La Paz - Day 1

Yesterday (Sunday) was my first full day in this capital city of Bolivia. For once, all of the guidebooks I had read were right - the altitude will cripple you. In addition to taking pills sold by local vendors, I bought a bag of coca leaves and sipped mate de coca (tea made from hojas de coca/cocaine leaves) throughout the day. Yet, this being a very hilly city, I was still exhausted after a few minutes of walking, and had to take regular breaks to sit down.

Tourist maps are tough to come by so I just asked people on the street for directions to some of the sites I visited. My hotel was about 10 blocks (uphill, of course) from Plaza Murillo, home to many of the old government buildings seen in the photos above. From there, I wandered uphill again to the Mercado Negro. This is a row of streets selling cheap electronics. But, from my experience, the prices were comparable to those in the US.

After wandering this area, I headed to the Mercado de las Brujas (Witches Market). Here, vendors sell handicrafts and local medicines to alleviate everything from asthma to obesity. One of the most disturbing items for sale here were llama fetuses. From what I can gather, the fetuses are forcibly removed from the mother's womb and a point very close to conception. They are then dried out and hung from the stalls for sale (one in good condition can cost upwards of $200 USD). Many Bolivians believe that burying a llama fetus underneath a home that is being constructed will bring it good luck.

In the same market, I visited the Museum of Cocaine (with its very anti-US spin on its war against drugs), and went home for a nap. For dinner, I went to Utama, in the Hotel Plaza. It's on the top floor and has spectacular views of the city at night. It's also one of the most well-known restaurants in the city, hosting the likes of Fidel Castro and former heads of state from Peru and Bolivia.