Oh La La La Paz

La Paz clinging to the valley

La Paz. Talk about a shock to the system. We flew in from Santiago and in the taxi, coming out of the airport, we thrown straight into chaos. Traffic going every which way. People going every which way. Some men carrying loads bigger than them, many round, short women in colorful ponchos with bowler hats on their heads. Of course we weren't even in La Paz yet, this was just El Alto at about 14000 feet altitude.

For more pictures, see the album.

As our taxi turned onto the "highway", there was a break in the buildings as the ground fell away and we got our first view of La Paz clinging to the walls and floors of the valley. La Paz is built in the valley of the Choqueyapu river that cuts down from the Alto Plano or high plateau. In the next 15 min, we drop 2000ft to the center of town and are thrown into the thick of market day, even though its Friday evening. There are stalls on both side of the street, people walking everywhere and cars filling any holes they can find. Most of the cars are actually small mini buses painted in a variety of striking colors. The taxi turns off onto a small side street and slowly climbs down between the fabric shops to stop in from of our hostel. Coming from BA and Santiago, which are recognizably European, La Paz is like an alien world that reminded me a little of images I have seen of India.

On top of the cultural shock, there was the altitude shock, which really didn't hit until the next day. We knew we were high so we took all of the normal altitude precautions like going slow and drinking a lot of water. The hostel even had free coca tea made by brewing coca leaves. Don't worry, to make cocaine, you also need gasoline, sulfuric acid and a strong base. The leaves, either chewed or brewed into tea is the native remedy for altitude adjustment.

The next morning, we still felt relatively ok, just slight headaches, so we decided to see if we could see the archeology museum. We walked down there and it was closed, so we slowly made our way back to the hostel. On the way, we poked our noses into a number of shops, especially textile ones that Catherine was interested in. We also stopped for lunch at a touristy place, but they made fantastic fresh pasta and fruit juice. Fruit juice is one of the best things in Bolivia. For the price of water at a restaurant, you can usually get a fresh made fruit juice that will knock your socks off.

When we got back to the hostel, we had a little siesta and that's when the altitude started to really kick in. We were both completely toasted. We were out of breath just walking up the stairs. We had splitting headaches and a touch of nausea. So, we slept, read and drank coca tea. By dinner we were feeling even worse, but we had to eat, so we went down to the restaurant in the hostel and had some chicken soup. It was probably the best chicken soup we've ever had. It was a fantastic fresh broth with a chicken back in it. We also talked to Annie, one of the other guests who said that it's better to chew the coca by whetting it and then putting it under the upper gums. So, we did that and went to bed very early.

It was a long night, but by morning, we were feeling a little better. We heard that there was a marathon on and I thought it would be fun to see. The idea of running a marathon at this altitude is nuts, so it would be interesting.  Since it was passing near the hostel, it shouldn't be too bad. So, after breakfast, we went down to the route. Turns out that the close point was km 3 so they were well past that point. It was about 2 hours after the start, but we thought the finish wasn't too far away, so we thought that we could go and catch the end. Well, long story short, it wasn't a marathon. It was only 14km, so by the time we got there it was over. However, along the way, we enjoyed the street festival that extended from the finish for 5 or so blocks. There was everything from kids playing with blocks, to ballet performances, to fresh coconuts and other food.

Catherine was feeling a little worse for the wear by this point so we slowly made our way back to the hostel, keeping an eye open for a place to eat. Unfortunately, it was Sunday, so there wasn't much available. After a while, we thought that the best idea would be to get back to the hostel and have their chicken soup. Unfortunately, when we got there, we found out that their restaurant isn't open for lunch. Catherine was not in good shape, so we asked the front desk where we could get some soup close. They pointed us to a hotel around the corner, so we went there for overpriced andean soup, made of quinoa, veggies and chicken broth. On the way out, we asked the front desk of that hotel if they had oxygen we could use. They let Catherine sit in the lounge on oxygen for 10 minutes, which helped immeasurably.

Valley of the Moon

After that, Catherine went up to the room to rest, while I went on an afternoon city tour by car. We were both supposed to go, but Catherine was not in good enough shape. The city tour way great. I got an overview of the different neighbourhoods, from the market area where we were staying all the way to the rich neighbourhoods a little further down the valley. The rich area mostly had large mansions and, as a special treat, international restaurants like Burger King and Subway. *sigh*. The two private high schools there teach an international curriculum so that the students can get into university in the US.

We also went by the prison, which has a unique setup. It's a prison for small time offenders like thieves and you can be there for up to three years. While you're there, your wife and children can come and live in the prison with you. Also, if you have the money, you can buy extra cells to either spread our, or even to run a little business on the side. At one point there were some enterprising prisoners who would give tours of prison life to tourists, but after too many of the tourists got robbed, the consulates and guide books recommend against it. So it doesn't happen as often now.

Turtle Rock

The tour also went just outside of town to the Valley of the Moon, which my guide said the rumor is that it was named that because when Neil Armstrong visited, he said that it looked just like the Moon. I find that incredibly hard to believe. First, it's unlikely that it wasn't named until the 1960's. Second, it looks nothing like the Moon. It's a forest of spires made of loose soil and rocks that are hardened every day by the sun and high altitude. During the rainy season, it can rain very hard, which causes mud slides all over the La Paz area (taking homes with it sometimes). In the valley of the Moon, the soil softens a lot with water and erodes significantly. My guide said that even the morning dew will soften the soil enough to mold it if you want. Then, as the sun dries it out, it hardens into cement. The Moon on the other hand is mostly loose regolith and hard rocks. It hasn't been shaped by water and so looks very different.

Finally, the tour also went up to the top of the canyon to get a view. We also made quick stops at the stadium, the central square, the broken Big Ben replica donated by the British, and calle Jean, the last colonial street in the city.

When I got back to the hostel, Catherine was feeling a lot better, but wanted to take it easy, so I explored the markets in the neighbourhood. The most interesting is the witch's market. This is where you can buy folk remedies for all sorts of ailments, along with charms for good luck or to ward off evil spirits. For example, you can get a mummified llama fetus which should be buried under the cornerstone of a new house to protect the home from evil.

Mask in the Ethnography and Folklore
mueseum.

The next day, we went to museums. We started by going to the Ethnography and Folklore museum, where the lights went out regularly. It's hard to see exhibits with the lights off!. They had a diverse collection of weavings, masks and dance regalia from the different tribes from around Bolivia. I thought the masks were the most interesting. They ranged from very simple wooden carvings in the Amazon regions to incredibly intricate dragon-like masks reminiscent of Chinese ones, but from the alto plano. After that museum, we went over to calle Jean. There are four museums there, but the only one open was the musical instrument one, so we went in. They actually had instruments from around the world, but of course, there are more examples from Bolivia. I really liked the guitars made from armadillo backs.

After the instrument museum, it was lunch/siesta time, so we walked back to the hostel and stopped for lunch at place with tons of locals that was offering a 3 course meal for about 2 dollars. It was actually pretty good. A simple soup to start, a huge main plate where I chose the fried chicken and Catherine had chorizo. The desert was a disgusting lime pudding from a box so we didn't eat that.

Calle Jean. The last colonial street in
La Paz. It's touristy, so it's empty.

After lunch, we grabbed a taxi to the museum of Bolivian Textiles. It's further away and needed a taxi to get to. It was a little complicated to get there because the lady at the front desk in the hostel told the taxi driver the wrong location, but we got it figured out. It was an excellent, out of the way museum. First, we had to ring a bell to get in and wait about 5 minutes for an older gentlemen to make his way down to open the door. Then he turned on the lights in the museum because we were the only ones there. It was organized to show the weavings from each of the native groups in La Paz and had good descriptions about what makes each of them unique and how the pieces are used, either in ceremony or in daily life. Plus, the signs were translated into English. It's a private museum and much better than the state run one we saw in the morning.

After that, we flagged a taxi to the archeology museum that I had wanted to see a few days ago, but was closed then. This time, there was a sign saying that it was closed for maintenance so we were out of luck. For two days in a row, the walk back to the hostel from this area of town had floored Catherine, so we decided to cab it. There was a fancy hotel Europa right beside the museum so Catherine asked the porter if they could call a taxi for us. Of course, due to some miscommunication, they gave us their private driver to get across town. It worked though.

Our dinner that night was at an expensive, touristy place with indifferent food, but we were able to try alpaca steak. It wasn't that much different that beef steak, but a little gamier.