The Fishers in La Paz, Bolivia

Traveling in Bolivia is never what you expect, even if you’re only going 15 minutes away. We were wanting a little taste of the good old U. S. of A., so I made reservations at the only American hotel chain in La Paz, the Radisson. We were excited because it was a pretty low rate, and we would get to swim and watch cable TV! When we went to check in, we were informed that we needed our passports. So we had to explain that after living here for nine months, our paperwork was still being processed and our passports being held by immigration, etc. The man at the desk explained that they did not “have a problem with us”, but the Bolivian police come every day to check who is staying at the hotel and they must show them proof that we produced a passport at the front desk. Seems creepy to me. . . He asked for an exception from the head manager, but he said no so they could not allow us to stay.

Determined to go somewhere, we ended up at the hotel five minutes from our house, which is actually nicer, but also more expensive, which is why I didn’t book it in the first place. Curiously, they were able to give us a room with only our passport numbers, they did not ask to actually see our passports. My theory is that because it is a Bolivian-owned hotel, the government does not watch them as closely. It all turned out for the best. We thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant, pool and TV and got the time of relaxtion we were hoping for.