Bolivia
Although the bowler hat is a fashionable in the early twentieth century, it is believed that it was an
importer who mistakenly received a batch of brown hats instead of black, the ones his clientele used to
order. To save his "bad deal" he tempted women, so he touched her coquetry and it was born a
tradition that amazes visitors.
departs once per day from
Copacabana to La Paz
To reach La Paz from
Copacabana you must cross
the Strait of Tiquina by boat.
The transfer is very peculiar.
The bus crosses in a ferry
and the passengers cross in
a separate boat. Crossing
the Strait is already included
in the bus ticket.
The Strait
Crossing the Strait is one
of the most extraordinary
experiences I have had as a
traveler; the boat reaches
extreme limits in terms of
capacity, so that the edge of
the boat almost touches the
water. The crossing is during
the night so it seems like
being touching the sky with
the fingers; the number of
stars you see is amazing. It
is worth it. Next to me, an
old women in a song on
quechua speaking, talk
something i don’t
understand, and when she
finish it, performs a prayer
in Spanish imploring Jesus:
"Dear God please do not let
me die in this place. The
water scares me and I do not
want to die like this" it is
when you realize that before
it was not a prayer song.