Bolivia’s La Paz: no other city is quite the same as!

As I was recently in South America (Brazil) again – for the second time this year – it reminded me of my first visit to the continent early this year on vacation – to both Peru and Bolivia, and that I’ve got one final post for you from that trip that keeps getting put off. Well, no more procrastination; here – finally – it is: on the Bolivian city of La Paz…

La Paz is an amazing city for several reasons. First of all, it’s simply beautiful. The city’s located in a valley surrounded by mountains of stunning colors and diverse shapes – it feels like designers really put in the effort!

Secondly, although La Paz is often considered the capital of Bolivia, that’s not actually the case. The official capital is Sucre, while La Paz is considered the de facto capital, and the seat of the government.

By the way, El Alto, one of La Paz’s districts, is the highest-altitude metropolis in the world. More than a million souls live here at an elevation of over 4000 meters (to be precise – 4,100 meters above sea level). The altitude of La Paz is 3600 meters – but that’s just the “average altitude”. And this is another unique feature of the city. Its neighborhoods are located at vastly different elevations, with the lower ones being the more prestigious. This means that underground transportation is simply technically impossible! The city’s landscapes rise and fall by hundreds of meters – how could you build a subway or rail system here? It’s just not feasible. That’s why La Paz has a completely unique public transportation system: cable cars! Yes, the city has cable cars running throughout, and it’s the fastest and most reliable urban transportation here:

Ten lines, about 30 stations, and new ones are under construction (apparently they’re extending one to the airport). All the lines are color-coded – no surprises there! ->

The cable-car system is new (it began operation in 2016), clean and swish, but the best bit: there are no lines or crowds of passengers. Or maybe it’s just quieter at the weekends (like Moscow’s metro is)?

Off we pop!…

Riding along – stunning views:

We pass through a station:

Pretty cool :). In some places the line literally runs right over the heads of folks living below:

We’re about to ride right over this rooftop:

Oh, this is someone’s yard (not much privacy there!) ->

Right next to the cable car line – an apartment building with laundry drying on the balcony:

The business district…

…Right next to natural landscapes ->

Not bad!

Station interiors:

Where to next?

On the blue line!

The city’s preparing for some kind of annual fair:

And a few photos taken by my travel companion, DZ:

// Actually, some of DZ’s pics are mixed in with mine above; I think we lost track of whose are whose.

Our cable-car ride showed us just how beautiful La Paz is by giving us a birdseye view thereof. It’s so fortunate to be surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty, much like some other cities I can think of – like Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Sydney, and Hong Kong. Here’s what I mean:

In what other city with a population of over a million would you see such stunning views?

No, no, I’m not planning to move here, but I’d gladly visit again – more than once!

After the cable car came our traditional walkabout, on which the beauty continued to amaze us – albeit from a different angle…

This is the city center. Somewhere around here, in the late 19^th century, prominent Bolivian political figures envisioned a bright future, which ultimately led to a civil war.

Nice streetlights:

Nice colonial-style balconies, too:

Yet there’s absolutely no one around!

Where are all the tourists?

Just ordinary city streets:

Overhead wires – a common urban nightmare in large cities with modest budgets.

Back to the tourist zone:

The “Witches’ Market”:

And assorted other tourist attractions:

The fruits here are incredible!

But, like this dog, I became a little tired – so I headed back to the hotel to pack my things…

Meanwhile, my travel companions decided to stay and explore the city as much as possible. Here’s what they managed to see:

The Basilica of San Francisco:

So what else is there to check out in La Paz besides the unique public transport and charming side streets? There’s also the Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) – a sprawling cluster of eroded sandy-clay soils that have turned out like this:

The history of the name is interesting too. Apparently, Neil Armstrong visited the place, and, upon seeing these landscapes, remarked that the view was just like that on the Moon. And that was that: the place was immediately named the Moon Valley!

It’s definitely best to see these sights in 3D – in person, with your own eyes. Photos capture these landscapes with a significant loss of their contemplative beauty.