La Paz

La Paz is a big city of ~2.3 million people and built on some seriously steep ridges and valleys. It’s definitely not a beautiful city as the buildings are mostly unfinished brick and there doesn’t seem to be very effective building codes or city planning – it looks like parts of India in that way. Despite this, we’ve really enjoyed it here. It’s one of those cities that has lots of hidden treasures behind ugly walls and we’ve found some wonderful cafes, restaurants and museums in courtyards that you’d never realize were there. It also has a very inventive public transport system - Mi Teleferico - a network of gondolas that offer great views of the city and are surprisingly quiet and relaxing.
The restaurant scene has also been a surprise. We enjoyed an incredible meal at Gustu – a restaurant started by the former co-founder of Noma (yes – THAT famous Danish restaurant). This is a concept that aims to train a new generation of Bolivian chefs to showcase their unique ingredients and culture. We loved it…we have to say we thought the food was much better than at Peru’s Central.
It’s been a surprise to us how much we like Bolivia. It’s our favorite country in South/Central America. There’s such a good diversity of experiences you can have here, the people are great, the culture is interesting and seems so much more authentic than many other places we’ve visited...and it’s incredibly affordable. The only downside it the altitude. We’ve been fine, but it does wreak havoc with your basic bodily functions such as breathing and digestion.Read more