High time in La Paz, Bolivia's high capital city

Standing above the rest, Bolivia 's capital city of La Paz is positioned at 3625m above sea level and is the heart of traditional Andean culture. Appropriately nicknamed, ‘the city that touches the sky' La Paz is an amalgam of new world versus old world values.  Long plaited and traditionally clothed Quechuan women wobble the footpaths alongside well suited businessmen who casually enjoy their evening feast of modern fast food feasts.

Sited in what looks like a giant crater bowl La Paz is a bustling city of over one million inhabitants, high rise buildings permeate the altiplano skies and rickety shanty towns saturate the descending city crater walls.  The humbling snow capped Mount Illimani permanently gazes down upon the plethora of what can only be described as the mayhem and confusion of a deeply politically fragile and polarised La Paz .   Out skirting the hustle and bustle of the urban city life our minibus arrives at our inexpensive yet very inviting hotel situated in the old and less modern quarters of the town.

Unfortunately, and much to my luck I am off to a bad start, my hotel room is situated on the fifth floor and worse of all there is no elevator.  I have no other option I am forced to make my way up to the fifth floor, the old fashioned way, the staircase.  I consider myself to be quite fit, running five kilometres every morning before work was no big deal surely I can climb a few flights of stairs without my heart rate increasing so much that I feel like I am seriously going to faint yet worse die.  Back home a few flights of stairs are no big deal but for a new comer in La Paz , the highest capital city in the world, this is not the case. A few flights of stairs equates to a lot of effort and an extremely and uncomfortable high heart rate.

Immediately, upon arrival to La Paz the altitude hits me and a sense of light headedness and dizziness forces me to concentrate on every single breath of Bolivian air. La Paz is not for faint hearted, asthmatics or chain smokers. The steep cobbled streets that wind up, down and all around the city make it impossible to explore its offerings without getting winded.  In amazement I admire the old Quechuan women in their makeshift shoes carrying large potato filled rucksacks over their old torn backs whom effortlessly walk the City's near vertical streets.  

I learn quickly that regardless of my so called ' fitness' power walking the streets of La Paz  probably isn't the best option.  Not only are the streets very steep but they are also considerably slippery and unfortunately I learnt this the hard way. Even my sturdy, ‘state of the art', hiking shoes did not offer me enough grip to stop me from ending up horizontally flat on my back in the middle of one of La Paz 's busy and tourist laden streets.  It is safe to say that I was the laughing stock of tourists and locals alike. From my awkward mistake I soon learnt that the only way to walk down La Paz 's slippery streets was to carefully and strategically walk sideways regardless of the embarrassment I found this method to be very secure and soon became the walking norm for me.

It is also a very smart idea to carry a bottle of water around with you. Having not knowing the adverse effects of high altitude I was stupid enough to leave my water back at the hotel before embarking on a city walking tour. The result of minimum hydration was a maximum pounding headache. Hence, water became my new best friend a necessity of survival and comfort in the high altiplano city.

Underneath the cacophony of hustle and bustle that exists in La Paz is a colourful culture of street stalls and markets who sell silverware, traditional tapestries, clothing and hand made woodcrafts. I venture along the cobbled streets at a slow and steady pace eventually discovering La Paz 's notorious witches market. A sickening yet inquisitive feeling cocoons my body as I notice that the products rang from real dried llama foetuses to stuffed Bolivian armadillos. Initially, I am shocked yet also very fascinated and as I learn more I become to accept the very unique and divergent Andean customs and culture.

Buzzing 24/7 La Paz is a city of no glitz or glamour yet one that cultivates a lively and energetic Andean culture. Deviating from the rest of the world La Paz will literally take your breath away. Some tips of advice are to slowly acclimatise to the high altitude by travelling over ground and not to fly directly into La Paz from low altitude origins. Take your time whilst exploring the colourful cobbled stoned streets, drink plenty of water, make the most of the cheap cerveza and don't be too shocked at local customs and tradition.