Travel And Ski In Bolivia: A Truly Unusual Travel Destination
Bolivia is not your run of the mill travel destination. To visit this country is to visit the true heart of South America. Where else can you see indigenous ladies wearing their traditional colorful layered dressed and bowler hats, a tropical paradise and snow-capped Andean mountains all in the course of one day?
La Paz will leave you without breath in more than one respect. At 4000m it’s the the highest capital city in world. When you first step off the plane, you will see the snow-capped Mount Illimani. When you take a taxi to the city center, it feels like you are driving down the rim of an extent volcano into the eye of the crater.
The witch market in La Paz is an experience you are not likely to soon forget. Here you can buy all sorts of witchcraft items, including a llama fetus which you can bury beneath your new house for good luck. A little further on is the vast open air market of 16 de Julio where you can buy everything from electronics to a 5 piece drum set or a wireless reading device.
No trip to La Paz will be complete without visiting the well-known coca museum. Here you can see displays depicting the history of coca production in Bolivia. Most people think that the coca plant is only used to produce cocaine, but this is not true. It has been used by the locals for medicinal purposes, to produce tea and against altitude sickness for centuries.
Not many people probably know that a well-known soft drink using the coca name used to contain cocaine for decades – this practice only ended in 1929. Maybe that explains why your grandfather was addicted to a certain soft drink…
If at all possible, try to attend the biggest festival in La Paz, the Festividad del Senor del Gran Poder, held in winter every year. During 2009 more than 30 000 dancers took part in this amazing display of costumes, music and dance. It’s a whole day event, lasting from about nine in the morning until late in the night.
If you are lucky enough to have brought your Alpine skiing equipment, why not take a day trip to Chacaltaya – the nearby ski resort. The top of the lift is situated at 5400m – the same height as the base camp at Mt Everest – so make sure you are properly acclimatised. Many people find it hard to read a book at this altitude, never mind do physical exercise!
