I made a huge mistake during my visit to Lake Titicaca. From La Paz, I bought an organized day trip including transportation to and from Copacabana, lunch, and a tour of Isla del Sol. That wasn’t the mistake. The mistake was not spending a night there.
A five star hotel (by Bolivian standards) isn’t usually a tourist attraction, but Urban Rush Bolivia changes that. The Hotel Presidente in La Paz’s city center has one of the most interesting activities I have ever seen in a city. I didn’t take part, but I enjoyed watching the few people who did, and this activity just adds to the eccentricity of La Paz.
One of the fascinating things about La Paz are its seemingly never-ending maze of street markets in the city center. Tents, stalls, or sometimes just blankets on the ground line the streets selling just about everything you can imagine. Do you need vegetables for a big dinner party? Head to the streets. Are you looking for a pair of socks, a light bulb, shampoo, and perhaps a toilet seat? You’re in luck!
There’s a lot to discover in La Paz. I focused my short visit on the street markets and three plazas in the city center.
Nuestra Señora de La Paz, or simply La Paz, is an eccentric place. As soon as I arrived in the city, I was ready to leave, but I felt I had an obligation to see it. I’m glad I did. The city is unique if not only for its altitude, which ranges between 3200-4000m. That means different zones of the city have entirely different climates!
Bolivia is one of the most colorful and diverse countries in the world. It maintains local traditions and cultures more than any other country I have ever visited. It has some of the most dramatic landscapes I have ever seen. Also, Bolivian people happen to be some of the friendliest and genuine people I have encountered on my travels. Many will go out of their way to make you feel welcome and safe in their country.
However, Bolivia is not Disneyland.