La Paz Located some 3632 m (12,100ft.) above sea level, Bolivia's capital city of La Paz sports a vast array of record breakers. The most notable of these records is the fact that La Paz is the highest national capital in the world. It also contains the highest of many things; the highest street kids apparently reside in the El Alto suburbs. The highest ski lift in the world is also a short drive away. Talking about drives, even the world's officially most dangerous road lies between La Paz and Coroico - with at least one vehicle disappearing on it every other week Driving into La Paz presents the viewer with some incredible first time views. Contrary to western standards, the rich and wealthy live in the cities' lower altitudes while the less prestigious take to higher levels. This social geographic hierarchy is a legacy of the Spanish conquistadors, and is due mainly to the fact that the weather is far more extreme at higher altitudes. A house on Beverly Hills may seem like a desirable situation however living almost 4km above sea level on the Bolivian Altiplano is another matter entirely. Above: A view of La Paz from the outskirts of El Alto Above: This city sits in the middle of La Paz's central square I caught a bus from the Lake Titicaca shore town of Copacabana to La Paz. The first taste I got of La Paz, while driving through the Bolivian Altiplano (highland) was of El Alto. The El Alto district is a place of bustling markets but also extreme poverty. Suddenly, the bus turns exhibiting the canyon of the Rio Choqueyapu (now mostly underground), where the center of the city lies. This spectacular sight is coupled with views of the snow capped peaks of Illimanti and Huayna Potosi to the east and North West of the city, which add to the breathtaking scene. La Paz for this matter is certainly one of the world's most scenic cities - in the same league as San Francisco, Paris, etc. Another comparison with San Francisco lies in the fact that La Paz was a gold rush city. In fact, tragically most major Bolivian cities are historically tied to gold or silver. Although the region was originally inhabited by Tiahuanacan, Aymaran and Incan cultures; it was the Spanish who founded the city of La Paz. Captain Alonzo de Mendoza, realizing that the Rio Choqueyapu was sitting on an enormous gold deposit, named the canyon La Ciudad de Nuestra Senora de La Paz (the City of our Lady of Peace) and founded the city in 1548. It is now simply called La Paz. Bolivia, like most countries in South America was ruled by the iron fist of Spain for almost 300 years. Bolivia at this time was known as Alto Peru. Even when the gold rush eventually died down, La Paz still remained a vital trading point as it lay strategically between Potosi and Lima. The former being a major silver mine town. Bolivia is certainly a nation that has had a revolutionary past and there is no further proof of this than the name of the country itself. It wasn't until the early 19th century that Spain finally began to lose its grip on its colonies in South America. After liberating both Colombia and his native Venezuela: it was General Simon Bolivar who, along with Antonio Jose de Sucre, eventually led an army into the viceroy to defeat the Spanish. Peru gained its independence in 1824 and precisely one year later Sucre declared Alto Peru its own independent nation. Taking its name from South America's great liberator, the nation of Bolivia was born. Bolivar and Sucre became the nation's first two respective presidents. Unfortunately Bolivia's revolution was only half finished and still is not, many would argue, complete even to this day. Bolivia has suffered from economic and political discord for the last 180 years and has not been helped by significant territorial loss to all of its neighboring countries. The most severe blow was the loss of its coastline and the mineral rich Atacama Desert to Chile during the war of the Pacific in 1884. Brazil then went on to annex the Amazonian region of Acre while Peru, Paraguay and Argentina all took parts of Bolivia's land in the early 20th century. These losses of vital resources have led Bolivia to now preen South America's lowest GNP next to Guyana and the third weakest economy in the Western Hemisphere. These factors are a little misleading however as many rural Bolivians are subsistence farmers who barter outside the conventional economic system. Despite its incredibly low GNP rate and troublesome past, Bolivia is actually one of the more peaceful countries in South America and its capital city must be the safest on the continent for travelers. Above: A traditional Bolivian Pena in La Paz where dancers are accompanied by a local band. Above: The Museo De Intrumentos Musicales de Bolivia is one of La Paz's many fine museums. The first thing I did when arriving in La Paz was to check into the highly recommended Happy Days Hostel. Located at the bottom of the ever popular Sagarnaga Street, close to the central Plaza San Francisco, location wise - for $6.50 a night this place could not be beaten. The hotel had a very friendly staff indeed but was a little noisy however. Perhaps Happy Days / Sleepless Nights would have been a little more aptly named. As I mentioned earlier, for a national capital city, La Paz is an extremely innoxious place - especially by South American standards. It is also very easy to find your way around La Paz as all neighborhoods eventually descend into the major thoroughfare at the bottom of the city. The locals are extremely friendly and (not that I like to take advantage of countries with low GNP rates), shopping here has to offer some of the best prices on the western hemisphere! Amongst the many Alpaca garments I purchased, one other notable item I picked up was a charango. This cute traditional mini guitar is the size of a violin and an integral part of Andean music. For $35 I got myself the finest charango I could fine, along with a beautifully decorated case and manual. One activity that I was sure not going to miss in La Paz was a peña. Peñas are folk-music venues where one can enjoy dinner while watching traditional costumed dances accompanied by live music. I opted for the nearby, and widely recommended Huari Peña. Unfortunately, this turned out to be quite an expensive affair as the entrance, dinner and alcohol cost me an astronomical $30... quite a lot by Bolivian standards. Still it was an interesting experience as this turned out to be an interactive peña. I was called up to dance about three times..... La Paz is an intriguing city that could be explored for days. Even the cemetery is worth a visit as it is also situated at a very vital bus station. The bodies are placed vertically in crypts before eventually taking their place under ground so it sort of looks like you're visiting a very colorful morgue. I must admit that morbidity of the environment got to me in the end so this was indeed a very short visit. As La Paz is the capital city of Bolivia; it sports a vast array of museums. I actually wound up going to seven in one day. Designed by charango master Ernesto Cavour himself, Museo de Instrumentos Musicales is a must see for any musician. The free Museo de Etnografia y Folklore is Bolivia's anthropology museum and another interesting visit. The best deal in town is the four museums that are sandwiched together on Calle Jaen, a very pretty colonial street north of the main plaza. The Museo de Metales Preciosos Pre-Colombinos, Museo Del Litoral, Casa de Don Pedro Domingo Mirollo and Museo Costumbrista Juan de Vargas are all clustered together and one ticket buys an entrance to all four. Above: A protest in La Paz The most unique museum I visited had to be the Museo de la Coca. It comes as no surprise that the Dutch actually subsidize this museum. It is filled with all sorts of interesting facts about the plant as well as some of the ludicrous measures the US government has gone to demoralize coca eradication. Some of these measures include harsh economic sanctions on an already financially distressed nation as well as complete ruination of farmland. The fact is is that coca is an integral part of the Andean diet and lifestyle and the harmless plant can be found in your tea or bought in any local grocery or market shop to chew. Coca is also used recreationally as it helps stimulate altitude sickness. I picked up a tea shirt with the slogan; "La hoga del coca no es droga!" And that's not a political statement; it's simply a scientific one. Links: Isla Del Sol / Teohuanaco Huayna Potosi Bolivia Main Peru Travel glennstevens.biz