Bolivia - Amazing Race Leg 3

Well, the Pit Stop in Fortaleza, Brazil wasn't too bad - they fed us a decent meal, and D... and I were able to get some sleep, altho it was a strange time for us to be sleeping. We had gotten to the Pit Stop at 1:14 p.m., and only had 12 hours to eat and rest, so we turned in shortly after the meal with all the other Teams. We were pretty tired, tho. It sure saves time to already be in our jammies when it's time to sleep!

Apparently there's a lot of hostility going on between some of the other Teams, namely Nick and Starr and Christy and Kelly. Not sure what's up with that. Why can't everyone just get along?!? We're only out to beat each other to a $1 million prize!

At 1:14 a.m. we were off again - this time to La Paz, Bolivia! This capital city of Bolivia is 12,000 feet above sea level. D... and I live pretty much AT sea level in Houston, so we were feeling that altitude pretty quickly. Our clue at the airport told us to take a taxi to the statue of Simón Bolívar, and scan the morning newspaper's classified ads for our next clue. When we got to the statue, which is, like, in the middle of town, some lady was handing out blankets and D... and I were all like, "Wha???" Turns out that we had to spend the night right there on the hard concrete to wait for the next morning's paper delivery!

Oh yes we did, too. Does that even look comfortable? I think not.

Finally, early the next morning (why do we have to do everything early in the morning?), a big truck came and dropped off the newspapers and it was a mad dash of Teams to grab one and start reading. D... and I spotted the clue pretty quickly - it told us to travel to the Narvaez Hat Shop near Plaza Murillo and buy a traditional Cholita hat. Pretty cute, huh?

The clue also said, "Please hold on to your hat." I decided to wear it for a while.

Along with the hat, we received our next clue - a Detour, which is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons. In this Detour, Teams had to choose between Musical March or Bumpy Ride. In Musical March, Teams had to make their way on foot to two plazas several blocks apart where they needed to collect musicians and form a band. Then they had to make their way to Plaza Abaroa and exchange the band members for their next clue. In Bumpy Ride, Teams made their way on foot to Mercado de las Brujas where they had to ride a locally crafted bicycle in a harrowing, bone rattling trip down cobblestone streets to Plaza Abaroa. For both sides of the Detour, Teams received the warning that a U-turn would be coming up ahead at the end of the task. Teams could use the power of a U-turn to slow down another Team by forcing them to backtrack and perform the other side of the Detour in addition to the one that they had already completed.

This was a tough decision. We were feeling the altitude, and walking to three different plazas could be exhausting. BUT, riding a wooden bicycle down cobblestone streets? D... and I have both birthed two babies, and our bladders.......well, let's just say they're not what they used to be, and we didn't pack Depends, so we chose Musical March.

Turns out it really wasn't so bad! D... and I love marching bands, so we just led those musician dudes along the street, dancing and singing and acting silly the whole way. I only threw up once (damn altitude!). And I did NOT throw up in the hat. So we're still good with that. D... even held my hair. She's the best friend EVAH! Andrew and Dan chose Marching Band, too, but their band dudes were reeeeealy slow. Probably because Andrew and Dan are not nearly as hawt as D... and I are. I mean, we're so hawt we make fire stop, drop and roll. Our band dudes were having fun following us thru the streets of La Paz! And we passed Andrew and Dan right up!

We decided not to U-Turn anyone - no need for that kind of nastiness. At least not this early in the Race. So we got our next clue: travel by taxi eight miles to Los Titanes del Ring. We had no idea what place we were in, but we grabbed a taxi and we were off!

The next clue was a Road Block, a task that only one person can perform. The clue read, "Who's ready to pick a fight?" I decided to do this one, since D... did the last one. I was a little scared, tho. A fight? I'm kind-of a little woman. I hope I don't get my ass kicked.

Turns out I had to hand the hat we bought to a woman known as a fighting cholita (good thing I didn't throw up in it) and put on a colorful wrestling costume (H.A.W.T!). In a private ring outside of the arena, my cholita taught me a wrestling routine made up of six moves (I always knew wrestling was fake!). When I felt ready to perform the routine, which didn't take me long because as a dancer I'm all about learning choreography, I returned to the main arena with my cholita for the performance. If I messed up, I would have to train again and fight until I got it right, so I made sure to do everything just right. D... cheered me on from the sidelines (or was she laughing at me?) and it really was a lot of fun. I got it right the first time!

I noticed outside that Mark was having to get oxygen - he didn't look very good. This altitude is killer.

The cholita, who was nice but kinda scary, handed me the next clue: take a taxi to the next Pit Stop at el Mirador del Monticulo, a hillside park overlooking the city! Woot! We knew we were behind Rat-Faced Cheater Ken and his wife Tina, but we also knew we had passed up several Teams who were having trouble at the Road Block, so we figured we were in good shape.

And we were!!!! Second place!!! Mark and Bill arrived 8th, but they had to take a 30-minute penalty because they took a taxi to the Detour when the clue said they had to walk. Mental game, guys! So Kelly and Christy got in ahead of them, and Mark and Bill were eliminated. We're gonna miss those geeks. They were good guys.

So here we are in La Paz, Bolivia, wondering what adventures await us in the next leg of the race. Stay tuned!

Where We've Been:

Leg 2

Leg 1

Team Profile