the first-hand experience had an infinite word count.
Getting Acclimated: "Another Cup of MatePlease"
Headache, nausea and shortness of breath are frequent side effects of high altitude. It is unpleasant, but not unbearable. Locals claim that drinking mate de coca(a tea made from coca leaves) soothes the effects of the altitude. I don't know if its true, but I downed cups of it every chance I got.
Thursday was our day to spend the day adjusting to the altitude and taking in whatever we could of La Paz, should we feel up to it  physically. It was coincidentally, Independence Day in Bolivia, and La Paz was alive with festivities.
Suzy, Fred and I ventured out to Calle Sagarnaga, a street where artisans and local merchants sell their wares in booths that line a narrow uphill cobblestone street. The shops are replete with handmade crafts ranging from woven wall hangings to hand knit sweaters, hats and mittens. Enterprising Aymara women display a strange mix of goods. In a single booth might be guitars, black market computers and ornate shawls. There are bolts of festively colored woven fabric, and shopkeepers ready to bargain.
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