Visa Trouble

Today has been a very trying day to say the least. Eric and I went to the immigration office this morning to get a 1 year visa which we were told was very easy and would not take more than an hour or so. However, after we got there, they told us that we needed to get blood drawn, get and AIDS test, go to Interpol and get a background check done, consult a lawyer and have him issue us documents, and various other tasks which is supposed to take about 20 days. Needless to say, this sent us into a little frinzy as our flight to the small city of Rurrenabaque leaves on Monday.
After consulting Southern back in Tennessee, we have decided to cancle our flight to Rurr until all of this Visa stuff is worked out. We have sent an email to the head of the orphanage to which we are going and hopefully she will be able to help us through this process.
However, on the bright side, the weather here in La Paz has been absolutely beautiful. It is normally very very cold here as we are at a very high altitude. Altitude sickness is a serious problem for tourists that visit La Paz. But fortunately, Eric has not experienced any symptoms and I have only gotten a head ache. It is a little difficult to walk up hills as the air is thinner and we get fatigued VERY quickly.
The hotel staff here has been extremely helpful to us and always goes the extra mile to make sure we are comfortable. There is also a delicious restaurant here in the hotel that is not too expensive which we have eaten at a couple times already.
The good news about having to stay longer here in La Paz is it gives us more time to explore and enjoy the city and all of the handcrafted goods around. We were able to purchase a few goods from some local artisans and enjoy some authentic bolivian treats. Furthermore, the people here overall have been very hospitable and are very welcoming. It is fun to look at Eric occassionally and see him standing 2 feet taller than everyone around him ;-)
Please continue with the prayers as we are trying to work things out to open the next chapter of this story.