LA PAZ - But this time right, not just passing through!

LA PAZ - But this time, properly, not just passing through!

Accommodation

We stayed in two different accommodations in La Paz. Since it seemed really cool to us, we wanted to try out a capsule hotel. We showed up on-site and received a discount due to an ongoing promotion at the "El Prado Capsule Hostel." In the end, we still paid quite a bit more than if I had booked through Booking.com (after all, I'm a VIP member 😉). And honestly? We weren't convinced, even though the receptionists were super friendly. For the six nights, we would have paid 600 Bolivianos. The breakfast was mediocre, we stayed in a mixed dormitory, the ventilation was poor and the biggest flaw: the sleeping capsules could not be locked. A small chain was available, but you could easily slide the doors slightly open and then undo the chain from the locking mechanism inside. Suboptimal, both when you're inside and when you're not there. We then came up with a flimsy excuse and changed accommodations after two days. For the two nights, we paid 63 Bolivianos per person per night, totaling 252 for two nights. The second accommodation was the Skyline Hostel. The rooms were not nearly as nice in person as on the website, but we enjoyed the breakfast much more. We had a great view of La Paz from the breakfast area and our room had plenty of storage options. Despite the shared bathroom, we felt more comfortable than in the first accommodation. The location at the Witches' Market was also better than the first accommodation. A club was right next door... We paid 336 Bolivianos for three nights and returned after our hiking tour to the 6000er since we could easily leave our luggage there.

Attractions

In addition to day trips, we explored the city that everyone seems to be so enthusiastic about. We found it quite nice, a fairly beautiful city, but it also has a lot of poverty and homelessness. We visited:

• the purple Teleférico station "San José"
• Plaza Murillo (the main square with the Presidential Palace and lots of pigeons)
• Palacio de Gobierno (office of the national government and President Luis Arce)
• Catedral Metropolitana Basílica Nuestra Señora de La Paz (pretty cathedral at the main square)
• Museo Nacional de Arte (great art museum that you can visit with a combo ticket for three different museums in La Paz)
• Museo Nacional de Etnografía y Folklore (one of the best museums I've ever visited, admission with the same ticket as the art museum)
• Calle Jaén (important street with many museums)
• Mercado Lanza (market with lots of food stalls and other goods)
• Plaza Mayor de San Francisco (very lively square with additional food stalls)
• Centro Cultural Museo San Francisco (museum in a former Franciscan monastery with a bell tower, beautiful courtyard, and one of Bolivia's oldest trees)
• Basílica de San Francisco (Franciscan basilica)
• Mercado de las Brujas (Witches' Market with lots of tourist souvenirs and items for ceremonies like llama fetuses, etc.)
• Calle Sagarnaga (street at the Witches' Market with shops where you can buy alpaca products)
• Museo de la Coca (small coca museum where you get a folder with translations in German; very informative)

Besides exploring the city, we also took a few day trips. Our accommodation "El Prado Capsule Hostel" also offered tours. Very convenient, but a bit more expensive than on the streets. Our first day trip cost 150 Bolivianos / 22 USD per person plus an entry fee of 15 Bolivianos. We visited "Laguna Charquini" at 4600 meters altitude and found the tour really great. We first drove with the van for about forty-five minutes (with a snack break) to "Apacheta Jilarata" for a photo stop, where we could enjoy a great view of the surrounding Altiplano, Lake Titicaca, and the mountain Chacaltaya. We had a young guide named Giorgiana, who was accompanied by two assistants for our group. She spoke English as well and explained everything in a very interesting and detailed manner, like the Alkamari bird at the viewpoint. Then it was another 20 minutes to our next stop "Cementerio de Milluni", a cemetery meant to commemorate the victims of mining and military oppression. Oddly enough, there were police and several models at the cemetery, seemingly for a photoshoot—quite macabre... Next, we continued to "Laguna Milluni," an important source of drinking water for La Paz, which is polluted due to mining. The government doesn't seem to care much... Our last stop before the climb was the "Caseta de Control Milluni", one of my unexpectedly favorite shopping spots in South America. We could use the bathroom, buy coffee, coca tea, cake, and other things there. And there was also a wonderful selection of alpaca products, all made by local indigenous women. We bought a sheep wool jacket for me worth 150 Bolivianos and a pair of alpaca gloves for Pascal for 40 Bolivianos. Additionally, I treated myself to a ball of alpaca yarn for 20 Bolivianos—all handmade. We're not entirely sure if the gloves are truly made of alpaca, but oh well :) There were many other beautiful items, but unfortunately, we didn't have much cash with us. Then it was a short distance up to the parking lot. Surprisingly few people were around, just the way we like it. We got some peach juice, cookies, a ham sandwich, and a bar, and then we made our way uphill, equipped with a metal walking stick. We had three hours for the ascent and descent and managed everything perfectly on schedule. We spent maybe an hour climbing up, 30 minutes descending, and the rest relaxing at the top. In the van, we sat next to a super nice Brit named Pippa and hiked up with her. We had some snacks, took pictures, and simply enjoyed the fantastic view of the lagoon. When we got back down, we returned to La Paz and decided to visit the Witches' Market with Pippa. There, we met a friend of hers from Germany who also wanted to climb a 6000er. In the evening, we had a relaxed dinner at a restaurant and then strolled back to our accommodation. Our second day tour cost 100 Bolivianos / 15 USD per person and took us to the "Valle de la Luna" (Moon Valley) and "Chacaltaya" lagoon. We had to pay an additional 15 Bolivianos each for Chacaltaya and the Moon Valley as entrance fees. Originally, we were supposed to visit the mountain first and then the Moon Valley, but the city traffic was so heavy that we had to change the sequence. Our somewhat older guide Juan spoke good English. The Moon Valley was really nice, and Pascal enjoyed it more than I did. We spent half an hour wandering around the crater-like formations. Then we went on to the world's highest ski resort—at least formerly. We drove our transporter all the way up to 5395 meters, where the Austrian alpine club's ski hut is located. The glacier has been completely gone since 2022, and the only Bolivian ski resort operations ceased as early as 2008. From the ravaged hut with non-flushing toilets, it was about a 30-minute climb to the summit. It looked quite accessible, but the altitude makes it much harder than expected. Our goal was 5421 meters, and from there, we had an incredible view of the Cordillera Real. With us were two nice Austrians doing their voluntary service in Buenos Aires. Then we descended and fell asleep for part of the ride. Back in La Paz, we had to decide whether I would join Pascal in climbing "Huayna Potosí". I decided to go, and we handled the paperwork at the travel agency "God Bless Tours". The next day we were supposed to set off—more about that in the next article!

Transportation

From the terminal, we entered the city using inDrive, otherwise, we traveled by foot. We also rode the Teleférico for half a day. It's the largest urban cable car network in the world. And incredibly affordable too! It should also be accessible to the local population. We paid 30 BOB for the card, with half of it as starting credit. We topped up a bit more and could switch lines at will. Great views and interesting people were what we saw from the cable car!

Food and Drink

We enjoyed the food in La Paz quite a lot. I actually wanted to eat at the Lanza market, but Pascal didn't trust the ambiance there regarding food hygiene. Otherwise, we dined at "Chivis", a local restaurant where we had peanut soup, "Corbata" soup, and "Fritanga de Cerdo." I ordered a "Mocochinchi," a typical Bolivian refreshing drink with dried peaches. We also visited "WOK Fusión Chai," where the food was tasty, but the service was poor. At "Papa Express," we ordered empanadas (Caprese, Queso humacha), Sonso de Yucca, ratatouille, and a stuffed potato right from the street. All delicious and affordable. In a funny little courtyard joint "Queen Quesadillas & Tacos,” we had unexpectedly great quesadillas. At "Jawitas Mi Chulumani", I had tasty api (better than the one at "Api tradicional KYK," which we had on our first night). "Tambo" and "Bolivian Green Kitchen" were our two standard restaurants. Both are part of the "Hotel Sagárnaga" and might not be the best restaurants in La Paz, but they were reasonably priced, and we didn't feel like we'd get food poisoning. We had the daily special a couple of times and were satisfied at the end.

Cafés and Restaurants

• Chivis
• WOK Fusión Chai
• Papa Express
• Queen Quesadillas & Tacos
• Jawitas Mi Chulumani
• Api tradicional KYK
• Tambo
• Bolivian Green Kitchen

Plants and Animals

On our day tours, we saw alpacas and an "Alkamari" or "Andean Caracara," which is a mountain caracara (Daptrius megalopterus). Within the city, we couldn't see much nature. The city is built on unstable ground and in a canyon about 400 meters deep formed by the "Río Chokeyapu” river. This river is entrenched in the highland "Altiplano." Not surprising: La Paz was built on over 200 underground rivers. Huh? Who thought that was a good idea? From time to time, there are floods, landslides, and because of the rivers, you can't build a subway. This is also why the city decided to build a roughly 33 km long cable car network, in collaboration with Doppelmayr Seilbahn GmbH, for over 300,000 passengers daily.

Number of Germans in the City

We saw quite a few foreigners in the city.

Contact with Locals

We had very little contact with locals.

People We Met

In the city, we ran into the French person from Isla del Sol again at the "WOK Fusión Chai" restaurant. We also saw him again at Huayna Potosí. On the tours, we met Pippa and two young Austrians, all very nice people :)

Expenses

• 30 Bolivianos for the Teleférico, including 15 Bolivianos starting credit
• Museum entry
• 150 Bolivianos per person to Laguna Charquini
• 110 Bolivianos per person for the Valle de la Luna & Chacaltaya day trip
• 150 Bolivianos for a sheep wool jacket
• 40 Bolivianos for a pair of alpaca gloves for Pascal
• 20 Bolivianos for a ball of alpaca yarn
• 75 Bolivianos for alpaca socks for Pascal
• 10 Bolivianos for a magnet
• 90 Bolivianos for two brooches (approx.)
• 55 Bolivianos for four bands
• 10 Bolivianos for a merino band
• 10 Bolivianos for three finger puppets
• 15 Bolivianos for five finger puppets
• 20 Bolivianos for a cap
• 50 Bolivianos for a flower bag
• 20 Bolivianos for a calabash
• 5 Bolivianos for a sticker
• 40 Bolivianos for the San Francisco Monastery or Cultural Center
• 15 Bolivianos for the Coca Museum

Standard Stand Offer

Pretty much the same as in Peru... But a bit more beyond that too! Here is a little album. I had to indulge a bit, as you can see in my expense list :)

Laundry

We had our laundry done at a laundromat in the same building as Godblesstours. The price was fair, and the result was good.

Unsolvable Mysteries

How can the highest ski resort in the world melt away so quickly? And why do people illegally build their houses at the edge of the moon area, even though the valley could erode quickly, causing the houses next to it to collapse?

Currency

We were able to withdraw cash for free at the "Banco de la Nación."

Bus to the Campsites

On 25.06.2024, we walked five minutes to our agency after breakfast. "God Bless Tours" hired "Jiwaki" for the organization. From their location, we organized the rest of our equipment, and Pascal quickly bought a pair of sunglasses in the city. More about our trip in the next article!