Buzz
After bidding farewell to the gracious host and adorable niece in Copacabana town, I caught the 12 PM bus back to La Paz – the city often mistaken as the capital of Bolivia, perched on hills. Bolivia is intriguing for having two designated capitals in its constitution. Referring to La Paz as Bolivia's capital is only partly accurate since it serves as the administrative capital. There's another capital, Sucre – the judicial capital – a tranquil city less bustling than La Paz, where I spent a week wandering through its streets, learning Spanish. The hallmark of Bolivian cities is their high elevation, with La Paz sitting at over 3500m – likely the highest city in the world.
Aerial View of La Paz
Honestly, during my days of exploration in South America, I didn't fancy big cities much, preferring deserted towns for their tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle, smog, and lack of warmth. Initially planning for just a 2-day stay in La Paz, I found myself lingering longer due to laziness and the city's unexpected charm.
1. General Information about Bolivia
Entry Requirements for Bolivia
Unlike most other countries, Bolivia categorizes countries into three different groups. For Group One, no visa is required to enter Bolivia (maximum stay of 30 days). Vietnam falls into Group Two, allowed to apply for visa on arrival (with a fee) or apply for visa online and get it stamped at the embassy/consulate for a maximum stay of 30 days (this method is free of charge).
This linkDocuments required for online visa application for Bolivia:
Currency exchange in Bolivia
Among the South American countries I've visited, Bolivia offers the most favorable exchange rate from USD to the local currency, bolivianos, at approximately 1 USD = 6.8 bolivianos (equivalent to around 23,000 VND), and the cost of living is also very affordable. Moreover, you can easily use a debit card to withdraw money from certain Bolivian banks without any fees, which is quite safe and convenient as you don't need to carry a lot of cash. Some banks offer free withdrawals like Banco Union, with a maximum withdrawal limit of 700 bolivianos per transaction (equivalent to 2,300,000 VND). With BNB24, you can enjoy a free first withdrawal.
No-fee ATM locations at Banco Union
Best time to visit Bolivia
As a country with a fairly dry climate, the dry season in Bolivia extends from May to nearly the end of the year, making it an ideal time to travel to this country. However, the only downside of this season is that you won't be able to capture beautiful mirror-like reflections when visiting the Salar de Uyuni salt flats.
Additionally, it's important to note that Bolivia is a country situated at a high altitude above sea level, so those flying from lower areas may experience unexpected high-speed altitude sickness. Therefore, it's advisable to prepare some medication in advance to prevent this issue.
2. Must-Visit Attractions in La Paz
Central Square
Plaza de Armas is a bustling hub in all South American cities, teeming with guesthouses, hotels, and entertainment activities. Just stepping out the door, you'll find plenty of stalls selling delicious food and tour operators offering trips both domestically and internationally. However, the chaotic atmosphere in La Paz didn't quite suit my mood at the time, so after spending one night at a guesthouse right next to Plaza de Armas, I packed my bag and wandered to a new neighborhood in Lapaz. There, I found a hostel tucked away in a quiet alley, offering comfortable beds and peaceful sleep without being disturbed by the loud music from fellow travelers stumbling back into the dormitory in the middle of the night.
Central Square
Taking the cable car (teleferico)
The first thing I wanted to do in La Paz was to dedicate an entire day to riding all the cable car lines, each color-coded according to the route maps here.
Perhaps La Paz is the only city in the world where the main public transportation, apart from buses, is cable cars, yes, CABLE CARS. In Vietnam, riding a cable car to Ba Na Hills or Fansipan can cost no less than 700,000 VND, but in La Paz, the price is very cheap, only 3 bolivianos/ticket, equivalent to 11,000 VND. I guess the number of times I've ridden cable cars in Vietnam throughout my life doesn't even compare to one day exploring the city by cable car in La Paz.
Cable car station near the city center
With its highland location, La Paz city seems like it's nestled in a large bowl surrounded by mountains. Thanks to this modern cable car system, every nook and cranny of La Paz is easily and seamlessly connected, and the feeling of sitting on a cable car and enjoying the panoramic view of the entire city is truly an indescribable and rare experience. You can easily notice that most of the poor, low-income neighborhoods are on the hillsides, while the central area, with higher-income residents, is mostly concentrated in the bowl. The cable car lines are color-coded in red, orange, green, blue, and purple, which is quite eye-catching. From some cable car lines, you can get the best view to admire the Andes or the Cordillera Real mountain range.
Cable car for admiring the Andes
After a day exploring the city, the tangible results are a stack of colorful tickets and a few adorable local friends made in the colorful metal box, and a couple of times being chased by dogs while wandering through the neighborhoods perched on the rim of the bowl.
Colorful ticket collection
Local festivals
I may not have much luck with gambling, but I'm fortunate to stumble upon 'off-season' festivals and cultural events in La Paz as an example.
Traditional dance
One of the most famous festivals in La Paz is the fiesta del gran poder, which takes place around May and June, where people in colorful costumes dance and parade along the streets. When I visited La Paz in October, there wasn't such a festival, but I had the chance to participate in the vibrant Morenada festival here, immersing myself in the traditional dances of the Andean region. This festival was sponsored by a local beer company.
The festival lasts from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Mountain climbing and adventurous biking tours
Most tourists visiting La Paz want to join the Death Road tour, but I'm more into climbing, so instead of the Death Road, I looked for providers offering Huayna Potosi climbing services. This mountain is located 2 hours away from downtown La Paz and is a popular destination for mountain climbing enthusiasts. Joining this mountain climbing tour, you have the opportunity to practice snow mountain climbing skills and get acquainted with mountain climbing equipment. With an elevation of 6,088 meters above sea level, this is a great spot for beginners to get started with mountain climbing.
A bit disappointing was encountering heavy snowfall near the summit, so we only reached 5,200 meters before having to descend.
The wind tombs along the way to Huayna Potosi
Exploring the night streets and the witchcraft market
Jaen Street is a must-visit spot when you come to La Paz. It's a street steeped in Bolivian local style with beautifully decorated houses, connecting various museums like the costume museum, gemstone museum, and history museum.
Jaen's old street during the day
A corner of Jaen's old street when the city lights up
When in La Paz, you can't miss the vibrant witchcraft market, deeply rooted in Bolivian culture. Here, you'll easily find images of women in traditional attire selling various items such as herbs, animal fetuses, and handcrafted artwork carved from wood and stone.
Colorful street corner in downtown La Paz, just a few hundred meters from the witchcraft market.
Vietnamese Cuisine in Bolivia
The most interesting thing in La Paz is finding a Vietnamese pho restaurant here. On the global culinary map, when it comes to Vietnamese food, the easiest dishes to find are pho and spring rolls. So, I eagerly went to Vinapho in La Paz to fulfill my simple desire of eating a bowl of pho (even though its price equals my entire day's food budget). In a place halfway around the world with a temperature of 6 degrees Celsius, slurping a hot bowl of pho is the ultimate joy in life. The delicious pho and my curiosity made me really want to meet the chef who prepared it, to see where they learned their skills, perhaps from Vietnam...
The chef came to my table with a warm handshake, sparing a precious short time to answer my questions. The head chef is Bolivian, who cooked with a Vietnamese chef in Germany before moving to the United States to cook. Therefore, all the Asian dishes at the restaurant are prepared by a Vietnamese chef there. As for the ingredients: the pho noodles and some spices are imported from the United States since they are not available in South America. Currently, the head chef is ordering a batch of Cochabamba noodles from China to make pho noodles similar to those in Vietnam, but it's not yet completed.
My time in La Paz may have gently drifted by like that for nearly a week, but this city also left me with many cherished memories, indescribable emotions that as I stepped onto the next bus to the next destination, I still looked back, admiringly, and promised to return one day. Now, I embark on my solo journey to explore other destinations in South America.
Author: Nguyen Thanh Vinh
*This article is part of the Mytour Goglobal program.
Mytour Goglobal is a blogging program introducing beautiful destinations worldwide, under the framework of the Mytour Go & Share program. This is a wonderful opportunity to promote new and exciting travel destinations worldwide to everyone. For each qualified article, you will receive 1,200,000 VND and the opportunity to become a Contributor with Mytour. For detailed information about the program, see: https://trv.lk/goglobal
