Mar 28 - La Paz - Highest capital city in the world

BOA  just missing the C !

Bolivia 28 March

Headed off to the airport for our flight to La Paz where we had to say goodbye to David our fun Bolivian guide who by now felt very much part of the family.

He negotiated us through the airport check in avoiding excess luggage charges by kissing and chatting up all the check in girls. Told you he was a great guy ! (Bolivian airlines 20kg aaarrgh especially after our wine and rug shopping).

We arrived in La Paz at 4100m, the highest capital city in the world but child’s play for us 5000m survivors !!

International flights don’t fly in here directly due to the altitude as planes can only load to 70% due to the combustion not having enough oxygen and can’t carry enough payload which of course is commercially not viable for the airlines so they fly into Santa Cruz instead.

Our first view of La Paz on the road in from the airport was an eye opener. It is vast !! 

Just a small section of La Paz

The richer people live down in the crater where there is more oxygen and the poor people live right up at the top road where there is less oxygen. 100m difference between the two. The poorer people used to have to walk down and up with goods but they have now introduced a series of 12 funiculars that are the main rush hour way of getting down and up to work. All most unusual.

We arrived at the hotel which is right in the heart of the centre of town. It was complete mayhem with traffic belching fumes, horns beeping constantly and a sea of people on the pavements. Complete madness. 

Love the old buses....but not the belching fumes !!

Our hotel is another little Casona with the rooms round a central courtyard a little oasis of calm in a sea of people.

Once checked in we went to look round the Witches market which was an easy walk from the hotel. It was pouring with rain so many of the witches were in hiding, so we looked round some lovely textile shops including a fair trade alpaca store where I found a lovely little pressie for Julia’s baby to be (not long now).

Witches Market in the rain --)

Paul & Mandy in the car repair shop...

We had also checked out some of the hotel local recommendations for dinner and all we can think is they wanted us to eat at the hotel ! We eventually found a good steakhouse with a parrilla grill on site and had great steaks and ribs there with a nice bottle of Argentinian Malbec.

Bolivia were playing Argentina at football in the late afternoon and emotions were running high. They hadn’t beaten Argentina for many years, but Messe had a four match ban issued only 4 hours before the match and miraculously they pulled a 2-0 win out of the hat !  Great we thought until we realised the celebrations and horn tooting would go on through the night and our rooms were on the street !!  Aaarggh. Still, earplugs and Malbec helped and we got through !