Moving day ie to the hotel next door

Today I had to check in at the hotel from where the trip to Buenos Aires starts. It was pure coincidence that when I booked to stay at the hotel Rosario all those months ago I would end up in the hotel right next door as the place Tucan used as a base in La Paz. I was sorry to Eave Rosario as it is such a welcoming place with the best staff, close to town and an excellent restaurant. The Internet cafe on the third floor had a view over to a snow capped mountain - across some ugly old high rise offices though. There were also great spots for lounging including a first floor open courtyard Spanish style including the bougainvillea. When I was leaving the receptionist told me to use the hotel as if I was still their guest including using the Internet and lounge with the free coca tea. I did. In fact I was there for hours around midday catching up on emails etc. Either side of that I walked through the clothes markets which which were set up along the street and in fact one had to walk on the street to move at all. Most of the sellers were Indian women who had brought massive bundles of different gear wrapped in their traditional striped blankets. As they were packing up they were helping one another squeeze the garments back into these packs and they made their way back to the buses to carry them back home. I can't imagine them selling much but it must help the family income. In the evening I walked back through the witches market and down to the old cathedral built in the 1500s and then again in the 1700s. It is ornately carved (by native Indians)and filled with the usual Catholic saints and gory crucifixions. It is a central focus in the city with a square for meeting and a bus 'station' where the minibuses crawl along with a young man leaning out of the open central door calling out the destinations and people scurrying out into the traffic to climb aboard often with large bundles and babies. The traffic seems chaotic but it also seems to work and while it looks like a death trap the drivers are patient and luckily it all seems to happen without incident.