The Belated Bolivian Birthday Bonanza

As the title of this post suggests, we spent yesterday (25th November) exploring the cities of La Paz  and El Alto for Alice's 23rd birthday.

The day started with a bit of Christmas wrapping for the children at the Centro Infantil. This proved slightly surreal as we listening to German Christmas songs and a strange version of jingle bells with dogs barking instead of words, all whilst baking in the intense Andean sun

After this we caught one of La Paz's cheap and occasionally scary mini buses. These are not designed for people over 5.5ft tall so it's always a struggle getting in and out and sometimes the driving can be a little... Crazy. It costs around 3.50 bolivianos to get from Jupapina to the city centre and takes around an hour.

We arrived in time for lunch and settled on a local place selling pizza called Mozzarella which had good reviews. The pizza was big and cheap, with plenty of topping options. Cooked in a traditional oven, it was a delicious way to start our afternoon, which we spent on a Red Cap tour, taking in the sights of La Paz's largest cemetery and the city of El Alto.

Our English speaking guide was called Max and we had a group of 5, which meant there was a really friendly and intimate atmosphere. He was informative and funny, without being too intense (our tour in Arequipa was the total opposite, running far over schedule with a guide who literally regurgitated the entire Wikipedia page for the city)

At around 3 hours, the tour didn't feel hurried but allowed us to see some incredible sights and learn about some Bolivian traditions. We started in the cemetery, in which loved ones rent plots to honour their relatives. This often includes bringing fresh flowers and some of the deceased's favourite things (this included fizzy drinks, bread, cigarettes and toys). The place was adorned with artwork and colour, and far from the expected somber atmosphere, was actually buzzing with families and individuals cleaning, talking and paying their respects

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We then headed out to the take a trip on the city's most recent innovation. Opened in 2014, La Paz's Teleferico was not the first but is certainly the largest public transport cable car system in South America. Designed as a cheap and efficient way to scale the dizzyingly steep heights of La Paz and neighbouring El Alto whilst avoiding the regular protests, blockades and demonstrations held in the city, the project has now become a tourist attraction in its own right. Not without controversy surrounding both the cost and privacy issues for home owners living underneath it, the system is now used regularly by commuters, whilst offering tourists the opportunity to take in breathtaking views of the city and surrounding snow capped mountains.

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After making it to El Alto city, which sits at 4000m above sea level, we headed to the large and somewhat bewildering Witches Market. Stalls sell sweets, candles, herbs and spices, all used in rituals by local shamans. Perhaps most intriguing are the dehydrated llama foetus', which hang from every kiosk. These are buried in the foundations of new homes as an offering to Pachamama (sometimes translated as Mother Earth) in return for the safety of the home and family. Every so often it is possible to catch a glimpse of the colonially imposed Catholicism through the heady haze of ritual fires and wood smoke. On our visit, a local church had organised a choir and were attempting to entice passers by with brightly coloured leaflets. Despite this, indigenous rituals rooted in the traditions of the Andes remain an essential part of everyday life in El Alto. We visited a street lined with the small huts of witch doctors and healers, who often advise their clients on their future. We sat down for a our own fortune telling using coca leaves, during which we asked three questions (e.g. will I have a good job?). The leaves were then thrown across the table and read to report our future. We are pleased to say the outlook for us both is positive!

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To finish our tour and take us back to the starting point, we took another journey on the cable cars, this time on the yellow line (think the Tube but suspended from a wire hundreds of meters above Bolivia's third largest city!).

Once safely back in Jupapina we walked to a local restaurant run by an eccentric Italian expat, where we stuffed our faces with homemade pasta, bread and wine. Word to the wise, altitude does funny things to your alcohol tolerance so sometimes one glass of red is all it takes to make an evening extra fun!