August 25, 2007

The last Bolivia Expedition of the year is underway! AAI guide Mark Johnson met his team of four in La Paz on Saturday. Here is a brief dispatch from their first day:

Hello everyone,

The last Bolivia trip of the season is underway now in La Paz. I've had a couple of good days of preparation, and our Bolivian staff member and guide, Juan Churra, just made it into the city this evening after having summited Illimani this morning! We have started off with a quick meeting and introductions of the group members, Jack Haggerty (Chapel Hill, NC), Susan Plotkin (Williamsville, NY), Brian Lipman (Henderson, NV), and Bill Barney (Atlanta, GA), then went through a quick check of everyone's gear, during which one team member won the "how much gear can I carry down to Bolivia" prize. We all joked that they could easily outfit another person with all their spare stuff. While Bill went out to visit a friend who is living here in La Paz, the rest of us had a wonderful dinner at El Restaurante Prontos - an excellent first taste of the cuisine available here in the Soprachachi district of La Paz.

We are looking forward to seeing more of the city tomorrow and to the continuing beautiful weather - I don't think I have seen a cloud in the sky the last three days.

Hasta mañana,

Mark