Paula Cooper
- Oct 25, 2023
- 3 min read

24 October La Paz, Bolivia: Wierd Wide Wonderous Wild

Updated: Oct 26, 2023

Cake at last! Don’t judge for breakfast (lunch & tea); our hotel clearly aimed at the US market!

Just on the outskirts of lower La Paz, a wierd and wonderful sight; “The Valley of the moon”, our first city tour stop. Literally a lunar landscape; wonderous strolling through the park not a sole about. Supposedly named by Niel Armstrong! Erosion causing crazy formations, revealing sedimentary layers; stalagmites!

Bathroom trip over, discovered Simon receiving a flute lesson! Best bartering techniques; flute secured we were serenaded as we left.

Returning to lower La Paz we caught the yellow and blue cable cars to the historic downtown. Surreal floating above the city, glinting in the sunlight; Slums, traffic, elegant houses, high rise, historic buildings, catedrals, football stadium, parks, parliaments, universities all jumbled wide across, up and atop the valleys and ridges.

In 2014, the world’s largest, highest urban aerial cable car transit system became operational, thanks to President Evo Morales Ayma. Built by Doppelmayr (of ski lift fame) it’s very modern safe and ideally suited.

Walking down an old narrow colonial street, passed Pedro Murillo’s house seat of the 1809 rebellion freeing Upper Peru (Bolivia as was) from the Spanish.

We tried to visit Murillo square to see his statue the main Cathedral and parliament buildings (new & old), however a police blockade stopped play; visiting dignitaries? protesters? Instead passing the original Jesuit Mission, very ornate, we wandered through the shaman’s market. Amulets, potions even mummified llamas, all for sale! The later sacrificed under every prominent new build. (Guess what? The monks were shopping too!)

Continuing through to the main market streets we browsed… til I found it, a reasonable priced pure alpaca jumper! Birthday present secured, we tried one more time to see the centre.

Smiling at our Spanish the young police guard let us through. Pigeons flocked, whirling round as we saw Pedro’s statue, the cathedral and both parliament buildings and the assembly building. Shots from the gas wars 20 years ago are still visible, after the indigenous president Evo Morales’s subsequent election he decided the legislative palace was too small so built another behind.

Craving normality we lunched in a London style coffee shop! Sandwiches Bolivian style, latte & carrot cake consumed conveniently whilst it rained! Visiting the cultural museum we saw loads of ceremonial masks, hats (each region has its own), textiles, ceramics and school parties!

Finally extracting ourselves, we successfully bought and navigated the gondolas vía el Alto (back on the Altiplano) to Irwani in Sud La Paz (our stop); brown, silver, yellow & green cable cars! More wide panoramic cloudy views. Back at street level dodging traffic to reach our hotel was not so simple!

Not sure what I make of chaotic La Paz; it feels very safe. The wealthy properties congregated in the lower modern flatter less harsh climate, with the higher colder harsher mountain sides claimed by the less well off more daring! And then there’s el Alto breaking those ideals!

Roof top drinks (inc cake) to see the sunset followed by solo rooftop swim! Wondrous to find such a treat all to myself, 80s rock, La Paz twinkling in the background.

Extremely early start tomorrow; call to hurry up shower and pack.

Valley of the Moon

Aerial Views of La Paz from cable car

(Cable car map; views; football stadium 1930s & now)

Markets & Jesuit Mission

(Jesuit Mission; streets; telephone connections; market street; old market shop; Shanon stall; Pedro's house seat of rebellion 1809)

Murillo square

(Click president said should go backwards; assembly & parliament buildings; shots fired rebellion 2003; presidential guards; pigeons new & old parliament); statue of Pedro; palace; cathedral)

Cultural museum