La Pazshank Redemption

La Paz, Bolivia: Under Things to Do & See:

San Pedro Prison- The 1500 prisoners here engage in various activities to get money to survive. English speaking inmates make money by conducting escorted tours of the prison- like a zoo, but with people. To contact your guide, walk confidently through the main gate and tell one of the prisoners in the courtyard that you are looking for Willie, James or Thomas. Don't fuss with the police or guards, but deal directly with the prisoners instead. Bring another $20 USD in small bills if you want to buy any of the toys or other handicrafts made my the prisoners. There are also a few good restaurants inside if the tour whets your appetite. Bring ID, but no valuables or cameras. (2002, South America Lonely Planet)..

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are they kidding.

For investigative purposes, my friends and I went to the prison last sunday to take a tour. I was scared shitless walking up to the front gates, seeing hundreds of prisoners hanging around in the courtyard either yelling at passer-bys, looking shady or plotting their escape. Unfortunately, (and by unfortunately, i mean THANK GOD), we were turned away at the gate by some guards saying there were no tours that day. We were a little more persistent than the average hopeful tour taker, so we walked around the back of the prison to talk with one of the guards and asked if we could get in the back way.. He contemplated for a few seconds, rapidly accepted our $10 bolivianos and vanished into the prison, leaving us outside..

He came back out and said it would be more to get in, but we could talk to an inmate if we wanted. We agreed, and he went to fetch an english speaking Dutch prisoner named Sebastian, who had been there for 14 months on Drug Trafficking charges, and had 4 more months to go. It was utterly surreal to speak to a prisoner through a metal door with only a barred 5 inch by 5 inch slot to see his face. After asking a few questions, like how bad it is in there? How he got caught? how's the cuisine at the restaurants? etc, he asked us if we would contact the Holland Embassy for him, because he had no one helping him... We couldn't help but feel bad, and my friend gave him a pack of cigarettes.

We obviously didn't go to the embassy, and at the end of the day while we were enjoying a well administered food coma at a restaurant (a time when smokers typically enjoy a cigarette), my friend admits; "I really wish I didn't give him my cigarettes."