Crossing the border from Peru into Bolivia on 16 October 2005, everything felt beautiful and tranquil around me as I ate the famous fresh and delicious trucha(trout) during a lunch stop at Copacabana overlooking Lake Titicaca(the highest navigable lake in the world at 3810m above sea level). There was a Slovenian guy who ate 13 truchas when he visited Lake Titicaca in 4 days...I felt a bit compelled to beat his record but pity I have a bus to catch to La Paz.
Tips for crossing into Bolivia(La Paz) via Copacabana from Puno:
1. Do NOT change money at the border even if the bus guide says to. The rate is lower than in the city. 7.8 vs 8 bolivianos for US$1
2. It is worth staying at least 1 night in Copacabana and enjoy the snow peaked surrounded view of Lake Titicaca(a postcard does not do it justice), the laid back town, endless sunshine and of course, the world famous trout. Bus tickets from Puno to La Paz breaks the journey in Copacabana for lunch so you can always arrange with the bus company to issue you 2 seperate tickets and leave Copacabana the next day instead of the same day.
Upon arrival in La Paz, my useless 2003 Letīs Go travel guide did not lead me to Calle Sagarnaga, where most of the budget hostals and agencies are located. Instead, I veered down Calle Illampu into some sunday fruit and flowers market with my backpacks, had an old man trail me and squirted mustard(that bastard!!!) all over my big backpack in the oldest tourist scam ever. He wiped some off my bag, showed me and hoped that I would put my pack down to clean it, so he could try to snatch my bags and try to outrun me(he looks 50 btw). Luckily, I thought it was some bird shit and didnīt give a damn about his scam cos I am just desperately trying to find a hostal in an empty street by then. Please be warned that this ketchup/mustard scam is VERY common and the local tourist police also issue warnings to tourists to not fall for it. By the time you read it in the hostal notice board, it could be too late by then...
Sundays in the city is a very quiet affair as most shops are closed. Then again, this is a city where you can find streets crammed with push carts and make shift stalls selling anything and everything under the sun. Cameras, books, ice-creams, alpaca woolen hats, Che t-shirts, coca leaves, fleece jackets, biscuits, ham, saltenas, postres(dessert), shoe shine boys at every corner, etc.
La Paz is truly an extraordinarily located city. Entering the city from the top of the canyon, the "bowl-like" city lay sprawled across the valley with the triple snow peaked mountains of Illimani standing tall and proud in the background. The view that greets any new visitor can be considered literally "breathless" since the city stands at over 3500m, making it one of the highest capital city in the world. Ok, these statistics are boring cos you can find it in Lonely Planet but the view of the city from the top is truly phenomenal. This is probably the only city in the world where the rich stays in the lowlands and the poor lives in the higher grounds of the city. Why? Because lower grounds is not as cold, thatīs why! The lower area, the Zona Sur, is where the rich and expat community live and it is a planet totally in its own solar circulation. I can hardly believe it is Bolivia when I visited it out of curiosity. Too comfortable and too expensive...I actually prefer the chaos and danger of Central La Paz.
The country is strifed with civil unrest(pls believe the news reports) and it is evident in El Alto where there are constant road blocks by the poor indigenous(or Leftists, perhaps) people protesting against the lack of gas(the yellow gas tanks are always waiting to be filled up) against the government. According to the locals, there are plenty of gas in Bolivia but they are selling it at better profits to Peru or other surrounding countries and... who cares about the poor Bolivians?
On my return from Uyuni to La Paz, the roads at El Alto were blocked and chaos ensued in a very organized manner. First, the machismo men got out and started unsrewing the nuts and bolts of the metal road divider, tore down the pieces and directed the mini buses and cars into the opposite road direction. Thereafter, everyone followed suit and soon, pieces of the metal dividers lay on the ground as cars started beating the road block at its own game. All this while, the ATB TV crew were filming everything down for the evening news. Our big bus was unable to cross the small space so we caught a cab down to La Paz. On the way down, we saw only a handful of Bolivians at the point causing the road block, burning a lonesome tree log in the middle of the road, standing stoically with their empty yellow gas tanks. So little people can actually cause so much trouble....simply unbelievable.
Every morning, I hear firecrackers going off near the Plaza San Franciso, the heartbeat of all political(or anti-political) movement in Bolivia. One evening, we walked past the Plaza packed with Bolivians listening to a well suited Politician giving a speech, probably about how crap the government is now and how he can make it better. *seriously?* The fate of the next generation of Bolivians lay very much in the hands of a well run government(i.e. NOT corrupt) who actually has the interests of its own people at heart(if they have a heart). This country is laden with natural sources of minerals, gas, salt, silver and what nots...it cannot possibly be as poor as it is now. The truth is, Bolivia is actually one of the poorest countries in South America...and the saddest thing is that cocaine is running through its veins, creating wealth only for the wrong type of people. Staged demonstrations and protests against trade, the government or anything unfavourable against the Bolivians can be felt in El Prado, the principal street in central La Paz. Surprisingly, I see tons of clothed policemen standing at the sides of the street, watching the parade of deonstrators as they go past...and do nothing. Scenes like these are all too common and it is not worth a sweat for the policemen, I suppose. One thing about Bolivia though, it is not as dangerous as you would think cos the lack of dangerous guns or knives make it less dangerous when you are being robbed. Most thieves or robbers are opportunists and seldom do you get tourists claiming that they are robbed at gunpoint, unlike more dangerous cities in Venezuela or Brazil. There are many scams of plainclothes conmen posing as policemen and wanting to search your bags and see your passports though. Just insist on going straight to a Police Station and they should leave you alone. Never get into a taxi with these conmen.
Tip for visiting La Paz and knowing about coca:
A vist to the Museo de Coca will be a definite highlight in this city. Learn where Coca-cola got is most important ingredient from(they import a huge amount of coca leaves from Bolivia every year), the importance of the coca leaves to the survival of slaves and miners in Potosi during the silver boom in the 16th century, the significance and symbolism of the simply coca leaf to the Inca civilisation and also to the indigenous Bolivians at this moment now, how the Western people discovered the power of the coca leaf and corrupted it into cocaine and more. The owner of the museum, Denka, is at the museum every Tuesdays and Thursdays and it is most interesting to chat with a woman whose life is all about coca education. Make no mistake: coca is NOT the same as cocaine.
Tips for eating in La Paz:
Hostal NairaLs restaurant(walk into the hostal) with natural light courtyard provides the BEST set lunch menu with a fresh salad bar in the whole of La Paz. At either 10 or 15 bolivianos, you get unlimited fresh salads and an excellent selection of freshly made sauces to boot, the most fabulous fried carrot ball, one soup, bread, a main course(the beef is excellent) and postres(dessert)! If you are vegetarian, this is the place for you...the salad bar alone is only 3bolivianos...such an unbeatable price! The carrot ball is my fave.
The other quaint and damn original restaurant to check out in Angelo Colonial along Calle Linares, near the Coca museum. The ancient ambience created by the candle lighted tables amidst the clutter of century old tables, bizarre collection of paintings, wrought iron items of everything imaginable in a ramshackle room upstairs makes for one of the most intriguing dining experience ever.
Tips for staying in La Paz:
If you are on a tight budget like me, but also wants security, a nice family-run environment and relative comfort, then Hostal Posada del Angel on the corner of Calle Illampu and Sagarnaga is IT. After my bag got stoeln in Oruro(with my passport, cards, $, 2 cameras, diary, guidebooks and more), Rudy(the owner) was ever so kind as to extend a welcoming arm to me in my most bleak moment. With no embassy here to help me, the entire family was so patient and kind to me as I took nearly a week to sort out the mess. From the grandmother to the grand-daughter, everyone in the family has shown me the utmost love, a complete stranger in their land. The hostal is very new, and at only 45bolivianos per person for a single room w/o bathroom, including breakfast(they serve the best cafe con leche ILve ever tasted in South America!), or 60bolivianos incl. bathroom, this place is highly recommended. Security is tight here and you will never feel endangered in any manner. It is also located near to all the agencies, restaurants, museums, banks, mercados so it is very convenient. Add: Illampu Avenue 867, tel: 245 0492, email: posangel02@yahoo.es
And of course, the Witches Market along the other side of Calle Linares is one of the highlight of visiting La Paz. Got a new house? Go buy a dried llama foetus(size ranges from the palm of my hand to the length of an arm) and bury it under your new house for blessings and good luck. Love potion perfumes with explicitly printed boxes, dried and blown up frogs, dried armarillos, feathers(from dunno which bird), pachamama figurines(Mother Earth), charms for your home, health, love, work, etc are all available right here. You will not actually see any witches on brooms sweeping past the street like in Harry Potter movies but if you ever need a cure for something a doctor canLt help you with, take a walk along this street and you might just find the answer.
Bolivia has taken much from me but has also given me a lot in return. The last week spent in La Paz alone has allowed me to live in 1 place permanently with no rush to go anywhere and I enjoyed exploring everywhere on foot and living life like a Bolivian. Shopping in the Black Market(hoping to find my stolen cameras), eating poor quality ice-cream cones along the streets, helping my new found friend/saviour to choose material for his tailored suit and going to the tailorLs, enjoying a fusion Bolivan concert in the Teatro Municipal by charismatic musician El Papirri(love his Bye Bye Goni song), eating out at Jackie Chan chifa restaurant(the food is not as bad as I thought), learning Salsa and Meringue at a local gym with only Pacenas(Bolivians who live in La Paz), exploring Sopocachi and its nice apartments with a city view to die for, eating a saltena now and then when the temptation prove too great for me, buying fresh flowers in the colorful and chaotic Mercado Rodriguez to thank the nice people in Hostal Posada del Angel and my travel agency lady who have helped me out in my Bolivian tragedy.
Just one word of advice in Bolivia:
Never trust a blonde haired girl to help you look after your bag when you go to the toilet while in the bus terminal. Firstly, they are blonde. Secondly, bus terminals are the MOST dangerous places for thefts and robberies to take place. Trust me on this, the blonde did NOT even know the thief took 2 bags and left the bus. She was that dumb. I wonīt mention the nationality cos if I do, I will probably keel over in my seat right now, vomit 45litres of blood and slowly die of exasperation. Just carry your bag with you everywhere you go. My 2cents.
Listo!
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