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Sajama National Park
04th June 2010
South west of La Paz, near the border with Chile, lies Sajama National Park, Bolivia´s first. We spent 2 nights in the small pueblo of Sajama (4200 metres) below the majestic, snow capped Sajama Volcano. When the sun set behind the twin volcanos on the Chile border, the temperature dropped to well below zero.
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Inside the park we walked in a forest of keñua trees, the highest in the world, at over 4400 metres. We cooked eggs in a bubbling geyser, ate llama, soaked in an open air hot springs surrounded by volcanos and observed llamas, alpacas and vicuñas.
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On the way we passed many ancient Aymara funeral towers, made of adobe brick and almost always facing the rising sun in the east. Many still contain human remains.
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A striking adobe and thatch church stands proudly above the humble dewllings in many of the local villages. The largest and best restored of these is the church of Santiago de Carangas, built between 1587 and 1608. Inside the walls and ceiling are covered in original frescoes of bible scenes in the Mestizo style.
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![P1130122 Aymara burial towers, 800 years old](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130122.jpg)
Aymara burial towers ....
![DSCN1717 .... 800 years old](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1717.jpg)
.... 800 years old
![DSCN1703 Inside the church at Calamarca are paintings of angels](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1703.jpg)
Inside the church at Calamarca are paintings of angels
![Calamarca,_Angel One of the angels](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Calamarca_Angel.jpg)
One of the angels
![P1130139 Crumbling adobe church at Ichiga](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130139.jpg)
Crumbling adobe church at Ichiga
![DSCN1756 Llamas grazing at the foot of Sajama Volcano](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1756.jpg)
Llamas grazing at the foot of Sajama Volcano
![P1130207 Sajama Church](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130207.jpg)
Sajama Church
![DSCN1817 Twin volcanos on the Bolivia/Chile border](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1817.jpg)
Twin volcanos on the Bolivia/Chile border
![DSCN1812 Boiling eggs in a geyser at 4400 metres](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1812.jpg)
Boiling eggs in a geyser at 4400 metres
![RSCN1860 Soaking in the hot springs](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/RSCN1860.jpg)
Soaking in the hot springs
![DSCN1828 A trek to Sajama base camp](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/DSCN1828.jpg)
A trek to Sajama base camp
![P1130170 The church of Santiago de Carangas](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130170.jpg)
The church of Santiago de Carangas from 1587
![P1130153 The bell tower](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130153.jpg)
Its bell tower
![P1130165 Inside mural of Santiago Matamoros (The Moor slayer)](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130165.jpg)
Inside mural of Santiago Matamoros (The Moor slayer)
![P1130159 Bible scenes ....](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130159.jpg)
Bible scenes ....
![P1130160 .... painted 300 years ago](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130160.jpg)
.... painted 300 years ago
![P1130180 A chapel at Curahuara de Carangas](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130180.jpg)
A chapel at Curahuara de Carangas
![P1130321 Vicuñas](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130321.jpg)
Vicuñas
![P1130347 Multi-coloured Alpaca herd](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130347.jpg)
Multi-coloured Alpaca herd
![P1130330 Church at Tomarapi village](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130330.jpg)
Church at Tomarapi village
![P1130378 Llama going to market in style](https://pamnjeff.com/latinamerica/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/P1130378.jpg)
Llama going to market in style