La Paz was a welcome respite. Earlier in the day, I had landed in Santa Cruz, the capitol of Bolivia and it was hot and humid. The evening in La Paz was cold and felt nice. Though, I was already feeling the thin air at this high altitude. While the valley floor and the surrounding steep climbs make up La Paz, the surrounding mountain top/flat at 13,400 feet is the city of El Alto.
On the way down from the airport, the valley sparkled with lights of La Paz. My uber guy noticed me taking pictures and pulled to the side of the highway so I can enjoy the view more clearly. That’s when I noticed the cable cars dotting the skyline. La Paz has one of the most extensive cable car transportation network that I have seen.
The next day, I used public transport to get around. There’s the minivans that costs about 30 cents and have their own hand signals for requesting a ride, and the cable cars that “fly” you everywhere on a surreal journey. It’s customary to greet everyone with a buen dia when you hop on.
First stop was Valle Luna, the moon valley. It’s actually a clay mountain that has been eroded away to an outwardly appearance. The story goes that Neil Armstrong noticed this area while playing golf here in ’69 and commented that it looked like a valley on the moon. The name stuck. It took about an hour or so for us to explore the valley, and ended with me meeting a lone musician playing a flute on top of a rock.
Valle de la Luna.
In La Paz, I learned how Bolivia is unique in that the local traditions have been completely integrated into Christian traditions brought in by the Spanish. This has yielded a beautifully unique culture. So after seeing Valle de la Luna, I hopped onto several cable cars to go see the witches of El Alto.
And on a cliff overlooking a modern highway is the Mercado de Brujas (witches market) of El Alto. A collection of apartments where witches and their assistants provide healing, praying, curing, etc. services. By the way, there’s another Mercado de Brujas in central La Paz, but you go there if you want to pray for someone else or seek good will for starting a job or business. El Alto is where you go if you are seeking blessings, healing, etc. for yourself. El Alto is where you go to seek inner peace. So that’s where I went on a chilly Autumn (spring) day.
Las brujas de El Alto -- The Witches Market of El Alto.
Next was a stop at the very large and ornate public cemetery. The Bolivians have a more intimate and celebratory view of death, and the cemetery was bustling. People were tending to the gravesites of their loved ones. Many grave windows had dioramas of what the person liked, and murals, and general celebration of life. This was a unique experience for me.
I explored several other neighborhoods, gorgeously painted areas in Chualluma, street markets with fresh produce and most beautiful flowers, historical Jean street, and took many pictures. For lunch, I went to Pollos Copacabana, a beloved fried chicken chain.
After that I went to the town center to see a counterclockwise clock. This was designed as a protest to show Bolivia's independence from outside influence. This was an interesting sight.
Finally, I ended up at San Francisco Church. The oldest in SA. The church is adorned with traditional symbols as well as the usual, and the resulting Baroque stone facade is a sight. This area also serve as a gathering place. There were street shows, music, shops, and affordable food and snacks.
Finally, I went to see the Mercado de Brujas of La Paz as well, where in addition to buying candies to burn for the gods, you can also get abandoned llama fetuses to offer when starting a new business.
Bolivians are very friendly people and I am glad I was able to make it here. (Even though the visa process, rather gettign the right information, was a bit complicated). There’s more amazing things to be done here such as the massive salt planes and the gorgeous Lake Titicaca. For those, I’d have to come again.
When leaving, there was an additional surprise security baggage check right at the door of the plane, serving as an instant reminder that Bolivia is also a massive Coca producer!
Some more trips are linked on the main page.