Overview
If chaos had a world capital, I think it would be La Paz. The most chaotic, polluted, and difficult-to-live-in city I've ever seen. Despite all this, the fact that it's reasonably safe for tourists is commendable, though that obviously means little for the people who actually live here.
What to See
General Observations:
- Almost no building has exterior plaster. The city looks like one enormous pile of bricks. The reason? Residents avoid plastering to dodge property taxes, since unfinished homes are tax-exempt. So nearly everyone in La Paz skips the plaster, and the government does absolutely nothing about it. Truly mind-boggling how things reached this point.
- The city splits into Upper and Lower La Paz. The upper section is absolute mayhem, traffic everywhere. Istanbul is nothing compared to this. Horn usage is at maximum.
- Descending to the lower section offers beautiful views. You drop from 4,100m to 3,600m altitude, a serious elevation change.
- The most stigmatized profession is shoe-shining. Due to cultural reasons, it's considered the lowest job. Because of this, every shoe-shiner wears a mask and never shows their face.
- Protests are visible on every corner. These people are genuinely rebellious. During our visit, there were protests demanding Evo Morales' return.
- The air pollution is unbelievable. Exhaust fumes are absolutely suffocating. By day two, my nose was wounded, I noticed while cleaning it the next morning. When I mentioned this to others in our group, nearly everyone had the same experience. The air pollution literally wounds your nose. Cancer rates are reportedly high and life expectancy short as a result. And people live in this.
Plaza Murillo and Cathedral: The only area with proper buildings. The Basilica Menor de San Francisco is worth seeing inside and out.
Coca Museum: A wonderfully original place. The museum section is entirely in Spanish so we skipped it, but the cafe is wild. They extract the essence from coca plants, the raw material for cocaine, and make cocktails with it. Coca beer, coca wine, coca shots, all available. Quite a different experience, and it gives you an incredible energy boost. The staff were also the sharpest and fastest workers we encountered in all of South America. The coca effect, I assume.
Witches' Market: Beyond the tourist areas lies this genuinely disturbing place. They sell llama fetuses, and this isn't just for tourists. People actually buy them for witchcraft, cutting open pregnant llamas to extract the fetuses, killing them in the process. They place these in building foundations. How WWF hasn't protested this is beyond me.
Cable Cars: The cable car system covers the entire city, serving as the primary transit solution for a geography where building a metro would be impossible. It's only been around for 10 years, I can't imagine the chaos before it. The ride from Teleferico Morado Faro Murillo up to El Alto takes you to 4,000 meters with the best panoramic city view. Beautiful scenery, but the reality is still harsh. Near the top is the "falling houses" zone, homes built on cliff edges that collapse every year during heavy rains due to mudslides. About 20-30 houses are lost annually. Their prevention measure? Plastic sheeting over the cliff face. The desperation is truly heartbreaking.
Valle de la Luna: The lower section of the city houses this completely different world where the wealthy live, all villas. The valley itself is called Moon Valley, reminiscent of our Cappadocia. Neil Armstrong visited right after his moon landing and declared it looked just like the moon, earning it its name. A truly fantastical place. Just bring sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses if visiting in warm weather.
Where to Stay
We stayed at the Mitru Express Hotel. Despite looking sketchy from outside, both the rooms and the food were excellent. Even if you don't stay here, it's worth visiting for the food.
Tips & Advice
- At 9 AM the temperature reads 13 degrees, but the sun absolutely roasts you. At higher altitude you're closer to the sun, so it hits harder than familiar temperatures suggest. Layer up. Don't make the mistake of packing only sweaters because the forecast looks cold.
- Taxis are cheaper than Uber, but communicating without Spanish is impossible since nobody speaks English. Larger 10-person taxis are available and great for groups. Younger drivers can be guided via Google Maps, but with older drivers, giving directions is a lost cause. Try to pick the young ones.
- Our guide said it wasn't very safe, but both our online research and personal experience suggested no real security issues. The environment is just very chaotic.
Overall, 2 days is sufficient. Any more can genuinely take a toll, especially considering the polluted air. Still, for the sheer eye-opening perspective on the conditions that exist in this world, I'd recommend stopping by if you're in the region.