The topography (geographical and physical) of La Paz makes it one of the most interesting cities on the planet. Arriving from the Altiplano, the city appears out of nowhere from beneath the flat plain like a gaping mouth full of red brick and tile.
The rim and walls of the canyon that nestles La Paz are covered with houses, slums, or buildings constructed on every habitable* space. Unlike most cities, the wealthy live at the bottom of the hills, and the poorest slums occupy the hilltops. The nicer neighborhoods further down in the valley benefit from warmer weather, sheltered from the harsh altiplano winds. Meanwhile, the slums are built at the very top are placed where there is the only room to grow--out of the bowl and onto the plains. At the top, El Alto, once considered only a slum of La Paz, has now grown so much that it is now Bolivia's third largest city.
* See description of Valle de la Luna below.
We were extremely fortunate to have a contact in La Paz: A long-lost friend of my mother's who I hadn't seen in about 18 years. Jackie used to live near my family in Arkansas, and a few years back she moved back to Bolivia. I looked her up and she was generous enough to host us in her lovely home with her awesome husband Lucho and rad son Sebi. Her hospitality turned what I thought would be a stressful stay in a crazy city into an unexpected chance to explore real life in La Paz and discover some of the coolest spots in Bolivia. It was also a chance to gain several pounds over a few days of delicious (and relentless!) home cookin'.
We spent the days exploring various parts of the city, uphill and downhill. We gorged on ice cream in the hipster modern part of town (which featured full blown quality coffee shops to Matt!'s delight), and passed through the old, narrow streets of the witches' market, where you can buy llama fetuses and other supernatural items that'll cure what ails ya. One night, we also went out to a Peña, a very fun and expeditious way to learn about a wide range of Bolivia's culture in just one evening. Peñas occur at a bar or restaurant, and they feature musical acts and dances from various areas of the country. Our particular MC and lead musician was really lively and talented, with a well-honed knack for being able to rock out tunes from everyone's country of origin on the Charango.
The rim and walls of the canyon that nestles La Paz are covered with houses, slums, or buildings constructed on every habitable* space. Unlike most cities, the wealthy live at the bottom of the hills, and the poorest slums occupy the hilltops. The nicer neighborhoods further down in the valley benefit from warmer weather, sheltered from the harsh altiplano winds. Meanwhile, the slums are built at the very top are placed where there is the only room to grow--out of the bowl and onto the plains. At the top, El Alto, once considered only a slum of La Paz, has now grown so much that it is now Bolivia's third largest city.
* See description of Valle de la Luna below.
We were extremely fortunate to have a contact in La Paz: A long-lost friend of my mother's who I hadn't seen in about 18 years. Jackie used to live near my family in Arkansas, and a few years back she moved back to Bolivia. I looked her up and she was generous enough to host us in her lovely home with her awesome husband Lucho and rad son Sebi. Her hospitality turned what I thought would be a stressful stay in a crazy city into an unexpected chance to explore real life in La Paz and discover some of the coolest spots in Bolivia. It was also a chance to gain several pounds over a few days of delicious (and relentless!) home cookin'.
We spent the days exploring various parts of the city, uphill and downhill. We gorged on ice cream in the hipster modern part of town (which featured full blown quality coffee shops to Matt!'s delight), and passed through the old, narrow streets of the witches' market, where you can buy llama fetuses and other supernatural items that'll cure what ails ya. One night, we also went out to a Peña, a very fun and expeditious way to learn about a wide range of Bolivia's culture in just one evening. Peñas occur at a bar or restaurant, and they feature musical acts and dances from various areas of the country. Our particular MC and lead musician was really lively and talented, with a well-honed knack for being able to rock out tunes from everyone's country of origin on the Charango.
We were lucky to catch Jackie and her family on a weekend, so on that Sunday, we all went for an action-packed outing where we first visited the otherworldly Valle de La Luna (Valley of the Moon). Visiting this place is unsettling, not only because of the mystical landscape and soil formations, but also because upon inspecting these very loose and eroded structures, you realize that this is exactly the kind of soil that all of La Paz is built upon. Skyscrapers and houses across the entire canyon are built on what can be best described as slightly encrusted termite hills. Luckily, La Paz doesn't seem to be near any significant seismic activity. After Valle de la Luna, we drove to the bottom of the canyon to the agricultural valley where Jackie and Lucho have a small plot of land where they grow corn and veggies. And yes, we ate some of that corn later and it was delicious.
The only downside of this particular visit is that I joined the ranks of everyone else that I know that have been robbed in La Paz. It is a long story, but I'll just echo my mom's sentiment that Bolivians, particularly in La Paz, are the best thieves in the world. I made the mistake of leaving my wallet off my person (in a very snug chest jacket pocket with a difficult zipper), and it was either pickpocketed in an impossibly imperceptible way while we were walking the streets, or knicked for the brief period that I hung the jacket on a chair during coffee. In either case, I am left in awe at how suave and skilled the thieves were. The prime suspect? the smiling, gracious waiter at the cafe. Word to the wise: always keep your wallet in a place where you can feel it on your body--like your crotch. or at least in your front leg pockets. Because even though your jacket might be crammed into the most inaccessible corner of the most gringo restaurant with someone watching it, that doesn't make it safe around the most talented artisans of La Paz.
Well, I can't end on a sour note, so here's some more good stuff: In addition to hitting up the town, Matt! and I each got our own chances to do some side trips solo. I went for a truly Xtreme, wicked mountain bike ride (all singletrack, all downhill) with Gravity Bolivia, and Matt! took a trip up to Chacaltaya, the world's highest ski area at 18,274 feet. His trip was one of the most convenient ways to reach such a high altitude in less than a day. From there he was able to see some of the more spectacular peaks of the Cordillera surrounding the city.
By the way, one of the best parts of this visit was hanging out with Jackie's 7 year old son Sebi. He's a great kid who's really into wrestling and all the other normal kid stuff. So, we had to get into the act as well. And note the awesome satirical wrestling poster that he found poking fun at all of Bolivia's political figures:
The only downside of this particular visit is that I joined the ranks of everyone else that I know that have been robbed in La Paz. It is a long story, but I'll just echo my mom's sentiment that Bolivians, particularly in La Paz, are the best thieves in the world. I made the mistake of leaving my wallet off my person (in a very snug chest jacket pocket with a difficult zipper), and it was either pickpocketed in an impossibly imperceptible way while we were walking the streets, or knicked for the brief period that I hung the jacket on a chair during coffee. In either case, I am left in awe at how suave and skilled the thieves were. The prime suspect? the smiling, gracious waiter at the cafe. Word to the wise: always keep your wallet in a place where you can feel it on your body--like your crotch. or at least in your front leg pockets. Because even though your jacket might be crammed into the most inaccessible corner of the most gringo restaurant with someone watching it, that doesn't make it safe around the most talented artisans of La Paz.
Well, I can't end on a sour note, so here's some more good stuff: In addition to hitting up the town, Matt! and I each got our own chances to do some side trips solo. I went for a truly Xtreme, wicked mountain bike ride (all singletrack, all downhill) with Gravity Bolivia, and Matt! took a trip up to Chacaltaya, the world's highest ski area at 18,274 feet. His trip was one of the most convenient ways to reach such a high altitude in less than a day. From there he was able to see some of the more spectacular peaks of the Cordillera surrounding the city.
By the way, now that I'm travelling without a credit card or debit card, I'm running up a tab with Matt until we get back. Has anyone borrowed money from Matt! before? Don't. The man is ruthless. His usury knows no bounds. I'm getting a sub-sub-prime interest rate and if I come home in a wheelchair with two broken knees, and bruises on my face, it is probably because he decided to collect early.
1 comment:
Hey, I'll square you with Matt if you bring me home a llama fetus. But I need the instructions with it, in English. OK?
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