Blogs from La Paz, La Paz Department, Bolivia, South America - page 7

Hello People, We woke up at 6am in the hostel in Puno. Our taxi arrived at 6.15am, which we had pre-booked the night before. We got dropped off at the bus terminal where we had a coach to La Paz (direct across the boarder to Bolivia). The journey was suppose to take 7 hours but was closer to 10 in total! It was about 2 hours to the boarder of Bolivia, which was a very scenic journey around Lake Titicaca. The boarder was very small, and was so easy compared to memories of the hectic Thai-Cambodia boarder. After we had our passports stamped on both sides, the journey continued for another hour to Copacabana. We were told to get off the bus for 1h30 as we had to change buses, have lunch and explore the town. ... read more

Today was the first day I have felt back to my traveler self. I checked out of my luxury hotel this morning and wandered into the sunny La Paz street and hopped into a taxi. The driver knew of my hostel and we were away. It was an easy run and I am now offcially checked into my first ever ¨party hostel¨. Whatever that means. They do have a full scale irish pub on the second floor. When I first got there around noon I went to the bar to buy some bottles of water because the tap water in La Paz is undrinkable. As I approached it sounded like a rave was going on inside. At the bar there were a few scurrilous fellow already, still?, drunk. That is not what made me feel like ... read more

It is all how I envisioned. Here I am in La Paz ensconced in my luxurious hotel bed gazing out at Illimani, the soul filled mountain that stands sentry over this city. The plan is to spend the whole day lounging and pondering as I adjust to the ridiculously high altitude of La Paz. I can already feel some of its effects. Drawing in big yawning breaths feel like a decadent exercise and mind feels delightfully foggy and compressed. It is hard to tell if the lethargy I am feeling is from the altitude, the overnight flight I have just taken, or if it is just the continuation of my normal state of being. I have been drinking a lot of mate de coca, which you can probably guess is tea made from coca leaves. It ... read more

The highest capital in the world, at around 3650 metres, La Paz kept me breathless, and I'm not just talking the gorgeous views! We could appreciate these almost immediately, as our driveer stopped at a viewpoint looking over the city as we left the airport where we got the most spectacular views over the city. The city is built in a valley, with red brick houses clinging to the hillsides all around us. We liked it almost immediately. Our hotel was located right in the centre of the city, next to San Francisco church. We couldn't have hoped for a better base, as we were able to wander around the city and explore the local markets and the nooks and crannies in the the old city. After our trip down Death Road, we booked ourselves in ... read more

Hola Amigos... “Potosí! Potosí! Salimos a las una” the lady shouted... We hopped on board for a four hour bus ride to Potosí, the highest city in the world (allegedly) and a Unesco World Heritage Site. At 4070 metres above sea level, we huffed and puffed as we explored the lovely (and hilly) streets of this famous city. Little did we know that this city is not only famous for its elevation, but also its role in the history of the world‘s currency. The world’s first international coin was minted in silver here in Potosí. Our guide in The Casa Nacional de la Moneda gave us a very informative tour on the history of the mint and showed us some pretty remarkable pieces of wooden machinery from the 1700’s. The surrounding hills have one of the ... read more