While I am currently having a great time in Bolivia, getting into the country was not my favorite! Not only are the flights in the middle of the night, but it took us two hours to get through customs! Part of this was because of getting a visa, but part was just how long it took for them to check in each person. We knew we needed a visa, but several sites said you could just get them at the airport. We’ve done this before and it was easy. Well not this time! This time we stood there watching the clock tick by as they helped us get situated. Many people looked just as confused as us. Thank goodness we were able to get an Uber and our hotel had a 24 hour desk. By about 6:30am we crawled into bed and crashed for a few hours.
After some much needed sleep we woke up the sounds of a parade outside our window! Turns out Bolivia was thrilled we had arrived. Or it was Corpus Christi. The streets were filled with people celebrating and while they don’t honk as much as in Peru, the sounds were everywhere.
Our first stop was a walking tour. I don’t think I realized that La Paz is basically all hills. No matter where you go you will end up climbing upward. Luckily, our guide was hilarious and told the most fascinating stories. We learned about an unbelievable prison that is basically run by the inmates. (Christy I thought of you a lot during this.) The prisoners have jobs within the building and many even move their families in with them! There’s also a cocaine factory inside that the police just ignore. Could be a Brad Pitt movie one day, so keep your eyes out for that one.
We learned about the many superstitions people have. Some include burying lama fetuses under a newly built home or building to bring luck. I loved the way they spoke of Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) and everything we owe to her. We walked through the Witch’s Market with more cures and potions than one can handle. The boxes were quite graphic and helped anyone to understand what they were for regardless of language. My favorite quote of the day though was when she talked about their traffic laws. Again, there are none, and she said their traffic lights are really more like pretty Christmas lights used for decoration.
Our next day we went on a real adventure in figuring out the city. There are amazing trams that connect through the city and give you a bird’s eye view of everything. We wanted to do a small hike in the Valley of the Moon and it seemed a fun way to get there. So we made our way and hopped on. Everyone here is always kind and says hello and quickly can see we don’t know Spanish. A man tried to talk with us and we all laughed sharing our words for colors that we knew in both languages. A new passenger got on and he quickly asked him if he spoke English. Talk about luck! Not only did he speak English but he worked for the American Embassy. We had an amazing chat and he ended up walking us to where we needed to go. From there we tried our first mini-bus experience. Of course the driver looked at us for two seconds and knew exactly where we wanted to go.
Our hike was beautiful and the man at the park did a wonderful job of explaining the area. He even played a wooden flute beautifully.
That night was food tour night! We had a small group of travelers and an excellent guide. I have to say one of my favorite dishes might have been the beef heart. It was very tasty! We also tried a pastry, delicious smoothie, fish, potatoes, soup, beer, and more. More traditions were shared and I got to be the drink pourer. I made sure everyone had the same amount, even if it was only a little. I loved sharing travel stories with the group, which included a man who had been traveling for three years, and a girl who will be gone a year. So many adventures!
Our last day in La Paz was spent wandering around and shopping while seeing the sights. From an incredibly different cemetery, to funky roads with museums to street art and performers.
La Paz was a great experience filled with some of the kindest and understanding people I’ve met. I probably won’t be back to this city, but enjoyed my time there.
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