David took an early morning stroll around San Cristobal and found the set from Mad Max! An upmarket hotel styled by Gaston Ugalde - Bolivia's Andy Warhol - they had a room available with Cama Matrimonial - and the coolest bar we've ever seen - how could we not stay in town another night!!
After checking out and in we were drawn to the Mercado Central where the men sold Llama meat from the back of Pick-Up Trucks and the women sold everything else a local family could possibly need - from yellow chickens to 50 shapes of pasta. Amanda bought a fabulous Lliqlla as modelled by most of the local ladies in these photos!
Blagged our way into the Iglese San Cristobal which bizzarrely wasn't open on a Sunday - the Church is 350 years old, and dates back to the XVII century when Spanish Conquistadors were marauding, but was moved stone by stone from it's original site 19km away when an American Exploration Team discovered huge reserves of Zinc, Lead and Silver below the Village - now Japanese owned the Sumitomo Corporation relocated 140 families and the Church in 1999, and gave all the men in the Village a job at the Mine! They had previously grown Quinoa and farmed Llamas - progress??
Unusually the Tourist Information Office included a Restaurant serving lunch each day with a typical local set Almuerzo. Sunday Lunch was a red onion and cucumber salad starter with llajhua hot chilli dressing, followed by Sopa de Leche con Fideo (local vegetable soup), and a main course of Asado con Pisara de Quinua (bed of quinoa with a brown meat steak on top - most likely Llama!) All washed down with what we thought was a large jug of Pisco Sour, but which turned out to be a nutty fruit juice!
Following our boozy lunch we headed Beyond Thunderdome to the HSC Hotel where the local drinkers welcomed us to their Iron Bar with beards and shots until closing time!
