What to do in La Paz on a budget

Getting out of Rurrenabaque a day late due to weather put or travel schedule a little behind and our hotel of choice was fully booked, but with the owner offering a room in his own home we knew we just had to stay. Zack at Rendezvous Restaurant and Hotel knows how to look after his guests. So if you’re looking for a quiet place in a family run hotel where good honest customers service is paramount then this is the place for you.

While you’re here talk to Ruth, she’s a travel agent who calls in every morning and evening (before and after her work) to cater to your tours and trips. She’s really good and speaks perfect English should you be suffering in the Spanish language as we are.

Zack on our arrival gave us a tourist city map and then proceeded to mark out all the great places that La Paz has to offer.. Zack’s passionate about the city he now has called home for the last 9 years and it shows in his genuine interest in what we want to see. He strongly recommends taking a walking tour of the city to get your bearings .

City Walking Tour 2 1/2 hours

There’s serval different walking tours but the most basic yet very informative is the tour conducted by Red Caps. Initially this was a free tour but other agencies couldn’t compete with a free service. A protest eventuated and the tourist board then told them they have to charge a minimum fee (20bs). The guides are not paid and survive on the tip you give them at the conclusion of the tour.

The tour starts in a small park called San Pedro Plaza (it’s official name is Sucre Plaza) as it’s right next to the infamous San Pedro Prison. There are a couple of tour departure times 10am and 2pm, as we were taking a casual approach to today we opt for the later option. You don’t need to book the tour, you just turn up.

We get there early and are immediately approached by a guy who looks like a homeless guy. He introduces himself as Crazy Dave from Queens New York. As we have an hour before the tour starts he’s offers us a tour of the buildings surrounding the plaza and also a quick tour inside San Pedro Prison. Alarm bells are sounding in my head as we’ve read horror stories of the prison and how is now illegal to be taking these tours, well it was always illegal but thrill seekers still did and still do them. There was a case where one couple went in and then couldn’t get out until a huge bribe was paid.

15 minutes before the tour starts Crazy Dave wanders around the park gathering up all the tourists for the tour and then proceeds to give his history and relationship with the prison. Crazy Dave spent 14 years inside as a convicted drug trafficker and is now on parole for one more year. He asks for donations and normally I wouldn’t tip but he is interesting, funny and he kinda grows on you.

The guy from Red Caps arrives and let’s Crazy Dave finish his story before introducing himself and continuing the story of the prison and it’s internal politics and practices. Currently the government is constructing a maximum security prison on the Alto (the higher outskirts of La Paz) and in a year from now San Pedro will become a museum.

Sadly I’m here a year too early to take the tour.

Our guide then takes us on to the central market, we wrangled the right day. As on the weekends the streets are closed to traffic and the whole area covers several city blocks. The markets been around since the 1940 and as like many markets in La Paz it serves as a supermarket. In the whole city of La Paz there are only a handful of “Western Supermarkets” the locals have shopped this way for years. There’s a name in Spanish which means “my special lady”. These ladies you choose for life. Heaven help you if you start buying your products from another special lady, you’ll be abused and probably have fruit and verges thrown at you. Our guide has only 3 special ladies in the whole market, they served his grandparents, his parents and now him. They are more than stall owners, they become your councillors, therapist,and friends. Sounds awesome right? I don’t get this kinda service at home. Oh and a word of caution do not call a local girl my special lady, it’s a term restricted to the markets, so don’t use this in the local nightclubs and bars..

Our guide tells us of the meat section, but avoids taking us through. In Bolivia they eat everything off the cow, so watching people faces when he takes of a favourite dish, Bulls penis. He jokes and tells the ladies that they don’t have to eat the whole thing if the don’t want to. It’s usually chopped up and served as a soup. He invites us to as him after the tour of the name of a great restaurant if we want to try.

The tour walks us throughout the market and onto the more macabre witches market, where we see strange items including lama foetus and potent powders. Our guide tells tails of a powder for keeping your man interested and a more macabre ritual when you want to build a house which involves sacrifice. The story goes that you need to pay respect to Pache Mama, a spirit which represents Mother Earth. Apparently you burry the foetus in he foundations of the building. However not everyone can do this, the process involves a Sharman who you pay to conduct the ceremony. Our guild asks us what you think we would sacrifice for a larger home? Obviously a larger Lama. Oh don’t worry you won’t find Bolivians hunting out baby lamas. The ones used in ceremonies are from aborted animals or a mother who was killed and then discovered a baby was inside.

Then our guide asks, what if you want to build a tall building? He said “think creepy”. Human sacrifice. Yup, that’s right. What will happen is the person who want to build finds a homeless person and befriends them,  buys them food and a drink, then more drinks and more until the homeless person is totally drunk…. And you can imagine the rest. Over the years there have been rumours of tourists going missing and “Blondies” as they’re referred to command a good price. So don’t let a stranger buy you a few rounds in La Paz.

We walk trough to the main square in town and stand in front of the largest church in town. San Francisco Square divides the Spanish from the Bolivian sectors of town. There once was a river through the centre of La Paz. It’s now built over, however the Spanish wanted to build the church across the river and forced the locals to build it. The locals had the last laugh as on the facade the church hosts icons of the Spanish religion but hidden in the carvings are many of the locals gods including Pache Mama. It’s said that while the Spanish conducted their prayers inside the locals would congregate outside and conduct their own rituals. The original building was burnt Down and was rebuilt in the 1700s.

We walked over the walking bridge and past the restaurant where we got our bag stollen the week before, our guide tell our group to be vigilant with their belongings through this busy market area as it’s known for its pick pockets.

The parliament building is a curious place with its clock that runs backwards and its square full of pidgons. Our guide tells us of the many presidents that the country has had since it’s independence. Too many to count. It seems that the minute the Bolivians don’t like their president the kick him out, one they even hanged on a lamp post in the square. A few years later the people realised he wasn’t so bad after all and made a monument to him. A kind of sorry but shit happens in Bolivia.

The walking tour concludes at a place I’ve been before, Oliver’s English Tavern. It the meeting point for Gravity Assisted Mountain Biking  and the Death Road Experience. It’s here we have a toast and pay for our tour, we tip an extra 20bs and then head to the bar for a beer before setting off home.

The walking tour is great, we loved learning more about the culture of La Paz, but if you want to get a better perspective of the city you have to try the newly erected cable car.

The Cable Car

If you’re afraid of heights then this ones not going to appeal but if you can suppress you fear this ride will supine you in its cost. There are currently 3 lines you can ride yellow and green connect but you’ll need a taxi to take you to the red line (we didn’t do the red line). Both the yellow and green lines have 4 stations and each line takes 17 minutes to complete.

We’ve ridden a few cable cars, some have been a downright rip-off like the one in Singapore to Sentosa, but these cable cars are inexpensive at a cost of 3bs per line one way (that’s 60 cents Australian). Compared to $14 AUD in Singapore.

What impressed us most was the view. La Paz at city CBD level sits at an altitude of 3600 m above sea level so when you rise to the Alta Plano (the higher part of the city) you reach an altitude of 4000m above sea level.this sudden rise will leave you gasping for breath as each rise in altitude will impact on your body.

The cable car sweeps you high over the steep hillsides littered with houses nestled delicately on ledges looking like they could tumble down the cliffs at any moment.

Then there’s the richest ridge in town where every home has its manicured grounds.

La Paz is even more beautiful at dusk and the city’s lights adorn the surrounding hills. Get on the cable car around 6pm and the whole city twinkles a light show. Only one word of caution, while the cable car stations have ample security the streets do not. So be mindful once you leave the stations and head back to your hotel.

There you have it, two inexpensive ways to enjoy one of the highest cities in the world.

La Paz the heart of a diverse and beautiful country. Come let it take your breath away.