La Paz, Bolivia

In preparation for our elevation, we began taking altitude tablets the day before our flight to La Paz. Rising from near sea level metres to 4000 has been known to take its toll on some folk. The flight was 4 hours with a quick stop over at a town on the waters edge. Despite being surrounded by mountains, the landing was quite smooth and upon exiting, we were all short of breath with slight pressure headaches. No problems.

We were also extra excited as we were meeting my uncle Robert here too.

We were picked up by our guide, Pepe, a proud local who promised to have us falling in love with La Paz by the time we left. It was rushh our, so our trip into the city centre took about 50 minutes, minus the time when the van broke down. :) The airport is actually at 4000 metres and in another small town. We had to descend to 3600m into La Paz, and it was incredible how just a few hundred metres eased the headache. La Paz itself is nestled in, around and over mountains and valleys. Our view was incredibly hazy though, but this was due to farmers in the north and south burning off their last seasons crops. The smoke travelled for hundreds of miles coating the city. We stopped briefly for some photos heading into the city before continuing to a lovely little hostal called Rosario. Once we were settled, we were met again by Pepe for a tour around the city. Roasario was actually on the main drag about a block from the Witches markets.

The difference in tradition was so immediately apparent. Traditional dress is still really observed here. The women are particularily distinctive with long dark braids, petticoated skirts, tall top hats and usually a colourful bundle of baby or other goods on their backs. Dental treatment is also clearly absent, but it sort of adds to the charm. We were told by Pepe that the locals are very adverse to their photos being taken, believing it steals part of their soul. Bolivia is a rather superstitious and religious nation. Catholicism is still strong here, but the local religions are also followed, the two seem to work together. Many makeshift stalls will contain and offering to Pecha Muma (Mother Earth) as well as a crucifix, and their are countless customs observed in day-to-day life.

We wandered down to the witches markets and Pepe pointed out all sorts of herbs and potions for purchase to cure ill health, poor love lives and much more. We headed further into the markets and stalls began to stock bowls of sugar lollies in the shapes of money, houses, couples. These are to be burnt as an offering to Pecha Muma. Further on we had llama fetus´and dried armadillos along with stone carvings for protection, love, health. We explored the stores and tried the local fashion, lit incense for good travels and purchased a couple of small trinkets.



The llama fetus´are used as offerings to Pecha Muma in different ways. When building a new house, a fetus´will be laid in the foundations as a way of thanking Mother Earth for this space and to ask that it be solid and true. During festival times, the fetus´are burned in faith & to ask for a fruitful year, in thanks, in grief and for any other number of reasons.

In addition to dead creatures, there were also incredible textiles on offer. Local communities weave incredible textiles from llama, alpaca and sheep wool. It gets pretty cold up here, so there is a real need for heavy, warm goods. Our trip into the witches markets had been downhill until this time. The uphill stint was incredibly taxing. We reached the top of a 20m strip with hearts thumping while gasping for breath. I don´t know how the locals do it, especially the women carrying their 20kg loads. We weren´t quite settled with the altitude just yet.

Fortunately, we were picked up from there and taken further into the city to look at the banking/businss area. The population of La Paz is around 800,000. Observing the city from the inner business areas you could believe it. Crazy traffic, people everywhere, totally unobserved street signs, street vendors, general dirt and grime helps to pain the picture. From here, we made our way to a viewing platform over the whole valley. Great views of both sides of the valley.

We made our way out of the city to the half moon valley. Its an incredible area with very unusual rock formations. Erosion in this and the general La Paz area is cause for some concern. There are many areas which have been ruled uninhabitable or unsafe, but they´re full of small houses and families. Too many people, not enough space. La Paz is the political capital of Bolivia although the official capital is Sucre. Another civil war separated the power a hundred years earlier.

It was getting warm, so we opted to head back for some chill out time, but stopped on the way for a quick snack that Pepe recommended. Known as a Salteña, these tasty pasties were full of a delicious meat, some veges and a tasty sauce. There´s a technique to eating these things. Nibble the edge, drink the sauce, then eat the pasty. YUM.

That night, we hunted out a show known as peña. Its a local folkloric tradition with live music and dancing from many different regions across Bolivia. Mum and I had llama meat (delicious) while Tom tried Guinea Pig (also very tasty). Dad and Rob opted for the safer vege and beef options :)

The show was good fun and more than once Tom, Dad and I were pulled up on stage to join in the dancing. Altitude and dancing... we were stuffed.

The next morning, with tired legs, we flew to Sucre.