Uyustus: Shop till you drop!

Uyustus market from above.

The other afternoon Scotty offered to stay home with the girls so I could do a bit of market shopping.  There are some places in La Paz you really don't want to go through the hassle of dragging small children to and Uyustus St. is one of them.  Uyustus is this amazing assault on the senses that is filled with everything you could possibly imagine.  Clothes, shoes, hardware, electronics, toys, make-up, pool items, household goods, etc...  And, the prices are much better than that same stuff that you could find down where we live.  So, I drove into town, parked, and hailed a cab.  The first 3 rejected me- getting there takes a while through the worse traffic in town.  The 4th guy offered a price, I agreed, and we were off.  Shortly into the drive, he began asking me questions about myself and how long I lived here.  He decided I was practically Bolivian after 7 years in La Paz.  He asked me what I was out to buy today (since everyone knows this market is for those who are doing some serious shopping- this is no quick run-in to Target).  He found out I had 2 girls and laughed, as though I was joking, when I told him we were going to adopt a boy.  We seem to get this incredulous response quite often when we share our plans to adopt.  He shared that he had 4 sons and that they love their mamma.  I told him that's why I needed a son, too- my girls are quite attached to their daddy.  As we neared (after going through lots of sketchy back streets that had me only a tiny bit nervous he was kidnapping me), he kindly reminded me several times to be careful- lots of thieves around here.  I thanked him and was off.  The street runs steeply up hill and is cut into two lanes by vendors set up down the middle.  I'm never quite sure which lane to walk down and tend to switch back and forth indiscriminately, trying to see everything.  It was packed this particular afternoon and every few minutes, hunched over men with enormous, heavy cardboard boxes strapped to their backs would rumble through (always uphill for some reason), calling continuously to make space.  Every block or so would waft the stomach churning smell of something frying in an open skillet.  Occasionally I would duck into side "galleries" to check out larger stores inside the buildings instead of just the vendors set up under tents.  There are easily hundreds of people selling their wares on this street that can't be more than 10 blocks long and it is truly an exhausting experience.  I found the toy ghetto that was another 100 vendors selling mostly the same cheap, Chinese imported toys, with a few Bolivian made crafts dotted throughout or imported, over-priced American items.  I bought nothing there, even though Natty's b-day is coming up in 2 months.  By the time I got down to the end of the street, it was dark, windy, drizzling and rush-hour.  I felt nervous getting in a cab up there- only because I've heard too many stories and known too many people who have had unfortunate experiences with taxis in places like where I was.  I decided to start walking until I got into a more well-known area and saw some interesting things along the way.  Passed the cloth/sewing market, the tupperware/baby goods market, the hardware market, the traditional dress stores, the cheap bridal dress stores and everything in between.  About a mile down, I happened to see a trufi (public transport minivan) heading my way that would take me back to my car.  I squeezed in the front (always my preferred seat since you can only fit one more in next to you and the driver) and settled in for a long ride and some people watching.  It probably only took 45 mins to get back to my car, which isn't bad for rush hour through the middle of town.  And, I actually made it home in time to say good-night to Jubilee.  Want to know what I got?  2 swim caps, 2 lbs. chia (half the price of what they sell it for where I usually shop), a Pooh Uno game for Natty, pink leggings for Natty, white sweater for Natty, and 2 sippy cups.  Was it worth it?  Probably not-but it was fun...