General Information, La Paz

Favorite thing: This beautiful and very historical church is located in the middle of la paz avenida mariscal santa cruz. close ot the touristic avenue, sagarnaga. This church was built in 1549 by the Franciscans. that`s why its name san francisco church.
nowadays, I have to say that this area is really packed at rushing hours. if you want to see plenty of people around stand by in front of the church.

Favorite thing: Walking randomly around the shore of the Titikaka Lake you'll find this beautiful red flowers invading the air with majestic modesty.
As far as I remember this plants and its exotical gems has a deep meaning for the aboriginal cultures, as aymarás, kollas and kechuas.
The name of this flower is "Kantuta", containing the three colors of the flag they are the national flower of Bolivia.
Thank you a lot Marce!

Favorite thing: La Paz is endless. It is located on several hills, so if you go to a high place you will see the never ending little houses spreading around like a gian carpet.

Anyway, the city centre is small, don't worry!

Favorite thing: Many guided tours of Bolivia have a reasoned first day in La Paz because of the altitude and the possibility of soroche (altitude sickness). The American Airlines flight arrives from Miami very early in the morning. They take you to your hotel and let you rest in the morning. They then do a half day tour that starts with a drive down through Sopocachi, Zona Sur and then to Valle de la Luna. This drive drops maybe 500 meters in 5 km. If they continue on down to Mallasa or the zoo, it is even lower in elevation. This will help you adjust to any problems you are having with soroche and gives you a look at the affluent part of La Paz.

Favorite thing: Sometimes, you might prefer to stay in the city, after a great tour around the city. so i suggest to visit the cinema. one of the best cinemas in La Paz is Monje Campero. where you can see the newest movies.
you can get this cinemas on the main avenue, which is 16 de julio. you can not miss it is in the centre of the city.
Algunas veces pueden preferir quedarse en la ciudad, despues de un gran tour en la ciudad. asi que les puedo sugerir visitar uno de los mejores cines de la ciudad, que es el Monje Campero. pueden dar con esto en la avenidad 16 de julio, es muy dificil de perderse porque queda en la avenida principal.

Fondest memory: One of my best movies that i`ve seen with two friends at this cinema is THE LORD OF THE RINGS.Lol. noooo, do not laugh at me. it´s true!
Uno de los mejores peliculas que he visto con dos de mis amigos extranjeros es El Señor e los Anillos. je, je. nooooo, no se rian de mi es cierto.

Favorite thing: This is an itinary I would suggest to discover La Paz (take about half a day for each step) ...
1- To have a first feeling of the city, start around El Prado : From San Francisco Church and tourist area of calle Linares ("witch market") to Plaza del Estudiante, including plaza Murillo and Avenida Simon Bolivar and Av: El Ejercito to mirador Laicacota.
2- If you want more, go up calle Santa Cruz and then turn right on Paredes which crosses Buenos Aires and goes on in Av. Baptista until the cemetery. Street is just a huge market! And then take a combi labelled "Ceja" to go to El Alto and then stop next to the peaje (motorway toll) where you'll enjoy a nice view over La Paz.
3- To relax a bit and have a clash of culture and time ... Go to zona Sopocatchi where you-ll find plaza Abaroa, where you-ll come back at night. Walk around and go up to mirador Monticulo.
4- If still here, take combi 11 to Valle de la Luna, it crosses La Florida with nice houses. On your way back you could stop here and walk to San Miguel district, the shopping area.

Favorite thing: The best thing about La Paz is the vast array of markets ranging from produce to cooked foods to witchcraft items. My favorite place to grab a place to eat was at the far end of Plaza San Francisco. It was so full of energy and the women running them were so aggresive to get you into their respective places. Normally, this bothers me but for some reason, they seemed good natured about it and it was so inexpensive it was worth trying a couple, even in one day!

Fondest memory: Long trips have disadvantages; these can be as mundane as needing a haircut. I've had some funny experiences with this grooming concern from Brussels to Katmandu, and my recent trip to South America was no exception. I found myself in La Paz five weeks into my trip looking a little ragged. I noticed about 20 barbershops near the hostel I was staying at. They were smallish affairs, some with as little as one chair. I inquired in one for a price and though I was expecting it to be inexpensive, I was shocked to hear five bolivianos (eighty cents) come from the proprietor's mouth. Everyone leaving the place had nicely kept hair so I ventured in and waited my turn. There were two chairs full and two other men before me. I figured I'd be out in a half-hour or so but soon realized just why everyone in La Paz seemed to have such nice hair. They are fastidious about it! The barbers were perfectionists and even with their attention to detail, the customers never seemed satisfied. One even came back after being out of the shop! Finally after an hour, it was my turn. I jumped into the chair after showing the barber a photo I noticed on the wall with an approximation of the style I wanted. With my limited Spanish, I wanted to have all the help I could get. He had me looking great in no time but kept clipping little bits off here and there. He must have worked on it for a 50 minutes before asking if it was okay. He showed me if from the back and sides with a mirror. It was by far one of the best haircuts I had got in my life. I felt embarrassed to pay him so little so rounded it up to a dollar and he seemed ecstatic, thanking me enthusiastically. I walked out of the shop and onto the La Paz streets, knowing that if I lived there, I would be just like the locals. I would have freshly cut hair every week or so even if it took hours. I just hope I wouldn't become so picky about it.

Favorite thing: Sun Island at Titicaca Lake is the place where Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo appeared; they were Inti's children (Inti is the Sun). Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo found the Incan Empire.
If you want more information about this place, you can visit my Titicaca Lake travel page.

La Isla del Sol en el Lago Titicaca es el lugar en donde Manco Capac y Mama Ocllo surgieron; ellos eran los hijos de Inti, el sol. Manco Capac y Mama Ocllo son los fundadores del Imperio Incaico.
Si quieres más información sobre este lugar, puedes visitar mi página sobre el Lago Titicaca.

Favorite thing: view up the hill to the northeast side. ont he other hand you could see with an amazing view the mountain Illimani (6500 m) ....I really don´t know why I didn´t take a piture....
btw, they told me that just this mountain is the one you can see as symbol of one of the great hollywood movie studios....the name is Paramount studios (thanks to Dave (shdw100)).

Favorite thing: The inofficial capital of Bolivia was founded 1548 by the spanish conquista. The complete name is: "La Ciudad de Nuestra Senora de La Paz", that means "the city of our Lady of peace". In La Paz / El Alto you find the highest airport in the world at an altitude of 4085 m. The average temperature in La Paz is 11,2 °C (52.1 °F ) or average daytime temperature 18 °C (64.4 °F). Also during raintime you have various hours sun a day.