PART I - Why Bolivia?
This article is about my trip to Bolivia. This is my personal story of how the country looks like through my eyes. Here you will find my emotions, feelings and thoughts rather than the usual tips of what to do and what to see in the country.
This is a story about my will to travel, desire to explore, about seeing the cultural differences, suffering, sickness, nature and pollution, freezing weather, moments full with tears and good times when I laugh at myself.
Why Bolivia?
If I have to be honest even after I finished my trip, I still don’t have answer of the first question.
Why Bolivia?
Because I had never been to South America and I decided it’s time to see it.
Because it seems that every day is an adventure here. Peaks, rivers, treks, mountain-bike descents…All promising info that I’ve found captured me and made me dream about Bolivia. And when I start dreaming about a destination it means that it won’t stay just as a dream for too long.
Because everyone is going to Peru to see Machu Picchu (which was my initial plan as well) but Bolivia somehow stays in the shadow. From the colorful markets and dusty streets of La Paz, through the world’s top trekking destinations back to the days of the Inca kings all kindled my enthusiasm about Bolivia.
Because I love exploring “not so popular” places. And there you go, I decide I should give it a try…
Things to know before you go
…I decided I should give it a try despite all things I’ve heard from friends who has already been there and despite all “hidden” warnings in the guide that I bought.
Speaking of travelling literature that was my first time when I decide to buy a travel guide. Have to say that those Lonely Planet shiny blue series are quite useful.
Bolivia is a tough travel destination. So here are a few important things that you should know:
*Bolivia is not safe. While during the day you may feel it looks like any other exotic destination, Bolivia has other face at night. Don’t walk alone and don't take cabs after 8pm (it will be even better if you avoid being outside after 8pm).
Common scenario is that people who present themselves as a police officers are actually kidnapping or stealing from tourists.
Remember: authentic police officers will always be in uniform. Police will NEVER stop you on the street and ask you for your passport without any reason. So don’t give your documents to anyone, don’t get in a taxi with strangers or allow them to search you in public.
Pickpocketing is another thing you should be aware of so always keep an eye on your belongings.
Protests are part of the daily life here (I saw it with my eyes) so never leave your trip to the city from where you have your flight back home for the last moment. Often roads are blocked and in general there is one rule in the country: travelling here is a slow process.
*There is only one language in Bolivia: Spanish
I think that is a BIG problem here. If you don’t speak Spanish or you don’t have a Spanish speaker as a travel buddy it will be extremely difficult to interact with local people, receive any information or service.
Of course I wasn’t aware of that fact or I just ignored it so neither me nor my travel partner spoke Spanish.
As a result we were trying very active to socialize with other backpackers but most of the time without success. Lonely backpackers usually prefer solo travelling and couples, well… you know, they are just couples. No need to explain.
Me and Tsvetan decided to do this trip together despite all the controversy.
*Bolivia is high!
The city of La Paz stands at 3660m and the airport in El Alto is situated at 4000m which will definitely be a serious test for your body.
It’s very important to keep yourself hydrated, to walk slowly, sleep well and avoid rapid movements.
In the pharmacies you can buy a medication against altitude sickness – sorochi pills. Some people say those pills are ineffective. Even though we bought them I can’t say if they had some positive effect on me or they just made things worse. I guess will be smarter if you bring with you Diamox and also pills against headache.
You will need at least a few days in La Paz before you start your trip. We underestimate this fact and that significant mistake was not left without consequences.
*The food in Bolivia could be a threat.
Probably I already sound like a hypochondriac but my stomach is the proof - you should be extremely careful with your lunch here.
As a flight attendant I travel a lot and usually I don’t have problems buying unidentified items without any labels or written expiry date, with other words – food from the street. This is a BIG no no in Bolivia, unless you want to dedicate a few days from your holiday to the toilet.
Packing
Most important equipment includes:
Good backpack and comfortable trekking shoes
Everything that you will pack depends on the activities you enjoy the most. If you are going with the purpose to climb serious mountains so you will need bigger backpack and more equipment.
If you are going just to explore the country as a regular traveler, not alpinist, please don’t bring 60+10 L backpack. Pack light! This is my tip. Don’t forget you don’t need 7 pairs of pants and 12 t-shirts while you can just use laundry service for 15B (2€). You can pack light and you still won’t be a smelly backpacker!
Another small trick: don’t be lazy and iron your clothes. In this way they will take less space.
I did the trip with my 30 L Deuter and despite the fact that on the way back I had a little difficulties packing the new clothes that I bought in La Paz, everything that I packed was enough for my trip.
I have to make a note here: I’ve never been a fan of winter clothes so I had to buy some warm sweaters in La Paz. And I was still freezing. The more warm clothes you take with you, the better.
Wind/water proof jacket.
That’s a good option because it takes almost no space in your luggage and you can always put it under your main jacket.
Laptop/camera/phone.
I sacrifice my Canon 60D because of the light packing so if you have a good phone and some basic Photshop skills you can achieve decent results.
What is important here is that I took my small hybrid Acer Aspire Switch 10 which turned to be the perfect solution when I need to make quick research, take notes for my blog or talk with someone. You can fit it easily in a small backpack and use it everywhere.
Sunscreen, scarf, sunglasses
My guide is saying: Don’t leave home without:
Sunscreen and a hat for high altitudes (extremely important even when you walk in the city of La Paz because the sun at this altitude is literary burning your skin!); warm clothes and a rain jacket year-round.
Here I will just add you always have to take your sunglasses, also some bottle with water and pills against headache because protecting yourself from the altitude sickness is a priority.
Getting there
Ok. I’m a flight attendant which means travelling is easier for me because of the discounted tickets and all the options that I can play with.
The fact that I started writing this article at the airport in Lima, where I have to spend the next 11 hours, praying that they will let me on the next flight, shows that things could get wrong even for us.
And trust me, travelling as a staff with a standby ticket sometimes can be a horrible experience (which I will describe later).
My journey to Bolivia includes 3 sectors:
Dubai – Amsterdam
Amsterdam – Lima
Lima – La Paz
For EU citizens the visa is on arrival. There is another set of requirements as mandatory vaccines and health insurance but once when you pay the fee of 360B (54$) nobody cares about the rest.
So I’m coming back to Dubai from a night turnaround early in the morning on 5th of July 2015. I’m tired but full with enthusiasm. My backpack is waiting for me. I take a power nap for 2 hours and I’m already at the airport.
There is no better way to start your leave than going to…
Amsterdam!
The plane is not full so I easily get a seat with my standby ticket. I have to spend the night in Amsterdam because my second flight is the next day. I’m staying at a couchsurfer’s place. Marco is so kind to host me. We go to café “Spargo” which is not far from his home (it’s on the route of tram number 9). I feel lucky here because I can try Dutch beers from the local micro-brewery Brouwerij t IJ (the windmillbrewery is located a short distance away) and local delicacies.
The next day I woke up early in the morning and proceed to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
My flight to Lima is with KLM. Have to say it was my first time flying with them and I was pleasantly surprised. Because I’m flight attendant as well so I always compare with my airline. KLM is definitely a good carrier and in some points even better than Emirates. That’s my personal experience as a passenger.
Starting with their ground staff, who blocked the next 2 seats because the flight was not full. It’s a nice touch considering the fact that I had 3 seats for 12 hour flight which is a luxury. Luxury that most companies will never provide even though I’m staff.
The crew were extremely polite and for the first time I really had a flight experience that went beyond my expectations (no offence to any other airline).
I arrive in Lima and finally transfer to Avianca flight 7390 to finish my journey. This last sector turned to be such a big disappointment.
The flight is less than 2 hours but we couldn’t land in La Paz because of bad weather conditions. I’m not sure were they really bad or just the captain was not capable of dealing this situation. We were making circles in the dark sky over La Paz for at least an hour. Some people started waking up realizing this flight takes longer than it’s supposed to be and they started freaking out. No one from the crew knew what was going on.
Finally, captain decided to make a public announcement - we have to refuel the aircraft so we need to reach the nearest airport - Jorge Wilstermann in Cochabamba. Once we landed there we had been told it’s not allowed to leave the aircraft because there is no immigration in Cochabamba so we can’t get visa on arrival here. Nobody explained us what’s going on. Finally after 3 hours in the aircraft they moved us at the airport and we wait and wait again. Maybe another 4 hours. Again no one give us any information about what will happen, are we going back to the same aircraft or another one. It’s already clear to me that the crew are illegal to operate this flight so they have to be changed.
Indeed, that’s what happened. Apparently people here have different measure about time so after countless hours of waiting we board the same aircraft with other crew. The adventure here starts even before you reach the country.
Boarding again in Cochabamba
Instead of arriving in La Paz in 2 am on 7th of July, I arrived only with 7 hours delay. Welcome to Bolivia!
Meanwhile I make new friendships on board. Surprisingly I found that the lady sitting next to me is from Bolivia and she speaks English! Maria is a lovely person, she accepted the delay in a best possible way - with a smile on her face. I guess the only thing which could save you in Bolivia is your sense of humor. So keep your spirit up. Maria is telling me we can take a cab together from the airport and she invites me at her home. I’m so thankful to her because I’ve read that taking a taxi in La Paz could be a dangerous if you don’t know how to recognize the proper one.
She waits for me at the airport as I need to get visa on arrival. I had to pay 360B (52$) and stand in front of the camera for a quick snapshot of my eye bags. Another page in my passport is printed with a photo that barely resembles me.
“I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”
I have to say this time I’ve read as many things for my destination as I never did before.
I knew it won’t be easy and despite that, I was making a big plans. I was thinking after 2 days in La Paz we could start from Copacabana and do a one day trip to Isla del Sol, after that to go for a 2-3 day trek and climb Huayna Potosí – its impressive summit stands at 6,088m in the Cordillera Real. I was planning to visit National Park Sajama, to hit Uyuni Salt Flats and after that if we still have some more time to visit Sucre on our way back to La Paz. I was so optimistic that I was thinking to fit this itinerary in 12 days.
My travel partner,Tsvetan, was trying to tell me that this won’t be possible because of the weather conditions and the altitude. I knew it was winter in Bolivia but at the same time is high season (May-Oct) because there is no rain, which makes it the perfect time for climbing.
Well, making plans is a good thing, but sometimes reality comes just to slap you in the face and to shout: “You idiot, wtf do you think are you doing?”
Your Plan vs Reality
From all these spots we actually managed to do just the first two and going to and back from Uyuni was unforgettable experience, unfortunately not in a good way. Despite all difficulties this trip is as precious to me as any other one because I learned a lot and I had the chance to see good and bad, black and white from Bolivia.
Maria’s driver is waiting for us. In a minute we are already in the car, heading to Zona Sur. I feel extremely exhausted but I can’t close my eyes. Everything around me looks so exciting. Giant mountains embrace the city of La Paz. On the steep hills there are thousands of houses. The view is mesmerizing.
I must be looking horrible because Maria’s family (I’m not sure if that’s her aunt but it looks like that) gives me tea and bread and again some tips for the altitude.
The house looks so cozy and it seems all furniture has been chosen with taste.
As a matter of fact that’s the first time that I meet someone on the aircraft and I’ve been invited at their house. My first impression of people here is very positive.
After I regain some strength I say goodbye to Maria and her aunt and the driver takes me to the house of a local couchsurfer which is located not far away from Maria’s place, in Zona Sur.
My host is at work but here I meet Francesca – a crazy backpacker from Germany who has also been hosted in the house. I’m very excited that there is someone that I could talk to but not for a long time. Francesca is not feeling well.
Let’s try to describe the situation of my arrival in more details: the moment I open the door, the two lovely dogs of my host run away outside the yard, so me and Francesca start chasing them and at that time she almost fainted on the street because of exhaustion. She is in panic and if she wasn’t looking so ill the whole situation will look quite funny. I wonder: “Oh my God, what happened to that girl?”
Francesca tells me she is feeling so sick so she needs to go to the hospital. She jumps on a taxi and I’m staying alone in the yard, wandering what to do with the dogs refugees. I feel responsible for what has happened and I think the dogs might get lost.
My couchsurfing host will come not long after that and he will tell me I shouldn’t be worried. He looks so calm and relaxed. That’s exactly what I need now.
Second thing I need – coca tea. Indigenous population of Bolivia have been growing and consuming the coca leaf for several thousand years. The government estimates that as many as 1.2 million kilos of coca leaf are consumed monthly in Bolivia for traditional uses as chewing the leaf, drinking it in tea and using it in religious ceremonies.
Coca tea, also called mate de coca is often recommended for travelers in the Andes to prevent altitude sickness. Because of the alkaloids which the plant contains, coca tea is a mild stimulant. When extracted chemically these alkaloids are the source for cocaine base. However, the amount of coca alkaloid in the raw leaves is very small. Coca tea is legal in most countries in South America.
Of course this miracle of the nature is also a reason for big troubles. It’s not a secret that Bolivia is one of the world’s biggest producers of cocaine. It’s illegal and you can get in trouble so enjoy your cup of tea but don’t be stupid trying other things.
My cup definitely helps and I feel much better afterwards. In addition I try my first typical Bolivian food – Salteñas. Salteñas are baked pastries filled with beef, pork or chicken meat and mixed with some (unidentified to me) sauce. Similar to salteñas is tucumana – it’s pastry again but fried.
I don’t know much for the country so I’m curious to talk with my host. He has impressive house and even more impressive profile. He has helped more than 400 travelers who stayed at his place. Extremely generous he helped us with tips of all the dos and don’ts in La Paz.
The house that I’m staying in La Paz
I’m dying to take some sleep but curiosity is stronger so I decide it will be better first to take a short walk in the neighborhood and see what’s around, taking advantage of the warm afternoon sun.
Zona Sur is a beautiful place, which includes the wealthier suburbs of La Paz. Here you can see sophisticated villas built with taste. After I had the chance to see more from La Paz, I realized the whole neighborhood actually doesn’t seem like rest of the city. It’s obvious that the area is not even for the middle class. For sure not many people could afford having a property here.
Huge cliffs embrace the neighborhood and the sun is shining over them.
My favourite spot is a small green park with benches. It’s absolutely safe and peaceful here. I loved it.
I think that’s more than enough for my first day here. I go to bed at 17:00. My room has lots of windows so during the day the sun could warm it up. But at night…
I’m so tired so I sleep the whole night and I woke up the next day at 07:00 am. And I’m freezing. I find myself wrapped in all possible blankets that my bed has and the moment I step out from the bed I start shaking.
Until the end of my trip these cold Bolivian nights will torture me and worst thing is that you can’t do anything to escape from that. All the hotels that we tried after that (even the ones considered as luxurious) have problems with heating and hot water.
It’s interesting that in this country the fact that you’re paying more money doesn’t mean you will receive better service. Sometimes it’s even the opposite so you never know what to expect. This applies for everything – from your hotel room to your lunch and the bus that you chose for your trip. Yes, Bolivia is like a box of chocolates!
For the local people it doesn’t matter because they have different genes than us or for many tourists coming from Scandinavian countries may be the situation isn’t that bad (even though I saw many other travelers having same issues). To me that was a big problem which inevitably lead to health problems.
But I’m using Couchsurfing for now and it is my first day here so I still don’t have the right to complain. I crawl out of my bed and my host and his girlfriend are inviting me for breakfast. They prepare amazing coffee from raw coffee beans so I participate in the whole process of roasting the coffee and blending it.
Meanwhile Tsvetan arrives at the house and I’m extremely happy to see him. There is no many people that I’d like to share my travels with because travelling is not easy with everyone. And when it comes to adventures I’m not easy too. Tsvetan is an exception so I don’t hesitate when he offers to join me in my trip.
LA PAZ…
…from a bird’s eye view.
La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de La Paz (the city of Our Lady of Peace) is a place with special vibes. Even though my guidebook is saying it’s possible to fit it in 2 days I felt I could devote much more time to this city with many faces.
From the very beginning you’ll notice that art is everywhere in La Paz, starting from thousands of handcrafted items on markets to street art. Colorful graffiti could be seen on each and every wall and corner.
Some street art in Zona Sur:
Transportation in La Paz
At some point we decide we want to move out from Zona Sur and here the adventure starts.
Transportation in La Paz consist of old mini buses, truffi which is a shared car that goes to some certain routes or taxis (my guidebook is highly recommending to take only radio taxis as they have telephone numbers and name of the company).
When it comes to prices there is no rules. Everything depends on your ability to negotiate.
But the most exciting and interesting transportation in the city is Teleférico. That new system of cable cars connects people from different communities.
Currently 3 lines are operating: red, green and yellow:
We take a cab to the train station (Estación de Trenes).
On the back of this beautiful building we find one of the stops of the red line, TAIPY UTA, which takes you to El Alto (6 de Julio/Jach'a Qhathu).
Today I learn a new word in Spanish that quickly becomes my favorite – “mirador” which means “lookout”. For only 3B you could enjoy stunning views over La Paz:
In the last days of our trip Tsvetan had the chance to try the rest of Teleférico: yellow and green line.
If you want to try it go to SOPOCACHI station, nearby Universidad Nur, take the yellow line and go up to QHANA PATA MIRADOR. After that make your way down to LIBERTADOR and switch to the green line all the way to the IRPAWI. Don’t forget to take a deep breath not only because of the thin air here but because of the breathtaking views.
Standing at an incredible 4,150m above sea level, El Alto is the world's highest large city. But El Alto is also one of the places you don’t want to walk alone at night. This neighborhood belongs to the locals. Huge markets full with unknown for us goods are spreading over the dusty streets:
We have lot of fun in our first day here. I’m trying to become a friend with a small pony who is trying to bite my fingers. Locals are making business collecting a few bolivianos for a photo but I don’t mind. People have to survive somehow, right?
We are both excited to explore a different culture and the only one thing we regret is that none of the locals speaks English so we can’t actually learn as much as we want. Most of the information that we gather is through our eyes/nose etc. other senses and thought making a research afterwards in the web.
“You have to taste a culture to understand it”
If you don’t speak the local language what the second best way to explore a culture is? The answer is only one: food!
Bolivian food looks the same as the country - colorful. Here, on the markets of El Alto, you can find variety of fruits, tempting ice cream, sweet popcorn (called pasankallas) and thousands of other delicacies that I can’t call by name.
Remember one thing: no matter how hungry you are or how good the food on the street stalls looks like that could turn into a real challenge to your stomach. Even though I was extremely careful during the whole trip my sensitive stomach was punished at the end. One thing that makes you really vulnerable is the combination of questionable hygiene and the altitude which makes your immune system very weak. So no experiments, no exotic dishes.
I was brave enough to try Mocochinchi on my first day in La Paz (lucky me with no negative consequences). Mocochinchi is a Bolivian beverage made with peaches that have been peeled and dried. The fruits are left in water overnight, then boiled with sugar and cinnamon. The drink is served cold.
Chairo is the Aymara word for soup, and it is a traditional dish in the city of La Paz. It has pre-Colombian origins, and its basic ingredient is chuño (freeze-dried potato).
I already mentioned the Salteñas. This small traditional pie was supposedly brought to Bolivia by an Argentinean woman from the province of Salta, hence the name for this filling little delicacy.
But highlight of our food experience in the country was definitely the seafood. If you want to know where to find the best trout read the second part of my article about Copacabana.
But what about the local people in Bolivia?
The Aymara are the indigenous (native) people who live in the altiplano (high plains) of the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. Bolivia has the highest proportion of indigenous peoples of any country in South America. This fact determines the traditional look of the most people you will see here. Women wear their traditional polleras (skirts) made of fine materials, such as velvet and brocade. They wear embroidered shawls and bowler hats (arrived in the 1920s from Europe, intended for male railway workers but were the wrong colour). Hair is always dark and always plaited at the back.
Usually women sling ahuayos over their back and tie the ends of the cloth around their neck. They could carry everything in this bag (including their baby).
Traditional clothing in Bolivia makes me feel all the time that I’m back in time, somewhere in XIX century.
Our first day in La Paz we had just a glimpse of El Alto. Next day we took a day bus to Copacabana and we had the chance to see more of the neighborhood . I do recommend to everyone to do the day trip to Copacabana, first because it’s a fact that nighttime hijackings are something common here and second because you will see much more from El Alto.
You will see dusty empty streets and thousands of red bricks which makes the city looks like from a western movie. You expect in any minute someone to show around the corner with a gun:
You will see busy street markets full with people and it looks like everyone has a task to do:
At the end of the day on our way back to Zona Sur we found the biggest event happening in the city or why not in the whole country - Pope Francis arrived in Bolivia!
That was a reason for great celebrations among local population. Of course such a great event like this one always brings chaos along with the excitement - big crowds of people and blocked streets:
The strong burning sun and altitude had their effect on us – by the time we caught a cab we already couldn’t take a breath.
Another freezing night was waiting for us. Instead of start getting easier I was feeling more and more sick.
That’s why the next day we decided to go to Copacabana. I booked in advance a nice double suite in the absolutely stunning hotel “La Cúpula“ that has great references.
Tsvetan insisted we should stay at least one more day in La Paz but I just couldn’t imagine spending another freezing night so I couldn’t wait to move to another place. If I only knew that the situation won’t get better but will even get worse I wouldn’t insist that much. Other motivation to me was that I start being more and more curious about Copacabana.
So after early breakfast we grab our backpacks and take a cab from Zona Sur to the city center (around 20B). We are not in a hurry and even if we want to be it’s not possible: the 10 min uphill walk with a backpack is not an easy task. We buy tickets for the bus that leaves at 13:30 and we leave our backpacks into the Terminal de Buses:
We suggest you spending a little bit more money for your trip to Copacabana (the ticket will cost you around 25-30B) and take bigger bus than trying the smaller ones. It will be cheaper with them and probably you think a little bit more “adventurous” but at the end of this 4h journey you will regret.
Also we suggest you to travel during the day, first because it's much more safe and second because the landscape is amazing.
After we bought the tickets we had some time to waste so we decide to take a walk around Iglesia de San Francisco. On our way to the church we pass over a huge bridge which reveals how busy the daily life in La Paz is. Traffic looks terrific:
We reach the beautiful Iglesia de San Francisco on the plaza of the same name which is one of the city landmarks:
We went for a nice walk along Sagarnaga street and we found ourselves at the magical Mercado de Hechicería (Withces Market). Lots of tourists, cars and many colorful handcrafted items are filling the small streets:
One thing that helps against altitude sickness (and against any sickness in general) is good food. During our stay we’ve always had problems finding decent meal first because of the fact that we were scared of causing our stomachs unnecessary pain and on the other hand because nobody in this country speaks a damn word of English.
After some discussions we found a nice café/restaurant called Banais (located in Hostel “Naira”). Even though the staff are part of the hostel which is meant to be a place for travelers, nobody speaks a word of English and our help comes from a lady, sitting on the table next to us who fortunately speaks the language. Until the end of our trip we always go through the same situation – even at the most touristic places which usually I avoid you won’t find anyone speaking English, which (excuse me Spanish speakers) but is quite annoying. At least the soup was good.
We will come back and explore more of La Paz soon but now it's time to take you to another great place in Bolivia: small beautiful town of Copacabana, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. If you are curious to know more about it, have a look on the second part about my trip to Bolivia.
***
From the moment I leave the aircraft until we go outside El Alto International Airport I feel I could faint on the floor any minute. We are at 4000m, my head is spinning around, I can’t take a breath. So just walk slowly, take a deep breath and do not panic. If I only knew that this is just the beginning…Maria’s driver is waiting for us. In a minute we are already in the car, heading to Zona Sur. I feel extremely exhausted but I can’t close my eyes. Everything around me looks so exciting. Giant mountains embrace the city of La Paz. On the steep hills there are thousands of houses. The view is mesmerizing.
I must be looking horrible because Maria’s family (I’m not sure if that’s her aunt but it looks like that) gives me tea and bread and again some tips for the altitude.
The house looks so cozy and it seems all furniture has been chosen with taste.
As a matter of fact that’s the first time that I meet someone on the aircraft and I’ve been invited at their house. My first impression of people here is very positive.
After I regain some strength I say goodbye to Maria and her aunt and the driver takes me to the house of a local couchsurfer which is located not far away from Maria’s place, in Zona Sur.
My host is at work but here I meet Francesca – a crazy backpacker from Germany who has also been hosted in the house. I’m very excited that there is someone that I could talk to but not for a long time. Francesca is not feeling well.
Let’s try to describe the situation of my arrival in more details: the moment I open the door, the two lovely dogs of my host run away outside the yard, so me and Francesca start chasing them and at that time she almost fainted on the street because of exhaustion. She is in panic and if she wasn’t looking so ill the whole situation will look quite funny. I wonder: “Oh my God, what happened to that girl?”
Francesca tells me she is feeling so sick so she needs to go to the hospital. She jumps on a taxi and I’m staying alone in the yard, wandering what to do with the dogs refugees. I feel responsible for what has happened and I think the dogs might get lost.
My couchsurfing host will come not long after that and he will tell me I shouldn’t be worried. He looks so calm and relaxed. That’s exactly what I need now.
Second thing I need – coca tea. Indigenous population of Bolivia have been growing and consuming the coca leaf for several thousand years. The government estimates that as many as 1.2 million kilos of coca leaf are consumed monthly in Bolivia for traditional uses as chewing the leaf, drinking it in tea and using it in religious ceremonies.
Coca tea, also called mate de coca is often recommended for travelers in the Andes to prevent altitude sickness. Because of the alkaloids which the plant contains, coca tea is a mild stimulant. When extracted chemically these alkaloids are the source for cocaine base. However, the amount of coca alkaloid in the raw leaves is very small. Coca tea is legal in most countries in South America.
Of course this miracle of the nature is also a reason for big troubles. It’s not a secret that Bolivia is one of the world’s biggest producers of cocaine. It’s illegal and you can get in trouble so enjoy your cup of tea but don’t be stupid trying other things.
My cup definitely helps and I feel much better afterwards. In addition I try my first typical Bolivian food – Salteñas. Salteñas are baked pastries filled with beef, pork or chicken meat and mixed with some (unidentified to me) sauce. Similar to salteñas is tucumana – it’s pastry again but fried.
I don’t know much for the country so I’m curious to talk with my host. He has impressive house and even more impressive profile. He has helped more than 400 travelers who stayed at his place. Extremely generous he helped us with tips of all the dos and don’ts in La Paz.
I’m dying to take some sleep but curiosity is stronger so I decide it will be better first to take a short walk in the neighborhood and see what’s around, taking advantage of the warm afternoon sun.
Zona Sur is a beautiful place, which includes the wealthier suburbs of La Paz. Here you can see sophisticated villas built with taste. After I had the chance to see more from La Paz, I realized the whole neighborhood actually doesn’t seem like rest of the city. It’s obvious that the area is not even for the middle class. For sure not many people could afford having a property here.
Huge cliffs embrace the neighborhood and the sun is shining over them.
My favourite spot is a small green park with benches. It’s absolutely safe and peaceful here. I loved it.
I think that’s more than enough for my first day here. I go to bed at 17:00. My room has lots of windows so during the day the sun could warm it up. But at night…
I’m so tired so I sleep the whole night and I woke up the next day at 07:00 am. And I’m freezing. I find myself wrapped in all possible blankets that my bed has and the moment I step out from the bed I start shaking.
Until the end of my trip these cold Bolivian nights will torture me and worst thing is that you can’t do anything to escape from that. All the hotels that we tried after that (even the ones considered as luxurious) have problems with heating and hot water.
It’s interesting that in this country the fact that you’re paying more money doesn’t mean you will receive better service. Sometimes it’s even the opposite so you never know what to expect. This applies for everything – from your hotel room to your lunch and the bus that you chose for your trip. Yes, Bolivia is like a box of chocolates!
For the local people it doesn’t matter because they have different genes than us or for many tourists coming from Scandinavian countries may be the situation isn’t that bad (even though I saw many other travelers having same issues). To me that was a big problem which inevitably lead to health problems.
But I’m using Couchsurfing for now and it is my first day here so I still don’t have the right to complain. I crawl out of my bed and my host and his girlfriend are inviting me for breakfast. They prepare amazing coffee from raw coffee beans so I participate in the whole process of roasting the coffee and blending it.
Meanwhile Tsvetan arrives at the house and I’m extremely happy to see him. There is no many people that I’d like to share my travels with because travelling is not easy with everyone. And when it comes to adventures I’m not easy too. Tsvetan is an exception so I don’t hesitate when he offers to join me in my trip.
LA PAZ…
…from a bird’s eye view.
La Ciudad de Nuestra Señora de La Paz (the city of Our Lady of Peace) is a place with special vibes. Even though my guidebook is saying it’s possible to fit it in 2 days I felt I could devote much more time to this city with many faces.
From the very beginning you’ll notice that art is everywhere in La Paz, starting from thousands of handcrafted items on markets to street art. Colorful graffiti could be seen on each and every wall and corner.
Some street art in Zona Sur:
Transportation in La Paz
At some point we decide we want to move out from Zona Sur and here the adventure starts.
Transportation in La Paz consist of old mini buses, truffi which is a shared car that goes to some certain routes or taxis (my guidebook is highly recommending to take only radio taxis as they have telephone numbers and name of the company).
When it comes to prices there is no rules. Everything depends on your ability to negotiate.
But the most exciting and interesting transportation in the city is Teleférico. That new system of cable cars connects people from different communities.
Currently 3 lines are operating: red, green and yellow:
We take a cab to the train station (Estación de Trenes).
On the back of this beautiful building we find one of the stops of the red line, TAIPY UTA, which takes you to El Alto (6 de Julio/Jach'a Qhathu).
Today I learn a new word in Spanish that quickly becomes my favorite – “mirador” which means “lookout”. For only 3B you could enjoy stunning views over La Paz:
In the last days of our trip Tsvetan had the chance to try the rest of Teleférico: yellow and green line.
If you want to try it go to SOPOCACHI station, nearby Universidad Nur, take the yellow line and go up to QHANA PATA MIRADOR. After that make your way down to LIBERTADOR and switch to the green line all the way to the IRPAWI. Don’t forget to take a deep breath not only because of the thin air here but because of the breathtaking views.
Standing at an incredible 4,150m above sea level, El Alto is the world's highest large city. But El Alto is also one of the places you don’t want to walk alone at night. This neighborhood belongs to the locals. Huge markets full with unknown for us goods are spreading over the dusty streets:
We have lot of fun in our first day here. I’m trying to become a friend with a small pony who is trying to bite my fingers. Locals are making business collecting a few bolivianos for a photo but I don’t mind. People have to survive somehow, right?
“You have to taste a culture to understand it”
If you don’t speak the local language what the second best way to explore a culture is? The answer is only one: food!
Bolivian food looks the same as the country - colorful. Here, on the markets of El Alto, you can find variety of fruits, tempting ice cream, sweet popcorn (called pasankallas) and thousands of other delicacies that I can’t call by name.
I was brave enough to try Mocochinchi on my first day in La Paz (lucky me with no negative consequences). Mocochinchi is a Bolivian beverage made with peaches that have been peeled and dried. The fruits are left in water overnight, then boiled with sugar and cinnamon. The drink is served cold.
Chairo is the Aymara word for soup, and it is a traditional dish in the city of La Paz. It has pre-Colombian origins, and its basic ingredient is chuño (freeze-dried potato).
I already mentioned the Salteñas. This small traditional pie was supposedly brought to Bolivia by an Argentinean woman from the province of Salta, hence the name for this filling little delicacy.
But highlight of our food experience in the country was definitely the seafood. If you want to know where to find the best trout read the second part of my article about Copacabana.
But what about the local people in Bolivia?
The Aymara are the indigenous (native) people who live in the altiplano (high plains) of the Andes Mountains of Bolivia. Bolivia has the highest proportion of indigenous peoples of any country in South America. This fact determines the traditional look of the most people you will see here. Women wear their traditional polleras (skirts) made of fine materials, such as velvet and brocade. They wear embroidered shawls and bowler hats (arrived in the 1920s from Europe, intended for male railway workers but were the wrong colour). Hair is always dark and always plaited at the back.
Usually women sling ahuayos over their back and tie the ends of the cloth around their neck. They could carry everything in this bag (including their baby).
Traditional clothing in Bolivia makes me feel all the time that I’m back in time, somewhere in XIX century.
You will see dusty empty streets and thousands of red bricks which makes the city looks like from a western movie. You expect in any minute someone to show around the corner with a gun:
You will see busy street markets full with people and it looks like everyone has a task to do:
At the end of the day on our way back to Zona Sur we found the biggest event happening in the city or why not in the whole country - Pope Francis arrived in Bolivia!
That was a reason for great celebrations among local population. Of course such a great event like this one always brings chaos along with the excitement - big crowds of people and blocked streets:
The strong burning sun and altitude had their effect on us – by the time we caught a cab we already couldn’t take a breath.
Another freezing night was waiting for us. Instead of start getting easier I was feeling more and more sick.
That’s why the next day we decided to go to Copacabana. I booked in advance a nice double suite in the absolutely stunning hotel “La Cúpula“ that has great references.
Tsvetan insisted we should stay at least one more day in La Paz but I just couldn’t imagine spending another freezing night so I couldn’t wait to move to another place. If I only knew that the situation won’t get better but will even get worse I wouldn’t insist that much. Other motivation to me was that I start being more and more curious about Copacabana.
So after early breakfast we grab our backpacks and take a cab from Zona Sur to the city center (around 20B). We are not in a hurry and even if we want to be it’s not possible: the 10 min uphill walk with a backpack is not an easy task. We buy tickets for the bus that leaves at 13:30 and we leave our backpacks into the Terminal de Buses:
The bus terminal in La Paz
We suggest you spending a little bit more money for your trip to Copacabana (the ticket will cost you around 25-30B) and take bigger bus than trying the smaller ones. It will be cheaper with them and probably you think a little bit more “adventurous” but at the end of this 4h journey you will regret.
Also we suggest you to travel during the day, first because it's much more safe and second because the landscape is amazing.
After we bought the tickets we had some time to waste so we decide to take a walk around Iglesia de San Francisco. On our way to the church we pass over a huge bridge which reveals how busy the daily life in La Paz is. Traffic looks terrific:
We reach the beautiful Iglesia de San Francisco on the plaza of the same name which is one of the city landmarks:
We went for a nice walk along Sagarnaga street and we found ourselves at the magical Mercado de Hechicería (Withces Market). Lots of tourists, cars and many colorful handcrafted items are filling the small streets:
One thing that helps against altitude sickness (and against any sickness in general) is good food. During our stay we’ve always had problems finding decent meal first because of the fact that we were scared of causing our stomachs unnecessary pain and on the other hand because nobody in this country speaks a damn word of English.
After some discussions we found a nice café/restaurant called Banais (located in Hostel “Naira”). Even though the staff are part of the hostel which is meant to be a place for travelers, nobody speaks a word of English and our help comes from a lady, sitting on the table next to us who fortunately speaks the language. Until the end of our trip we always go through the same situation – even at the most touristic places which usually I avoid you won’t find anyone speaking English, which (excuse me Spanish speakers) but is quite annoying. At least the soup was good.
We will come back and explore more of La Paz soon but now it's time to take you to another great place in Bolivia: small beautiful town of Copacabana, located on the shore of Lake Titicaca. If you are curious to know more about it, have a look on the second part about my trip to Bolivia.
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