Road to La Paz

It's an eventful journey from Cochabamba to La Paz on a local bus, taking 12 hours instead of seven, due to three road blocks.

An hour into the journey on winding roads through the Bolivian altiplano, my bus stops behind a trail of other vehicles. It quickly becomes apparent that a number of locals are pushing boulders on to the road from the mountains above to block the way. Initially they refuse to be paid off but two hours they agree to accept one Boliviano (about 8p) from everyone waiting to pass. As we cross the danger area the bus is pelted with rocks. Although we've closed the curtains it's a frightening experience. My Ricky Jervais podcasts keep me smiling and relatively relaxed throughout the ordeal.

A further 20 minutes on we encounter another road block which takes over an hour to get through. Again we pay off the protesters. An hour later there's a third impasse but this time they let us pass quickly and without payment.

I hear various opinions on the reasons for the protests, one being the increased autonomy given to the province of Santa Cruz (not given to Cochabamba); another being President Evo Morales´s choice of appointment for Chief of Police.

At one point there was talk of going back to Cochabamba and flying to La Paz so I'm relieved when we arrive in La Paz at 9pm, even though we're four hours late.

(Photo - Bolivian altiplano)