La Paz is absolutely breathtaking. As you approach from the top of El Alto, the sheer size and density of the city sprawling throughout the valley is an incredible sight, with a backdrop of snowcapped volcanoes and the beautiful altiplano. However we were extremely apprehensive about visiting La Paz, the reputation is bad to put it lightly. It's often heralded as one of the most dangerous cities in South America so we almost skipped it, but we are so glad we didn't. Don't listen to the haters and guide books, it's really no more dangerous than any other South American capital city, as long as you avoid walking through poor slums with your flashy camera and iPhone, and don't walk around drunk alone late at night. La Paz is at over 3600m altitude so be prepared to be perpetually out of breath walking around, exacerbated by the fact the city predominantly sits on the side of a steep mountain. The airport in El Alto is even higher so flying in direct from sea level without acclimatising is not advised. By far the best way to get around is on the cable cars (telefericos), which are not expensive tourist traps to get a nice view like in other cities, they are the primary method of transport in La Paz for the locals and are extremely cheap. Additionally they provide an incredible way of seeing the city from above, which conveniently avoids the congested and heavily polluted roads below. La Paz has a number of sites worth a visit, from the bizarre to the extreme. The witches market is popular with tourists but appears to have become more of a token show for its guests than anything authentic. That said, the llama foetuses are reportedly still buried in the ground when pouring foundations for new buildings as an offering to Pachamama (similar to the miners use of llama blood - see Potosi post). Cholita wrestling is another popular sight in La Paz. Twice a week, a cross between WWF and pantomime happens in a boxing ring in the middle of El Alto. Young Bolivian women dressed traditionally wrestle each other in front of predominantly tourists for an exorbitant price. It was a bit of harmless fun for all the family. However, the highlight of La Paz is probably the food. Food hygiene is not always Bolivia's strongest quality, so stick to recommendations wherever possible and you won;t go wrong. The highlight of our food experiences in La Paz (and possible one of the best of the whole trip) was Gustu, an in depth review of which follows this post. The manager at Gustu, Bertil, recommended a number of places to eat, and one in particular called Ali Pacha, set up by an old colleague of his. It's a vegetarian/vegan restaurant which wouldn't normally appeal straight away, however we were to be very surprised. Local and seasonal ingredients were exquisitely presented in a small but really well designed basement setting, with flawless service. Ali Pacha is high end cooking at an extremely reasonable price, and could well be destined to become one of Bolivia's top restaurants. The highlight was undoubtedly the beetroot ceviche, it is worth visiting this restaurant just to try it. Comments are closed.
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AuthorsRob & Charlie's travelling adventures on their long journey back to London after living in Hong Kong. Four continents, twelve countries, lots of experiences. Archives
July 2017
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Robert Ware & Charlotte Nunn |