Jim & Barbara Burton Travel: La Paz, Bolivia

La Paz, Bolivia

Flying once again over the magnificent Andes mountains we arrived in La Paz, Bolivia, at 3am to a temperature of +6C. A far cry from the +40C that we left in Asuncion. The airport was sparsely populated at that time of the morning and those present waiting for loved ones, were cloaked in down coats and heavy blankets. They looked at us as though we had come from Mars, in our T-shirts and shorts. Our driver, thankfully, was patiently waiting to drive us to the Hotel, which was a fair distance even at 3 am and virtually no traffic. As we left the airport, at 4,060 metres above sea level, we drove through thick fog, down into the city of La Paz where it gradually cleared. Even at 3 am there were market stalls open and people mingling or maybe swaying a little.

We arrived at our hotel the El Consulado and went straight to bed. The El Consulado was formerly the Panamanian Embassy and had been purchased by some Danish investors, totally refurbished with antiques of the period and was truly lovely. Even though we had little sleep we went for breakfast at 8 am which was an array of fresh fruit, yoghurt, breads and a full cooked plate of eggs, bacon etc., accompanied by tea, coffee and fresh juice.

At such a high altitude and being extremely tired and jet-lagged we felt a little queasy and light-headed with a mild headache for the first couple of days. Exerting oneself is certainly not the thing to do on arrival. We had to walk slowly, breathe deeply and not turn our heads too quickly. On our first day we took a walk around the neighbourhood. Out onto the Main Street, we took a left turn heading down the hill, remembering that we would have to walk back up again!!!!!! Further down we headed left again to the market place, which was so large it was divided into sections. Food is a big thing in La Paz with everything and anything for purchase. Bolivians, I think, are born with a very sweet tooth and the pastries and confectionery displayed for sale attest to that fact. Each separate section of the market is huge, fresh flowers and live plants, housewares, artisans, clothes and most fascinating "The Miniatures". In Bolivia, it is customary to buy a miniature of something you desire most and then focus on that goal be it a truck, a marriage, a baby, a house etc. You keep the miniature which is said to bring good luck for your desire. When your dream comes true then you go to Copacabana on Lake Titicaca to have the achievement blessed. This is especially true when someone buys the vehicle of their dreams. They arrive outside the Cathedral, where there are flower stalls located. The ladies on the stalls adorn the vehicle with bouquets of flowers and then cover it in flower petals. Then the vehicle is blessed for good luck and to protect it. We were quite tired from our first excursion and slowly climbed back up to the hotel for a nap. Our hotel's restaurant was not open for dinner so we went to the hotel next door, but another effect of the high altitude is serious lack of appetite.

Returning to our hotel, almost next door, was a magnificent structure, which was in the process of being restored, so we were unable to view the inside. This was the Palacio de Arturo Posnansky an Austrian entrepreneur and archaeologist who built this "palace" as an archaeological research centre primarily in the regard of Tiwanaku. Tiwanaku was pre-Inca.

Our next outing, the following day, was in the opposite direction. Still walking very slowly, accompanied by the mild headache, we headed to the Artisan's market and ultimately "The Witches Market". La Paz is famous for its vibrant colours and we were not disappointed. There was so much beautiful merchandise. Alpaca, Llama and sheep products, weavings, ponchos, pants, back-packs, tableware and much more. The narrow streets were alive with colour. Bartering is a common way of doing business, expected and a lot of fun. "The Witches Market" is at the end of one of these narrow streets which are all located on the hill behind the San Francisco church, which is more like a Cathedral. You can buy just about anything here from teas, herbs, fresh coca leaves (not to be confused with the narcotic drugs derived from them), aborted llama foetuses and/or llama dung (to ward off evil spirits), notions and potions. On the advice of the hotel staff we bought our little packet of fresh coca leaves, took them back, rinsed them under the tap (just to make sure they were clean) and proceeded to place a wad in the left side of our mouths and sucked out the juices. Why the left side and not the right? Absolutely no reason at all. We only participated in this exercise once as the taste, although not unpleasant is not tantalising. Jim, however, partook of the coca tea which was always available at the El Consulado. By the following day the headaches were gone and we were luckily, pretty much acclimatised which was to keep us in good stead for the rest of our high altitude stops.

La Paz is a magical city, albeit for the constant traffic jams and the accompanying fumes. It is so colourful, amazing people, nice architecture, music at any opportunity, mostly bands, kiosks in every little space on the streets selling everything from gum to hot food, flowers to fruit etc. The indigenous women's costumes were absolutely beautiful and always topped off with their traditional hats which they adopted from the Europeans almost a century ago. These hats are very expensive and kept in pristine condition. They are always worn, no matter what. If it rains they cover them with a plastic bag.

We took two trips from La Paz. The first was to Lake Titicaca, Isquina, Copacabana and Isla del Sol. The second was to Tiwanaku, the pre Inca ruins. Both of these will be covered in separate blogs.

We were quite sad to leave La Paz but nothing ventured nothing gained and Lima was our next Port of Call....................