La Paz, Bolivia From the Air

Other than my first trip to Hong Kong, flying into their old airport just feet away from skyscrapers, flying into La Paz was the most amazing landing experience I’ve had in the 65+ countries I’ve flown into. At nearly 13,500 feet (4,000 meters), La Paz is the highest capital city in the world and the highest airport in the world.

The panoramic view flying into the city was breathtaking (and the photos above don't do it justice - the last photo is just a shot I took from my hotel room). La Paz is shaped like a bowl, with El Alto (a group of villas miserias or shantytowns) up top. As the altitude decreases, the neighborhoods become wealthier. I don’t know whether it’s true or not, but local custom (and travel guides) indicate that at lower altitudes, there is more oxygen, making it easier to breathe and perform daily activities.

Upon leaving the airport, the lack of oxygen is quite noticeable and it was fairly exhausting retrieving my bag and walking to the taxi area. For the next two or three days, I will take it easy until my body adjusts. Locals and tourists alike here chew coca leaves or drink mate de coca (tea made from cocaine leaves) to help prevent altitude sickness. I did the same when I was in Cusco, Peru and it seemed to have work, so fingers crossed!

I just had a cheeseburger with cheese, French fries, and mate de coca for a total of 8 bolivianos ($1 USD)! My kind of town!!! Tomorrow I will visit the witches market (a blog entry in and of itself if it’s anything like what I’ve read about it), and go The Star of India (they promote themselves as “The Highest Curry in the World”) for traditional Indian food, which is lacking in Buenos Aires.