At an altitude of 3000~4000m above MSL, La Paz is the highest National Capital in the world! We had planned a full day of sight seeing in La Paz, with the help of Banjo Tours. They were slightly expensive, but had an option of Tiwanaku and City sightseeing in one Full day, which fit our requirement perfectly. This post is about highlights of La Paz we could visit!
Enjoy the City View from Mirador Killi Killi
This is a small Park outside the city, on top of a hill with Free Entrance and a vantage point to observe the city skyline.
La Paz – Capital of Bolivia, View from Mirador Killi Killi
Visit the Witches’ Market
This is an eerie place. A dilapidated street, with stores selling all sorts of voodoo stuff with witch doctors on streets. People visit them seeking solutions to common problems in life – birth of a baby, getting a good alliance, securing a job, procuring wealth etc. The witch doctors listen to their requests, ask them to buy a list of offerings, which are readily available in the stores. Then they do a ritual and burn the offerings on the road. The offerings could be as simple as fruits, books, wood and as scary as dried baby llamas! More expensive and exquisite the offering, more effective the ritual! Also, the service list also includes bringing harm and ill to your enemies!
Colonial buildings at Calle Jean
Calle Jean is a small street in La Paz which has few well preserved colonial buildings. Most of them are now either Art shops or Museums.
Take the Cable Car ‘Teleferico”
La Paz is on a slightly lower altitude than the immediate neighbouring city of El Alto. Unlike western countries, where a higher area is prime property, here the property in lower areas are more valued. This is because the higher grounds doesn’t still get running water or electricity all year round. So most of the working population stay in El Alto and come down to La Paz to work. The biggest problem was time needed for commute. Going up and down through winding roads in a bus was not practical. So the government constructed the first cable car public transit. Usually you see cable cars at tourist spots. Here it is part of daily life. A ride from El Alto to La Paz is a great experience !
Umpteen varieties of Potato in Robert Rodriguez Food Market
The Food market in La Paz has striking resemblance to the ones you find in India. Vendors with produce in the open, mostly stacked in sacks. But the surprise here is the number of different types of Potatoes you can find. They come in all sorts of sizes and shapes!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t visit areas in historic central square as there was a protest going on. Police had blocked all traffic and pedestrian access to the area. It was not safe as well.
Thank you for sharing information about La Paz for future visitors. Hopefully we start receiving great travelers like you once again.