It's 8am. Heathrow Airport. The traffic means that you've got ten minutes to get to your flight before the gates close. And security pick this of all times to empty you're entire back and check through every item twice to conclude that it was your torch that looked decidedly threatening. It's a frantic scramble through the rest of the airport and you just make it on time. 13 hours of flying followed by a hot and sticky 5 hour stop over in Miami before cramming back onto a smaller plane bound for La Paz. You've no idea what time of what day it is in what part of the world. You get the feeling it's going to be one of those days........
That is until the captain comes on and asks you to fasten seatbelts, as you're preparing for landing. You do so almost mechanically as you have done with every other flight. But all of a sudden you realise something's wrong. Something's very wrong. The planes going UP. Turning to look out the window you suddenly realise why and for the first of many times during your time in La Paz you're going to be truly speechless. looking out the window, you can see a vast volcano below, thousands upon thousands of buildings spreading from the very centre up the walls of the crater, and the plane is soaring above them all, heading for the highest point of the volcano where the airport lies. This was how our trip to La Paz began as has so many others, and it is certainly worth visiting the city just for this landing
ARRIVAL The first thing that's going to hit you when you arrive in La Paz is the altitude. The airport lies at 4020m above sea level and getting off a pressurised plane into an atmosphere that is so much lighter than most people are used to is a strange experience. The first thing you'll notice is that the air seems very thin and dry and you feel yourself breathing fairly rapidly. By far the strangest thing I found, though, was the dizziness. Just walking across the airport gives the feeling of being on a boat and the ground seems to sway fairly disconcertingly. The lack of oxygen also makes exercise fairly difficult whilst you acclimatise. Our first hotel had three flights of stairs, and most people had to take breaks whilst climbing them all. It's certainly worth talking to your doctor about something for the altitude, i took Diamox for the first four days which alleviates altitude sickness and generally makes you feel a bit more stable. If you aren't planning to do any strenuous exercise then you should be able to get by without Diamox (it makes coke and beer taste very strange) but in very rare cases altitude sickness can cause some serious problems so its definitely worth investigating at least.
GETTING FROM THE AIRPORT So after working out how to walk at such an altitude without looking like you've guzzled down half a bottle of vodka, its time for the next
challenge La Paz can throw at you, finding transport into the city. Well it's about as much of a challenge as walking out the airport doors where you'll be surrounded by four or five taxi drivers offering you prices. we arrived into La Paz at 5am and still there were plenty of taxis around. The general custom in Bolivia is to tell the taxi driver where you want to go and agree a price before you get in. Don't feel bad about bartering in Bolivia, it's a way of life, and as unnatural as it feels at first, by the time you come back, you'll be trying to get them to lower the price of your shopping in Tesco. The general format is that they'll suggest a price, you offer around 70% of it, they say 90% and you agree on 80%. We found that it did seem to help a little though if you've got a little Spanish up you're sleeve. Sometimes you'll get an awkward driver who tries to fleece the tourists and won't budge from his original price. If so, then just walk away, he'll either quickly come round or someone else will be willing to take you offer.
So bundled into the taxi we are, and heading towards the airport exit. The moment that you leave behind the foreboding metal gates, you get to experience the true spirit of La Paz. As the taxi makes its way along the streets, hooting at other cars, pedestrians and anything else hootable at, you see sights that will become very familiar over the coming days and/or weeks. For a westerner you cannot help but clutch the seat and try not to gasp too openly as the drivers cut onto the other side of the rode to overtake traffic and not even acknowledge the seemingly fearless pedestrians who step out onto the road at near suicidal times, only to pass within a hair's breadth of the oncoming car and not even break their stride. Perhaps the best sight as you travel into La Paz, however, is the airport road which encircles the top of the volcano and you can gaze in awe over the vast city stretching down into the crater.
GETTING AROUND Aaah, the adventure that is trying to navigate La Paz everyday. My advice: dispense with the modern(that might be a bit of an overstatement) conveniences of buses and taxis and go by foot. The majority of the important areas within La Paz are all within a good half hours walk of one another, and generally this will work out quicker.
Of course walking is not always practical, especially for locations further afield and particularly in the first few days when the altitude makes walking up the steep streets like trying to climb a mountain. Three alternatives thus remain: Hire a car: Its certainly possible to hire a car in La Paz, though you have to be over 25 and the driving conditions are some of the toughest in the world. The road system lacks any real coherence or markings and it is a requirement that you drive aggressively(!) Parking's never a problem though, as you can generally park by the side of any road. Bus: There are two types of bus in La Paz. The iconic Dodge buses (looking similar to an American Yellow School Bus only painted in colourful stripes) and these tend to be fairly reliable, stopping at bus stops and running nearly on time. There are relatively few routes, however, and the majority of buses in the city are the small 9 seater minibuses which have their numbers written in card on the dashboard. There is no real timetable to these, however, and they also double up as taxis, so if a large enough group asks the driver, he will simply change his route. Taxi: The only really reliable way to travel through La Paz, though its not as simple as hailing down a taxi and paying whatever the meter says for one simple reason: there is no meter. The trick in Bolivia is that you get into a taxi and tell the driver where you want to go, then ask him "quantos" (how much?). The usual rules of bartering then apply, and if you don't like his price, hop out and get into a different taxi. Simple!
PLACES TO STAY For those looking for a luxury city break, la Paz is probably not the ideal destination. That is not to say, however, that the wealthier tourist is not entirely unaccomodated for. In the 'rich' quarter of La Paz, there are a number of four and five star hotels which offer all the modern conveniences of room service, swimming pools, fine restaurants etc for fairly reasonable prices compared to other locations.
Far better catered for, however, is the traveller on a budget. In the poorer areas of this vast city, there are countless hostels, hotels and bed-sits which offer beds, showers and breakfasts and showers for some of the best prices in the world. A general price is $5 a night including breakfast and whilst the rooms may not often be the height of luxury, the Bolivians are generally extremely friendly and the service is excellent. We stayed in the Hotel Andes which gave us a full american breakfast each morning and a laundry service for a few dollars, but any guide book (or taxi driver for that matter) will point you in the direction of numerous such hotels.
PLACES TO EAT As with any major city there are huge numbers of restaurants in most areas, and it is generally a case of exploring. There are no real 'restaurant districts' as such, though you find a fair concentration around tourist areas such as the Witches' Market. My favourite restaurant (possibly in the world) is a place called the Inca Palace, right above the main Western Union Bank in the centre of La Paz. They serve excellent pasta dishes, but their speciality is red meat. Two favourites were the fillet steak, served on a stone plate fired in a kiln so that the steak keeps cooking as you eat it, and the Meat Platter for two people, in which they bring you you're very own mini barbeque with hot coals in keeping your meat warm as you eat it. It is also essential that you find a restaurant serving Llama while in La Paz, as this is a speciality not to be missed. It tastes much like beef but has the flaky consistency and appearance of fish!
SHOPS The witches market is by far one of the best sights of Bolivia. Set in the very heart of the tourist area, it is full of small shops and stalls selling traditional Bolivian products. There are some more macabre items for sale such as dried llama foetuses, but you will find a wealth of items that you will want to bring back and show your friends. There are a number of musical instrument shops where you can pick up very cheap and well made acoustic guitars, panpipes, flutes and the Bolivian Charango. These little guitar shaped instruments have twelve strings and cost around $30 (you can buy them in the US of the same quality for $200), and they have a true South American sound. Its worth just asking for a demonstration from a shop keeper as they are a delight to hear. One guy even turned his around so he was strumming the neck and played it better than a lot of guitarists I've met in the UK!
Ponchos are also a traditional Bolivian product worth looking out for as a souvenir and most of the shops tend to sell them. Its worth looking around and bartering though, as some shops would offer us the same poncho for half the price of other shops. If you are into art then there are three or four art galleries/shops in ad around the witches market, and these cater for the poor backpacker, selling very nice oil paintings on canvas for $20 to huge water colour or oil paintings for hundreds of dollars. They'll even offer to ship the painting to your address free of charge if you spend over a certain amount.
Away from the witches market and down the hill towards the centre of La Paz, you can find hundreds of shops and stalls selling electronic items and cds/dvds. Obviously many of the cds and dvds are counterfeit, but most of the stalls will show you the movie that you buy on a DVD player and let you fast forward it to check the quality and it is rare that any don't work. The CDs tend to be of a lower quality with some quite interesting typos (The Wall by "Pink Floy" and Oasis's "What's the Story Moaning Glory") but we did find some Beatles tracks that i've never seen on any album in the UK!
PLACES TO GO One of the main reasons to come to La Paz is as a base to see much of the rest of bolivia. There are things to do just outside the capital, particularly for the avid trekker. We visited El Muela del Diablo (the Devil's Molar) so called because it is a giant black rock outcrop in the shape of a tooth. Buses and tour guides can be booked from the Bus Terminal in La Paz, and if you search around you can generally find someone who speaks English. The bus ride up to the trekking route is a little on the scary side as the engine strains against the near vertical inclines and hairpin turns, but the view you get over the whole of La Paz are breathtaking.
Further afield, one of the most amazing experiences you can have in Bolivia is down hillmountain biking. As with any of the tours this can be booked with any one of the agencies found on Calle Sagárnaga, but be warned, it's not for the faint hearted. Bolivia boasts the most dangerous road in the world (so dangerous, in fact that local people stop to feed the stray dogs before travelling on it, believing them to be the souls of the more unfortunate drivers) but adventure seeker travellers can often be seen hurtling along at upwards of 40mph round tight corners with no barriers. For those more faint hearted there are numerous other down-hill biking experiences which offer far safer alternatives.
Busses can also be booked from the station for other great sights in bolivia. Sorata with it's spiritual atmosphere and perfect trekking opportunities lies a few hours away, LakeTiticaca and the border to Peru similarly. Uyuni and the largest salt pans in the world are slightly further at a 13hour bus journey, but they are well worth the trip. From the airport, you can also book flights to Rurenebaque to see the Bolivia Jungle and the official capital of Sucre (La Paz being only the unofficial capital and seat of government) which lies a lot lower than La Paz so the altitude is far less of a problem.
A PLACE LIKE NO OTHER.... Bolivia is truly a unique city. Upon arriving i found it hard not to be shocked by the audacity of pedestrians, aggressiveness of drivers, dirtiness of the streets and general lack of development. In a few days, however, as so many travellers had done before, i fell in love with the city. It was not long before i was crossing busy roads where i would not dare in England, hopping on and of the seemingly unfathomable bus system and enjoying all that La Paz had to offer. Despite outward appearances of the place, the Bolivians are amongst the friendliest of peoples i have ever met, always willing to help and offer their advice. The police officers all carry huge rifles and body armour, but not once did we hear a police siren or encounter any crime. I felt safer on the streets at night than i ever have in London, and i think that sum's up the true atmosphere of the place. La Paz is a place that everyone should visit once.
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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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Review of La Paz
Feb 28th, 2006
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