La Paz, The Bowl In The Sky

Seeing the city of La Paz from the air (or even from one of the Miradors - veiwing places maintained by the city), is astounding. La Paz is in a bowl-like valley that cuts into the great plain of red rock that surrounds it. The walls of the bowl are lined with one and two story brick buildings. At the bottom of the bowl there are a few glass sided 20 story "skyscrapers", The top of which do not even come close to the top of the bowl. And behind the city there is a wall of mountains surmounted by the magnificent snow-capped, triple-peaked Illimani (6402m).

There are about ten small museums in La Paz. The six that are in perserved Colonial Era Buildings on Calle Jean should not be missed.

If you go to the Archeology Museum, be sure to go early enough in the day to see the video which is in English.

Quick Tips:

Get Diamox from your doctor and start taking it before you go! Once you are experiencing altitude sickness, it is too late. Inspite of being in a crater, the La Paz is close to 4 kilometers above sea level.

Best Way To Get Around:

Although almost all taxi rides are a flat rate equavalent to about a dollar, walking is the best way to get around. The streets are almost all one way. Traveling between places that are actually only a few blocks apart can take a half hour by taxi because you have to circle the entire city to make the trip in a car. But do not plan to do a lot of walking until you are acclimated to the altitude.

The Happy Days Hotel is located on the second floor of a building on the main street of the popular Witches Market. This is a shopping area for handcrafts and a central location for everything a tourist or traveler wants to be near in La Paz.

The woman who works at the desk speaks some English and is very nice about recommending places to go and things to see.

It cost me $8 a night for a spacious, attractive, clean, and comfortable room. I particularly liked that the cheerful yellow walls were color coordinated with the orange printed quilt and curtains. Although my room did not have an attached bathroom, the hotel has rooms with private baths for the same price. I prefered having the street view with a clean toilet, sink, bath, and shower across the hall.

The action at the market stalls below my window was like a continuous parade of locals and foreigners in every possible dress from khakis to saris. Watching from above I could see who felt they had gotten the better of a negotiation; and I learned the best bargaining technique here is to be clear about what you want.

On my first night I was a concerned that I might not be able to sleep with everything that was going on outside on the street, but the merchants closed around nine; and the comfortable bed let me float off without a restless moment.

There are very few Bolivian restaurants because those Bolivians who can afford to eat out choose the same cuisines that are popular in most cities. Excellent Chinese, French, Italian, and German food is readily available in La Paz.

Therefore on my last night in Bolivia I went to the restaurant at the top of The Radison Hotel, which is the tallest building in La Paz. It has fabulous views of the city and the mountains. On this particular evening the often elusive snow cap of Illimani was bathed in a long pink sunset.

I asked the waiter if I could get a tradional Bolivian meal. He had the chef prepare a delicious plate that included four of the 250 varieties of Bolivain potato and a pink fleshed trout from Lake Titicaca.

Great German pasteries and strong Bolivian coffee, a delightful combination. This cafe is a comfortable, casual, wood-lined room with huge glass bakery cases and tiny tables. This is a popular place for breakfast, lunch, and breaks. It closes in the late afternoon so stock up early if you are a night snacker.

Gringo Limon is more like a take out place then a cafe. It has a few tables with molded plastic or folding chairs, but the park square across the street has tree shaded benches that are more inviting.

What makes this restaurant worth visiting, in spite of its name, is that it offers a variety of Bolivian dishes served in a buffet style. Traditional foods are often stews based on organ meats that have strong flavors. In addition the use of spices can be extremely liberal. The price here is based on the weight of your loaded plate. Therefore this is a great place to select tasting portions of many different dishes.

The owner speaks some English and will tell you what is in the many trays, bowls, and pots that stand on the carts. We sometimes resorted to making animal sounds and pointing to our bodies to identify the organs for which he did not have the English and I did not have the Spanish word.

It is best to eat here around noon when variety and freshness are at there peak. By dinner time the selection has thinned considerably.

The henna-haired, pouty-lipped, black stockinged waitress might have just stepped out of a French film. That is until she smiles and chats pleasantly in Spanish. Likewise the black walls and stark photographs suggest a cafe in the Paisian Montmarte for which this one is named. The food is wonderful, imaginative, inexpensive French bistro style. The daily prix fix is a delicious three course meal for about $4. There is a full bar and at night there is live musical entertainment.

Angelo Colonial is one of the most charming restaurants that I have eaten in anywhere. It is on the second floor of a former mansion in the Witches Market area; it is entered through a lovely garden courtyard that is surrounded by tiny shops and filled with music.

Once you have climbed the wooden stairs and entered the restaurant, everywhere you look there is something to charm or amuse. Antique photographs are attached to the ceiling, a collection of tin-horned gramophones fill the window sill, and mismatched handcarved chairs surround the old wooden tables.

The food is simple and good. I had a nice, big bowl of vegetable soup which was served with great whole grain bread. My companion had a salad. What impressed us both were the fresh pressed juices; mine was watermellon. We each had a slice of chocolate cream pie that would have reason enough to book a return trip to Bolivia. They serve fruit pies, too.

Almost directly across the road there is an entrance to another courtyard. If you are interested in Bolivian music, check out the small music shop to your right as you enter. They offer a large selection of tapes and CDs by local artists.

The Witches Market spreads out on both sides of Calle Sagarnaga, the street that rises on a steep hill behind the centrally located Iglesia de San Fransisco. The entire area behind and next to the church has become a handicraft sales district. In general the closer a shop is to the church the higher the prices that they charge. I saw small rugs with cats and butterflies on them that sold for $25 at the bottom of the hill and for $8 at the top.

The streets are lined with small shops and warren-like complexes where tiny stalls sell woven bags, clothing, handmade instruments, antique jewelry, etc. If you are hunting for bargains be sure to explore the inside and upstairs boths, merchandise from booth to booth does not vary as much as the prices.

Handwoven punchos or embroidered, fringed shawls cost between $10 to $25. An entire Cholla (native woman's) costume averages $200, about a year's pay for a Bolivian companeria.

Pan pipes come in souvenir and professional grades that range in price from $1 to $10. CD's recorded by local groups cost around $10 each.

Almost every price can be bargained down a bit, but bargaining is not required or expected; and if you are too determined, a merchant may decide not to sell to you at all.

The name "Witches Market" comes from the stands on the far end of Calle Linares. These all night establishments sell herbs, candles, candies shaped into minitures of luxury objects, and llama fetuses. All of these are used for traditional pratices that honor the great earth goddess, Patchamama. The more enterprising among the "brujos" also sell special good luck charms for tourists.

There are also many restaurants, nightclubs, and eco tour operators here.

Solocachi is the district of diplomats' homes, embassies, restaurants, and night clubs. While you can hear recorded jazz most nights, live performances are given on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights after ten. Friday tends to be far more popular than Saturday.

Many clubs occupy an area that covers only a few blocks, which makes it easy to walk from club to club. Some clubs charge entry fees of about a dollar.

All Bolivian clubs and restaurants allow smoking and places with live jazz tend to be very smoky. Thelonious Jazz Bar (20 de Octubre 2172) and Cafe Montmartre (Fernando Guachalla 399) are two of the most popular, but if these are uncomfortably full, there are several others right around the corner.

Most local musicians sell CDs of themselves for $5 to $10. These are generally high quality and make wonderful souvenirs.

This magnificent building was a two story home built around a court yard. The rare objects such as ancient statues of musicians and expensive hand made instruments occupy the rooms of the second floor. While the second floor balcony has gongs, drums, and giantic bells as well as an organ and other non-percussive instruments available for anyone who wants to play them. There is a small concert hall that has been used to record CD's that are available in the gift shop and played on speaker in the appropriate rooms.

This is one of the six museums on Calle Jean each of which is housed in a former Colonial Era mansion. The building has been altered for its new purpose. The upper floors contain objects that relate to processing gold including statues and dioramas. The beautiful gold objects are inside a two-story, brick-lined, vault that was the mansion's wine celler. It is a unique display area. There is not much explination. Most of the beautiful metal objects come from Bolivia's premeir archeological site, Tiahuanaco.

Larka Tambo is a Pena, a club that serves food and drink while live entertainers perform traditional music and dances. Although most of the penas in La Paz are expensive tourist traps in the Witches Market area, this one is reasonable and located in the perserved colonial area. It is notable for attracting locals as well as tourists.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner everyday. It has indoor and courtyard tables, all covered with pristine white clothes. Live performances happen on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday supposedly at 9 but often start late.

On the evening that I went the show opened with guitars and pan pipes. This was followed by a series of dances from various parts of Bolivia, each dance had a different set of costumes and styles of movement. Some of them are obviously based on the clothing and armor of the Conquistadors, others suggest Spanish flamenco, while there was one that inspired a guessing game among the people at the tables near mine.

Since I had not adapted to the local schedule of late evening meals, I did not have a full dinner. My chicken soup, as well as a small taste of my friend's Titicaca pink trout, were both good. Although the food was not what brought us here.