La Paz, Bolivia restaurants (Taxi from airport to "downtown" should cost about $5-7)
Residencial Rosario (excellent breakasts and buffet style dinners), good wines, music thurs., Fri and Sat. Say hello for me to owners, Senor Claudio
(near Rosario) upstairs, EL LOBO, Israeli owner Wolf, say hello for me--greasy spoon, good, Coner of Santa Cruz, parallel with Sagarnaga and Calle Llampu (same street as Rosario)
Nice little sandwich snack bar on Calle Sagarnaga on left side going up 3 doors past calle Linares, in front of Hotel Sagarnaga . Good, clean
Eli's, on Ave Prado, has been there 50 years, classic int'l food, also Eli's Pizza next door (sometimes good, sometimes not) Restrants are next to good theater..
HOTELS - Residencial Rosario, in heart of handicraft and Indian district, very central, clean and has room heaters, a little bit expensive, hotel has little day tours to spots of interest (Like the "Devil's Tooth, minutes from downtown La Paz), and tour office for reservations. Can confirm and arrange international flights from there. Take Turibus from Puno Peru (it's theirs and good buses) to arrive right at their door about 5-6 in aftemoon. owners are friendly. also, some newer and cheaper hotels near Rosario on Llampu. Hotel Gloria, mid-range "fancier" hotel, impersonal, more expensive.
Handicrafts,
all around Calle Sagarnaga and Calle Linares (everybody knows me Margarita de Ecuador, la Gringa! say hello to everyone. Calle Linares on both sides of Sargarnaga: Senora Emma, and her neice and nephew Isabel and Oscar, Mary Lanza and Charlie (a south african) of WARA store (the best in jackets and vests!), Flora and Hernan at Artesanias "EVA" ~excellent collector's pieces), Ricardo of CIJRMI sIore the best in purses and wallets and bags, etc. ALSO down on Calle Sagarnaga, near Plaza San Francisco, there are malls with beautiful gourmet sweaters. lots and lots of shoping!
American woman has stores ARTESAMA SORATA, Diane Bellarny, one on Calle Linares and one on Calle Sagarnaga (say hello for me)
Indian Women's knitting cooperative with little store in barrio EL ALTO (25 min taxi ride), "Senor de Mayo" Cooperative, also called ASAllBOLSEM--lJrbanizacion 1 de Mayo, Plan 48, Mx T #13, speak with Antonia Rodriguez de Moscoso. Say hello for me (Margarita). Nice way to see surrounding areas of La Paz, don't go on bus. Taxi there should cost around 5-7 dollars, one way. Arrange for round trip and for taxi to wait for you 831-061
COINCA coca products (government runned) shop, for altitude relief, swig COCA EXITACT (Extracto de Coca3, take a sip every hour or so (for much sweeter vertion, JARABE DE COCA) - abollt $2 a bottle, (stairs in DORAL MALL, Calle Sagaraga and Calle Murillo (down close to Plaza San Francisco). Sometimes they are closed in the mornings and open at 3 pm. You can buy the Extract in a lttle health kioske in little wall-in mall next to San Francisco Church also.
All purpose market right off of Plaza San Francisco, LANZA MARKET, everything to buy, can buy excellent olives, cheeses, wines, good little hard, crusty, sour dough breads for sale outside of market, also food section, very clean (I drink Carrot juice there at the stalIs and sometimes eat the Salmon Trout there for lunch in one of the little food stalls).
CULTURAL iNSTlTuTE, QUIPUS FOUNDAIoON. Run by Peter McFarren, author of many books (textile and Indian oriented) and THIE BOLIVIAN TIMES NEWSPAPER (excellent source of english inforntion about Bolivia, for sale many places). You can visit and buy books and postcards (the best in the country) there. Calle Jauregui 2248 (a small alleyway), 340-062. Near Argentina Steakhouse, about 8-10 blocks from Sagarnaga area.
Cochabamba, Bolivia, warm weather, airflight from La Paz, HOTEL REGINA
Coroico, 3 hour busette ride from La Paz, incredible scenery on bus ride there, get bus in barrio Villaflor, ask at your hotel---- beautiful little subtropical "happening" little village, inexpensive. (can't return in same day, stay over night) Foreigners living there, and lots of beautiful scenery and quaint little restaurarts. HOTEL ESMERALDAS
BACKSTUBE BAKERY, on center square, owned by Hans and Claudia Hellankamp, say hello for me Spectacular andean scenery. Famous group of "black indians" living there.
Cargo agent in La Paz for sending large amounts of handicrafts to the states F.D. WORLD CARGO TEAM, Davila family, Patricia and Jorge, 356-175, home, 355,439, Calle Independencia 183
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