Day 22- La Paz, Bolivia

After a quick breakfast at Loki hostel we hailed a cab and headed down to Plaza Isabela La Católica. We waited there until a double-decker open top tourist bus arrived. I'd seen an ad for the tour at the hostel yesterday, and since La Paz is very hilly and spread out I thought it would be a good way to easily see the city (and allow me to avoid walking on the sea urchin spike!). The price wasn't bad at all, so we climbed on to the top level. Every seat had a set of headphones so we could hear a recording stating historical facts and what we were looking at. The bus quickly filled up, and it was a very diverse group. Our tour guide asked John and I where we were from, and she was surprised to hear the US. She said not many Americans come to Bolivia because it is not very popular with the US, and many Americans are hesitant to come since our country has somewhat negative relations with the Bolivian government. The US ambassador was recently asked to leave the US embassy in La Paz actually! It is also expensive and somewhat difficult to obtain all the necessary things for the Visa that Americans need to enter the country. It did make me feel good though that despite that, we were still adventurous enough to give the country a try!

We began to ride around the main streets of La Paz and saw many plazas and statues. Most of the monuments were of heroes from the many wars for independence, as well as a few of the original indigenous leaders. One thing I noticed about La Paz, besides being extremely filled with people, is that there are a mass amount of electric wires strung over the city streets. The bus was very tall, and there were several moments where the wires were just inches away from hitting the bus. There were many close calls that made me a little nervous, and a few times we had to duck our heads down!

After about a half hour, we stopped the bus at a mirador called Killi Killi. We walked up the steps to the overlook and instantly had a fantastic view of the entire city. We could see how massive the city is, and how it continues on into the mountains. We could see the infamous "death road" in the distance (the world's most dangerous road- it has crazy narrow streets looming on the edges of steep cliffs), the soccer stadium, and the large mountain called Illimani. It was a fantastic vantage point, and it was easy to get some great photos. We then got back on the bus, continued driving through the city, and returned to the Plaza.

Since the tour was over, John and I decided to get a cab to take to the Plaza Murillo. When we arrived, the place was buzzing with activity. Families were out enjoying the sunny day, and vendors were selling their goods while the large population of pigeons walked around begging for crumbs. Many people were gathered around the steps of the Cathedral, so John and I went in to take a look. Mass was going on, so we quietly walked around. It was a European style Cathedral, clearly built by the Spanish. Once we left the church we tried to go and look around the President's mansion. Unfortunately, the place was closed for construction. It was a bit of a disappointment since that was the plaza's main attraction. Despite that, John and I continued to walk around the side streets. We came across a smaller church that was decorated for a wedding, and after peeking in to get some pictures, we saw the guests and wedding party begin to file in. I had seen several other brides at churches during our bus ride, and it seemed odd to me that there were so many weddings going on in January. I guess I should have thought about the fact that it is summer in Bolivia! After I bought my mom some religious themed jewelry from a vendor by the church, we started walking up the hill to find food. On the way, we saw the same German couple we had talked to in Puno! We introduced ourselves, and once they remembered us, we chatted for a little bit. I am still so jealous that they can travel the world by docking their yacht at various harbors- they had been out of Germany for nearly a year!

Once John ate his usual empanada, we cabbed it back to the hostel. After quickly freshening up we walked back to the main Plaza San Francisco. On the way there I was hunting for some lunch "to go", but fast food options don't really exist in La Paz. Out of desperation I had to get a kids meal from Burger King. The chicken was very odd tasting so I didn't even end up eating it. Once we got to the plaza, packed with people as usual, I bought some ice cream from a vendor. That hit the spot! After strolling around, John and I decided that we wanted to see the lower part of the city, so we decided to cab it back to Plaza Isabela and do the second tour offered by the bus company we had done earlier.

We paid for our tickets and were ready to go on the tour which would explore the "southern circuit" of La Paz. This part of the city is the wealthier part of town, and it is unique because in most cities the wealthy people live at the higher elevations, or on the mountaintops. In La Paz though, the higher you climb, the more poverty you will see. On the bus ride we drove through a tunnel that was very low, and it was somewhat scary sitting on top of the bus. We also drove through some neighborhoods were political protests were going on. There were some rallies and people picketing, and the cops were of course nearby. There is much political unrest in Bolivia because of the huge money gap. The wealthy few make thousands, but the rest make almost nothing. There is no such thing as a middle class in Bolivia, and this imbalance naturally creates a lot of tension.


The final stop we arrived at is an area known as the Valle de La Luna, or Moon Valley. It is a very beautiful and interesting landscape, somewhat reminiscent of the southwest US or Grand Canyon. It is a national park, but in the surrounding areas you could see many newly built mansions and upscale country clubs. We entered the preserve, and got to walk around and explore the many unique rock formations. The rocks have crazy shapes, formed from erosion. The one in the photo is an odd rock named "Lady's Hat". Climbing the steep rock formations was actually fun- luckily there were little trails to follow. In the distance we could also see an oddly shaped mountain called El Diente Del Diablo, or the "Devil's tooth". There were also many steep crevices and little caves throughout the tall, narrow rock formations. It was all so unique, and beautiful. I think these views are on of the highlights of the trip that I will always remember first when I think of my time in La Paz. As we continued to explore we got many great photos, and at one point a random man started playing some tribal flute while standing on a rock. Towards the end of our time exploring, it began to rain. We got onto the lower level of the bus and headed back to the Plaza.

Once we were dropped off, we weren't exactly sure what we should do next. We decided to go back to El Mercado Hecicheria (Witches Market) to get in some last minute bargain hunting and souvenir shopping. I had seen on the Internet that there was a Hard Rock Cafe in La Paz, and since I collect their merchandise we began a hunt to find it. While we were in a shop buying chess sets which hilariously depicted the Incans vs. the Conquistadors, I chatted with the woman about it. She gave me directions, but when John and I walked there it didn't exist. It was very confusing. We eventually figured out that a local bar called itself the Hard Rock Cafe- copyright infringement anyone? After that futile search, we went back down to the fruit market. I got some more apple juice in a plastic bag, and John got a huge papaya. By this point, my foot was killing me. Walking around on the hilly cobblestone streets filled with potholes and people traffic is not easy to navigate while having a gimp foot!

Back at Loki Hostel we decided to check out the oxygen bar on the third floor. It is the self proclaimed "world's highest oxygen bar", and after picking out our flavors (I picked lavender) we sat back, and relaxed. The oxygen bar is supposed to help people like me, who have some soroche (altitude sickness) but after the session was done I basically just felt drunk. Not sure why. At that point though, we discovered that you could climb onto the roof of the hostel. There were some Brazilian teens hanging out up there, and it provided a perfect view of Mount Illimani in the distance. It was beautiful to see!

For our final venture in La Paz we had the hostel call us a cab that would take us back to the Killi Killi Mirador. We arranged for him to take us there so we could get photos, and then wait for us and bring us back. I was glad about this because the mirador was in a somewhat sketchy area of the city and I was paranoid about being stranded there at night. Once we arrived we got some photos of the city lights and took in our final views of La Paz. The cab driver took us back to Loki, and we decided to check out the restaurant and bar on the second floor. The place was totally packed with travelers, most of which were from New Zealand, England, and Ireland. After ordering some food at the bar, I noticed a table behind me that consisted of 12 young British guys. I texted Christina saying that our life dream was happening- if only that table had been there when we were single ladies traveling together two years ago! Haha.

After enjoying some celebratory drinks, John and I sadly went back to the room to pack up. The hostel has a glass ceiling, and at that point it started storming and raining really badly. It was pretty cool to see, especially since the hostel is so pretty on the inside. Once we were done packing I headed downstairs and decided to put my brown shoes I had bought in Lima in a collections box so that the they would be given to the street children in the city. They were only used once, so I hope whatever kid ends up with them will enjoy them! It was then time to shower, and after the first three stalls I went to weren't emitting water, just scary noises, I finally had success. Then, I went to sleep listening to the sounds of thunder and young travelers loudly partying the night away.