La Paz

May-June 2023

We based Pedro in La Paz for just over a month, while we dipped in and out in between flights to various places. Pedro was safely tucked away in the corner of a car park in El Alto while we jetted around. We did take him out for one ill-judged outing, driving from 4,150m in El Alto down to 3,200m in Valle de la Luna and back again. The climb, lack of oxygen, and the insanely high and frequent speed bumps made it a very nervy trip, but no long-term damage. The Valle de la Luna means valley of the moon, and it looked just like it was made of moon-cheese. 

El Alto, next to La Paz, is the highest city in the world. We arrived on a Sunday and ended up driving through a busy market and several roadblocks to reach our car park. It was very tight and we were surprised we didn't have any crashes along the way! La Paz isn't often described as a beautiful city, and tourists tend to spend a few days there doing the most touristy things and moving on. We got to know it a bit better as we were there for a while, but we would still not describe it as a beautiful city. Staying in El Alto was very spectacular though - we were so high up with views over La Paz, surrounded by sandy-coloured structures that looked like melted candle wax, and with snow-capped 6,000m mountains in the background. However, being this high up meant it was very cold. We had below zero temperatures every night, and as we were staying in a car park, we used our portable shower which thankfully provided us with hot water, but as soon as Em got out of the shower, her hair froze! 

We had to bang loudly on the metal gates of the car park every time we wanted to be let back in, as the owner lived in a small house inside. However, as is the case in most of South America, nobody likes sleep. Minivans hoping for business started driving past incessantly beeping their horns from 4.30am, and dogs were barking all night. 

Public transport there takes the form of cable cars, with several lines flying above the city. This system was introduced by an Austrian company and is incredibly cheap, so everyone uses it to commute, drastically reducing the number of cars on the roads. There is still a rule that you must wear a mask inside the stations and the cable cars. As they get in, everyone greets each other with a "Buenas tardes" (Good afternoon). Imagine that on the London underground! The other way of getting around is in cramped minivans called 'collectivos'. Again, everyone greets each other and it is very cheap - 1 bol for a journey (11p). Another social norm we have noticed is people saying "Buen aprovecho" (Bon appetite!) as they walk past a restaurant. 

We spent a few days in La Paz doing the touristy things - wandering down the 'Witches market', where people sell souvenirs, but also hang llama foetuses from the doorways to ward off bad spirits. We also wandered down a foody road and ate at some nice restaurants, including an Indian restaurant where we were able to find authentic curry for the first time in 8 months! We also went into El Alto to watch the chollitas wrestling. This takes some explaining - imagine BTEC WWE in a rundown leisure centre where women are victorious over men, and are dressed in traditional Bolivian clothes (huge skirts, long plaits, top hats, and clogs). It originated as a way of highlighting and overcoming domestic violence in a lighthearted way. Whilst in El Alto, we witnessed the sprawling markets. We had to make a note of the variety of items for sale as it was too unbelievable - red onions, toothbrushes, live rabbits, phone chargers, trainers, sanders, car wheels, army gear, just the tops of spray bottles...

We also ticked off a few maintenance jobs. We needed to replace our spare tyre and found a street with loads of tyre shops. We eventually found the right tyre and wheel. What was quite surprising, was everyone working in the tyre shops, jacking up vans and fitting tyres, were women! In most South American cities, there are whole streets dedicated to selling very specific things. This was also the case in La Paz. The whole street was just tyre shops, then there was another street advertising brakes, then another full of mechanics. It makes it easy to find what you need! We also needed to fill up with diesel, but Bolivia was experiencing a diesel shortage, and we had seen footage of endless queues outside petrol stations on the news. Reluctantly, we joined the back of a line of 14 trucks and waited nearly an hour to fill up. But, at least they let us fill up (tourists in foreign cars can have trouble at most stations acquiring diesel!). We also got our breaks checked in about 5 minutes, for £3. Win. 

Samaipata

June 2023

A 4 hour minibus ride away from Santa Cruz, was Samaipata, a small town in the mountains, with some nice restaurants, cute artisanal handicraft shops, and close to Amborro National Park. We had gone to do some big hikes. We stayed in a quaint little hostel with some tiny kittens we became obsessed with. We went on two hikes in Amborro National Park - both with guides, as you're not allowed in the park without a guide. The guides were reasonably priced and included transport to and from the park. 

The first hike was through the jungle to see some prehistoric ferns (some hundreds of years old), with amazing views at the top. The next day we went on another really cool hike to Codo de los Andes. It was a very steep incline, then a nice walked along the ridge to a viewpoint at the highest point. On the way back, we went to some waterfalls for a cooling swim.