Getting in some practice

We've just booked a four-day trek on the El Choro trail which runs from a height of 4725m at the start, up to the possible snow at 4859m via Inca paths, before descending rapidly 3250 down in to the humid and subtropical Yungas.
You may wonder whose idea this is?!?!
La Paz is full of backpackers - young, fit, keen to tick the 'adventure' boxes and doing things on the cheap - many of whom are Israeli ( the Israeli backpacker is not always attractive in manner, as we have found before).
The standard trek is three days and they will bolt, so we've done the old-person thing of booking a private trek - just us, our guide, our cook and an extra day.

We're in training for said trek - packed the backpack with binoculars, water bottles and 2 kg Birds of Peru field guide today and trudged up and down the streets of La Paz for hours today.

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La Paz

Every street in this lovely city is either uphill or downhill, and seriously so.
Being at nearly 4,000 metres, the idea is to trudge - you trudge up the hill and you trudge down the hill, slowly but surely. Otherwise you just puff out.
We have both managed to avoid any serious altitude sickness symptoms - walking slowly, not eating or drinking too much, a good dose of coca leaf tea and a fair dose of good luck. A touch of diarrhoea and headaches have been the sum of it thus far. Lucky, lucky!!
This must be the only country in the world where the women are both shorter and wider than me, even in their felt bowler hats - - - unfortunately they don't like photos taken or I would line them all up as proof. Short, wide, colourful, hard working and cheerful - what more could you ask for?
We are staying near the 'Witches Market' with little ladies selling all sorts of herbal remedies and good luck potions, including dried llama foetuses. Very good luck to bury one beneath your new house, I believe!
Great fresh fruit, juices and pastries on the streets.

The dizzying heights of La Paz

Arrived in Bolivia last night, at the world's highest international airport - 4050 metres. A spectacular sight.
The runway is 5 km long to allow for lift off, and planes need to land at twice the normal speed to compensate for the lower atmospheric density. Bit scary!!!
The road into town drops 400m and the city is within a system of valleys - a spectacular drive in.
The city is bustling, full of indigenous people selling all sorts do things on the street and with Andean pipe music playing.