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With its spiralling population of 1.5 million people La Paz has become an important stop on the gringo trail in South America. As well as being the capital of Bolivia (excepting Sucre of course, the constitutional capital) it is also the highest capital in the world sitting at a breath stealing 3,600 metres above sea level.
La Paz can be a chaotic town at times and its people are often in your face (and in your pocket if you are not careful!) but overall there are less hassles than you would expect. The shoeshiners bedecked in balaclava's are not half as troublesome as the guidebooks make out (if you wear sandals they don't really have an argument) and most touts are deflected when you blank them.
La Paz has a maze of steep cobblestoned streets that are surprising slippy especially late at night (funny that!). The most popular tourist street is calle Sagarnaga which has many of the better hotels, souvenir stalls and internet cafes. PlazaSan Francisco is as near a centre as you'll get. It's not exactly that much to look at aesthetically but the constant whirl of people, stalls, ornate buildings and the huge concrete head (with no plaque to let you know who it is!) create an energetic and exciting vibe.
As you arrive in the city the view is like nothing you've seen before. Making your way from the cliff top suburb of El Alto to the city proper in the valley far below can take up to an hour. Along the way you will be both alarmed and fascinated in equal doses by the human endeavour along the way. El Alto is the fastest growing city in South America and if you are coming by bus from Peru you'll need to pass through it. It's not at all pleasing on the eye, a lot of its main byways are unpaved leading to mini dust storms every time a vehicle ventures by. Apart from the dirt many of the residential areas are little more than shanty towns. Drugs seem to have invaded the suburbs poverty stricken population as evidenced by the blood stained dummy's hanging from lamp posts acting as a grim reminder to would be pushers. Despite the lack of basic human facilities El Alto has its share of football pitches, perhaps displaying how even here people have created avenues to escape the depressing realism.
Most buses into town pull up near the cemetery where you step out into the mayhem for the first time. Our bus somehow splutted to a stop on a 45 degree angle which literally meant climbing off the bus. It's easy to get disorientated at this stage so the best advice would be to take a taxi into the centre. This costs about 6-8 Boliviano's (1 Euro = 7B) depending on degree of how desperately lost you look and how honest the driver feels today.
Over the last couple of centuries Bolivia has repeatedly gone to war over territory and consistently come out on the losing side. The War of the Pacific saw it become allies with Peru but this was still not enough to see off Chile. Through these wars Bolivia lost its important access to the sea. Being landlocked it now relies heavily on its portion of LakeTiticaca for tourism.
ACCOMMODATION
La Paz
isn't as cheap as would expect when it comes to finding a bed for the night. To get the best value you need to move a little beyond the centre. Calle Sagarnaga has traditionally been the backpacker domain. Places on the street like HostalNaira are nice but nightly rates of $US30 and more are prohibitive for most budget travellers.
After a good look around we settled on Hostel Gloria on calle Illampu. We chose a room with a cama matrimonial (double bed) and ensuite facilities for just 60B. Sadly there was no natural light but there was ample room to fuss about in the dark. For some reason light bulbs in Bolivia never go beyond 40 watts which means that even the drabbest rooms can look better than they really are in the dusky twilight. Showers with hot water are equally electrically sourced which can often lead to goosepimpled wash downs.
The management at Hostel Gloria were friendly but incredibly loud, normally reserving their most Tarzan like outbursts for after midnight. That said it's not a bad choise and the fresh bread rolls at the stall just outside brightened our mornings.
A place that gets mixed reports, situated just off calle Illampu, is Hotel Italia. Some described it as a dump, others extolled the balcony that comes with each room. Whatever the truth its tariff of 40B certainly means it's worth a look for those travelling on a shoestring.
ATTRACTIONS
Football is popular in Bolivia and the cable channels screen matches from all over the world pretty much 24 hours a day. The biggest team in the country playing out of La Paz are sensibly called the Strongest FC. Boliviar are another top team (Santa Cruz) who perennially do well in the continents version of Champions League, the Copa America. All the big cities have decent sized stadiums and if you get a chance seeing a game is great entertainment. In Santa Cruz we watched local team Oriente Petrolero trash La Paz's Iberoamericana 5 - 1 in front of a small but noisy crowd. With the terraces in constant motion dancing to an even drum beat this is a true spectacle. Tickets for the best seats were only 25B but you could easily suffer the concrete version for 10B.
San Pedro Prison is a unique establishment. The place is virtually run by the prisoners and many have a lavish lifestyle. Much of their income is raised through escorting curious tourists around the prison grounds. Getting on a tour is a little like tricky work however. You arrive at the prison gates and somehow make contact with a prisoner willing to show you around.
The Lonely Planet suggests that you ask for Mick, Pete or Liam and that is usually enough to signal your intentions. We shakily made our way to the gates past some gun wielding guards. There were dozens of expectant eyes trained on us and they weren't of the generous or sympathetic kind. As we slowly turned yellow our feet sped us in the opposite direction to safety.
Our cowardly streak probably cost us a genuine experience but we're still alive to tell the story. From what we've heard from people who've done the prison tour it is a fascinating insight into prison life. The cost is $8 but for this you get to witness the daily routine of the incarcerated and you can even dine at one of the several restaurants there.
Being so high up, La Paz can offer a lot of thrills for those who crave adrenaline pumping activities. Very popular but very dangerous is downhill biking (sheer drops, no protective fencing). For this trip there is no peddling required as the route is downhill all the way from the starting point at Mt. Chacaltaya to La Paz far below. There is an tour operator called Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking who organise these trips. You can find them right beside the very busy funeral home on Avenue 16 De Julio.
Another hair raising activity that can be arranged is skiing at the highest resort in the world. The slope is situated at an incredulous 5,300 metres on Chacaltaya which means that ice rather than snow is the norm for the run. This is recommended for experienced skiers only or if your name is Harold Houdini.
EATING OUT
If it's a snack you're after then the trusted Saltena is a good option. A Saltena is a pastry, shaped in a semicircle, containing a variety of ingredients. We generally plumped for the Saltena Mixto which came rammed full of juice that squirted fountain like to leave every part of our body sated except our tummy's. Saltena Mixto usually has a piece or 2 of chicken and a vegetable soup coterie of other pieces. It is great value, going for as little as 1B but you can spend up to 5B on the dry cleaning and endless rolls of tissues! Saltena's are most prominent in markets and street stalls in the morning and early afternoon.
A much safer option are Empanados. These doughy snacks are similarly shaped as the Saltena but often have the dry constitution of an old boot. The most popular ingredient is queso (cheese) but it is applied in such low quantities that it rarely adds much flavour to proceedings. Empanados usually work best as a mop up after a Saltena soaking.
Bolivian food is not very distinctive and tends to come weighed down in grease. Chicken (Pollo, pronounced pieyo) is ubiquitous especially on the great value for money Almuerzo (lunch special). Almuerzo's typically consist of a soup starter (usually bland), followed by a Sequendo which is where the chicken usually raises its head. With the meat you get rice or fries and a sliced tomato. Dessert is usually a small jelly. Not exactly for gourmets but for as little as 7B it is incredible value for money.
You'll struggle to find many places that offer anything resembling a breakfast in Bolivia. Asking for scrambled egg is often met with horror or unbridled laughter so you'd be better served waiting for lunch which can begin as early as 10am. Dinner is generally more expensive that its lunch equivalent but thankfully portions tend to be more wholesome.
After a month or two on the road the bright lights of Burger King can appear as bright as main street Las Vegas. Tucked down a back street off La Paz's main avenue Burger King meals don't come cheap (24B) but with peace of stomach restored you'll probably not notice the dour air conditioned atmosphere. Burger King attracts many freshly arrived gringos with huge carnivorous grins. Somewhat inevitably you'll find McDonald's sitting rather unnoticeably in the middle of Plaza De Etudiente, one of La Paz's more laid back public squares. Here again the prices are well above average but once in a while a good injection of western toxification is as welcome as finding a hostel with hot water.
If you want to eat on the cheap then just about every street in town has a varied menu to keep you nourished. Most of the street stalls have a Saltena of some kind on offer but if you look hard enough you can push the boat out and have a hamburgesa and papa fritas. Just don't expect to get a clean bill of health the next time you visit the doctor. A step up from the street stalls are the numerous little cafes that you'll find in and around the Mercado Negro. We had a good breakfast at Providorra Beyta (secured only after some intricate miming). It was amazing to see the lady cook our meal using a camping stove that was hooked up under the counter.
Le Pot Pourri Des Gourmets restaurant at 906 calle Linares is a real treasure if you can deal with the incredibly slow service (pleasant though the staff are). There is a good selection of traditional Bolivian and International food. There is a good special (3 courses) for 15B which is available all day long. The decor is overrun with tree carvings, both tables and chairs look like they were cut straight from tree trunks. The restaurants large windows means that the bouquet from the flowers in bloom outside waft in almost unnoticed.
Also on calle Linares, Angelo Colonial is so popular that you may have to book ahead. Hidden away in what looks like a second floor curiosity shop this is perhaps La Paz's most popular food haunt for travellers. The decor has an old world style and the atmosphere is cultured if a little subdued. You could easily spend a few hours just examining all the strange artefacts hanging from the walls or perched on nearby tables. The prices may be a little on the high side but this is one meal you won't forget.
Pilsener beer is the local brew and is usually served up in dirt covered bottles. A good test for a place is whether the waiter cleans the dust off before he presents it to you. No matter what the bottle looks like, Bolivian beer is quite nice tasting and really cheap. Getting drunk, like in a lot of the Andean countries, is normally not too difficult a job, altitude and partial dehydration is a wonderful way to have a great time on a small budget.
SHOPPING
La Paz is an amazing place to shop. Not in a department store type of way because there are none, but because La Paz's markets are some of the best you'll find in South America. The Mercado Negro (Black Market) swallows up a huge area just outside the city centre on the way to the cemetery. Like Hanoi's Old Quarter, individual streets are dedicated to particular product lines. So if it's toilet paper you are after then you'll find between the street that has the best sandals and the one with the rarest of door knobs.
Towards town on calle Linares the Witches market is a real eye opener. Here photography and video is banned and you'll see why when you get there. Stuffed full of badly lit shops it has all the potions you'd ever need to cure or curse someone. The dried out aborted baby Llamas are a bit of a shock at first, but there are plenty of other animals that look like they've been frozen in fear (tigers, armadillo's, birds). And I haven't even mentioned the shop owners themselves!
La Paz is quite a good place to get (illegal) copies of CD's, Playstation Games and DVD's. Stalls owners openly sell their wares and the police never seem bothered so why should you. Prices for CD's are quite low at about 10B and the quality is near perfect. Make sure you listen to the CD before you purchase though. You'll find a plethora of these stalls scattered all along Avenue Mariscal Santa Cruz as far as Plaza Venezuela.
MISCELLANEOUS
The La Paz bus terminal is within walking distance of the city centre. Buying your onward tickets here, rather than at tour agents can save up to 50% on purchase price. It is advisable to buy a few days ahead if possible to ensure you get a good seat.
Laundry facilities are thin on the ground in Bolivia so if you come across one the best advice would be to avail of it. Travelling in a dusty and sweaty environment means that the clean side of your backpack can be hit hard in just a couple of days. With La Paz you'll find most of the better laundries on calle Sagarnaga. 6B per kilo is the usual charge and that usually includes delivery to your hotel.
The Bolivian Times is the only English newspaper printed in the country but it is a very light read. That said the activity of being able to read a paper at all is comforting. There is a 24 hour internet cafe near the children's area (if you are under 3 and not too pushed on your style of transport you can rent beat up tricycles and go-karts to cruise around the uneven surfaces and the deadly steps) in Plaza San Francisco that has very cheap nightly rates (2.5B).
If you are after a local football jersey or a haircut then the place to visit is calle Santa Cruz. Competition means that prices are low although it difficult to differentiate between many of the outlets as their stock is near identical. Getting a trim can be a little difficult if you're Spanish is weak but through a mixture of sign language and basic utterances I managed to escape without too much embarrassment.
Bolivian's, it seems, have a clear conscience when it comes to disregarding their rubbish. No rose garden, no footpath, no public amenity is spared the masses of rubbish that builds up daily from people who just drop what they don't want at the earliest opportunity. Litter wardens are a nonentity and the fostering of an environmental conscience seems to be light years away. You'll see the extremities of this particular national trait while travelling on the national byways by bus. I witnessed one particular lady evacuate 3 soiled nappy's out of the window. Even more disturbing was the bus attendant who neatly collected passenger rubbish in a plastic bag and then promptly threw the bag out the roof window. The bus was spotless, the road less so!
The Bolivian currency is the Boliviano. Notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 denominations. The 5B notes are being phased out as they do not stand up to much wear and tear. Many are held together by tape so a new 5B coin has been introduced. You should try and break up the bigger denominations in larger shops or at banks whenever you can because street traders and smaller outlets rarely have much change. Handing over a note as small as a 20B often leads to an elongated groan and several minutes of flustering around to try and get your change together.
Bolivia is not beset by the same dollar hungry touts that make travelling around Peru such a chore at times. Although poverty is everywhere it seems the Bolivians have not fully grasped the equation that is the tourist and his packed wallet. Long may this perfect situation continue but it may just be a matter of time.
WHERE TO NEXT?
There are lots of options when you decide to move on from La Paz. The more sedate option would be to travel to the beautiful city (but ultimately boring, we loved it) of Cochabamba about seven hours eastwards by bus. Cochabamba is set in a rich agricultural area and its population are quite wealthy. In some ways Cochabamba is like a different country to La Paz, it is great for relaxing about in for a couple of days. It's most notable attraction is a cable car ride to the Cristo De La Concordia statue (a statue of Christ) at the summit of the highest hill in town. There are great views of the town from here and it costs only 6B for the round trip.
The more adventurous another option from La Paz is to visit the Northern town of Rurrenabaque, a great base for trips into the Bolivian Pampas and the Amazon Rainforest. There are 2 ways to get there. Take a $100 flight or the bus along the notorious road of death. As our budget was meagre and our pockets not lined with rabbit feet we decided against it but many visitors to Bolivia recommended this as the highlight of their trip to the country.
La Paz has all the excitement and energy of a South East Asian city. Curiously it lags behind much wealthier Bolivian cities such as Cochabamba and Sucre. You will see more native people here than in the countries other main cities (due in most part to El Alto). Thankfully travellers hassles are relatively few, apart from the occasional wrestle for path space. Once you acclimatise to the initial chaotic hurly burly and the altitude you'll have the time of your life.
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Advantages: Striking scenery, frenetic, lively pace, wonderful atmosphere Disadvantages: A little too hectic, an unfortunate combination of high altitude and lots of hills.
Puggers 07.05.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of La Paz
Advantages: Striking scenery, frenetic, lively pace, wonderful atmosphere Disadvantages: A little too hectic, an unfortunate combination of high altitude and lots of hills.
Puggers 07.05.2009 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of La Paz
Dec 12th, 2002
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