168 CultureShock! Bolivia
Across the avenue from the Basílica is La Casa de La
Cultura, a sometimes forgotten corner where ongoing
expositions of art and literature grant a welcomed
respite from the micro- and minibus anarchy of this
congested corner.
Back to the main avenue, a few blocks farther down on the
San Francisco side, is the modern post offi ce, Bolivia’s Tower
of Babel, where English, French and German vie for second
place behind Spanish in the language standings.
Directly across from the post offi ce on what is now Avenida
Mariscal Santa Cruz is yet another peña, Los Escudos.
Within three blocks behind Los Escudos are both the
Secretariat of Tourism (Calle Mercado, Ballivian Building)
and the Immigration building on Avenida Camacho,
where you’ll fi nd one of the most photographic views
of Mount Illimani, with telephone wires crisscrossing in
the foreground.El Prado
Back down the main avenue, which is now called 16 de Julio,
the centre island with benches and trees is referred to as El
Prado, La Paz’s favourite outdoor hangout.
The old El Prado was lined with colonial buildings similar
to the ones in the north-east quadrant. A few of these remain,
in particular, El Club Libanés, but most of those grand
old structures were torn down and replaced by business
high rises.The Delights of Street Eateries
On various streets across from the university, family eateries
attract bargain searchers, with the full course lunch menu at less
than US$ 1.50. I invited a Bolivian friend to one of these spots,
Nelsy’s. His reaction: “This is exactly the way my mother cooks.”At the end of El Prado, is the Plaza del Estudiante, the
traffi c circle that acts as the axle between the four quadrants.
Just beyond is the main campus of the Universidad Mayor de
San Andrés (UMSA), Bolivia’s underfunded university with