La Paz
In the early morning hours (i.e. 5am) of May 11, two tired travelers (a.k.a. us) arrived in La Paz, the administrative capital of Bolivia (yay!). Located right in the center, the hotel Las Brisas would be our home for the next three days while we rested and surveyed the city.
Among our first realizations was that we were either terribly out of shape or that the oxygen levels are lower at 3,600+ meters elevation (but probably both). It would take some time to acclimatize.
La Paz is a marvelous city, situated in a valley (in fact, it has a network of gondolas for transportation!) and home to bustling markets and plenty of delicious streetfood. The traffic is crazy, mostly because the streets are replete with pedestrians and mini buses that are wedged in between them, so that you might as well give up on vehicle transport (unless it's 5am and you're coming from from the airport with two boxed bikes, two duffel bags, and two backpacks).
Lots of roads house boutiques and street stands, and often one block will have it's own theme: car parts, toilets, work tools, textiles, sports jerseys--you name it!
The best part, however, is the food. It's everywhere and, for someone used to Seattle’s prices, very well-priced (1 Boliviano is about 1/7 of a US dollar at the time of writing). This was a HUGE plus for Kai especially.
So glad you guys made it there safely and are seeing some cool stuff already! And those food prices are really jaw-dropping :)
ReplyDeleteI like the colorful buses. I guess you have to try to stand out to attract passengers over other buses!
ReplyDeleteSmart to select the wide brim hat, Kai. I expect the sun to be super intense at that altitude!
Amazing trip. Love the pictures! Makes me feel like visiting La Paz (except for the altitude). I'm glad you are enjoying your stops in the capital cities and look forward to following you through the entire trip. You must be on your bikes by now!
ReplyDelete