Snow-Topped Mountains

This is Mt. Illimani (pronounced e-you-man-e). It dominates the landscape in the La Paz, Bolivia. Mt. Illimani is the highest mountain in the Cordillera Real, in the Andes Mountains. It is the second highest mountain in South America. Pretty cool, huh?

I took this picture back in 2007 at my Aunt's house in the city. This mountain is known for always having a layer of snow on the top.

Mt. Illimani stands at 21,122 ft. Isn't that crazy?

"Your total is $13.95"

"Your total is $13.95." WHAT?! You heard it right. It costs thirteen dollars and 95 cents for a 2 PASSPORT PICTURES. Can you believe that? It took the lady at UPS 5 minutes to take the picture and print it out, yet she is able to charge a ridiculous amount of money for her "hard labor."

We did try to go to CVS Pharmacy first for their services, but their machine was down. Still, at CVS 2 passport photos cost $9.99. I think that's kind of crazy.

For those math people, lets put CVS' prices it into perspective.

5 minutes = $9.99

This translates to:

1 hour (60 minutes) = $119.88

Wait, did you read that right? 5 minutes of labor makes them $119.88!!!!
The Passport itself is pretty darn expensive too! But, visualizing myself sitting in my grandparent's living room in La Paz, with the mountains on the horizon, makes everything better.

You know, I think I'd be a lot more frustrated if I actually had to pay the $13.95!!!

But regardless, I'm $13.95 closer to my journey. Watch out, Bolivia, Here I Come.

Just Bought our Tickets!

Let it be known. Let it be known that today (well... yesterday) January 30th that my mom and I, Christian Hodges, purchased our tickets to Bolivia! Now that I've had a chance to contemplate all of the exciting experiences that will come, I'm very excited!

I wanted a place where I could describe our adventures. Although ultimately rewarding, we all know the headaches that can result from all of the complexities that go into traveling.

To name a few things that I need to get done before I go: Passport Renewal, Bolivian Visa, Yellow Fever Vaccine..... the list goes on!

Even though there's a lot to do before we can head on our vacation, I know that it will be worth it in the end. Bolivia, here I come!!!