La Paz, our entry point to Bolivia

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After Peru, our next stop is La Paz in Bolivia. Bolivia is a first for Ma'ri and I...do not ask me why I did not come before. La Paz is a simple hop out of Lima. The airport is actually in Alto La Paz...perched at some 4000m altitude above the sea...and just above La Paz itself. The city is actually shaped like a bowl and is between 3300 and 4000m with most streets having serious inclination. The main question was to know how we would cope with the altitude. Good news, this is neither an issue for Ma'ri, nor for me.

As we arrived late afternoon, our first plan was to make it to our travel agent to organize our 6 days in Bolivia...and what a program. The next day was let available to nicely tour La Paz on foot. When I mean on foot, I mean a lot of ups and downs narrow street. The good news is that La Paz feel very safe...so no issue walking even after dark around. We visited few museums, the best ones being the ones of costumes, the Museo del Oro as well as the Museum from San Francisco church and his convent.

The interesting point was that we arrived just for the festivies of the 16th of July, the day of La Paz. The city was getting ready to be drapped by flags...red, green and yellow for Bolivia, but also red and green for La Paz....at the beginning I was wondering what all these portugese flags where doing all around the city, before finding out they had nothing to do with Portugal!

Museums are cheap, miradors to enjoy views of the city are free, taxis are cheap, food is nice and cheap....now I understand why so many young travellers room the country...nice people, cheap living, but still with a very decent quality level...nice!

One of our great friend in Lima, a peruvian told me he did not understood why European loves so much the city of La Paz. Well, for food and historic sites, Lima is clearly in another world, way above...but it is maybe the ease you can find in La Paz...you don't have to look in your back all the time and to be worry of making the wrong turn on a street. This bearing in mind that we did not intend to get lost in the wrong places. There is another interesting point in La Paz. In most cities, the poor areas are in the lower levels of town. Here, it is the opposite...as it is easier to live...and more important breath at 3300 meters altitude than at 4000 meters altitude.

I don't think you really need more than a full day in La Paz, and this is what we did. We will have 2 more entries on the country, next one is a trip to the Lake Titicaca and the Isla de Sol, but the one coming after is the real one...Salar de Uyuni and the Lagons of the South.

So in the meantime, enjoy, because we do...and a more relax day today...as usual...with the sun, but this may change soon...

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

An entry point
I have enjoyed reading this blog. Bolivia was on my short list but you have made it alive and exciting. thank you.