A DAY IN THE LIFE

Strolling through the "Witches Market" in central La Paz.

We are officially halfway through our posting in La Paz, and I’m realizing most of my posts so far have talked about what we’ve done on our travels outside of La Paz.  But our day-to-day life in La Paz is also worth a mention since this city is such an interesting and unusual place to live.

This mural is on a Chinese restaurant down the street from our condo.  Nothing says Chinese food like a cute little llama.

Another colorful mural.  Graffiti is few and far between, but murals are plentiful.

This street in central La Paz used to be a llama market in the old days.

When I initially bid on this, a year before coming here, Bolivia’s socialist government hated the U.S., and there was very little relationship between the two countries.  So I thought I’d be coming to a sleepy little post.  But just after I arrived here, Bolivia elected a new, more pro-U.S. government, and suddenly Washington discovered Bolivia.  In the past year, our once sleepy little Embassy has hosted a revolving door of senior officials and representatives from just about every U.S. government agency imaginable. It has made for a fascinating - and exhausting - year.

A "cholet" (pronounced like it is spelled) is a distinctive architectural style found in El Alto, the high "altiplano" area near the La Paz airport.  The term is a portmanteau of "chalet" and "cholo," reflecting a blend of Western architectural influences and indigenous Aymara culture.  

These colorful buildings often serve as event spaces with the owner's residence on the top. Wild.

Just as we were getting comfortable with the new normal, Bolivia did what Bolivia does. From May to July this year, labor groups launched a wave of protests against the new government.  Their favorite weapon is blocking roads to La Paz.  For 53 days, roads were blockaded, effectively choking off La Paz.  Getting food and other supplies into the city became harder and more expensive.  The blockades ended in July, but protests tend to come in waves, so we’re expecting them to begin again soon. 

The U.S. embassy.  It was built in the 1990s and is one of the more drab embassies I've worked in or visited.  Two of those prison-like windows are my office.

Despite all of that, La Paz is an amazing place to live.  The city is built into craggy canyons, with mountains rising in every direction and snow-covered 21,000-foot Mount Illimani looming over everything.  La Paz is really high:  downtown, where the embassy is, sits around 11,500 feet, while Zona Sur, where we live, is somewhat lower - around 10,500 feet.  The airport is at about 14,000 feet.  The altitude makes some things weird - you can walk up a hill and suddenly feel like you’ve run a 10K - but the payoff is spectacular scenery, brilliant blue skies, and generally beautiful weather.  The food has been a pleasant surprise too.  The restaurants are great, and Bolivia produces some genuinely excellent (and cheap!) wine.  Who knew?

The living room/dining room situation in our condo.  After our plush set up in Jakarta, this older condo is a bit of a downer.  It is also three stories, with our bedroom on the top floor.  So at 10,500 feet, we get a workout just going up and down those stairs.

Our condo has a postage-stamp sized outdoor space.  But I did put up a couple hummingbird feeders, and we now have this guy - named "Buzz" - who likes to hang out on a tomato cage under the feeder.

I had this view of the moon setting behind the local hills outside our condo on my way to work one morning.  La Paz does have some picturesque views.

Not just great wine here.  Bolivia also has its signature cocktail - the singani sour.  Singani is a cousin of pisco - both are made from grapes.  And singani sours can be found on pretty much every restaurant menu, usually at about $3 or $4 a pop.

My favorite feature may be the gondola.  Because La Paz is built on the sides of a canyon, driving anywhere can involve steep streets, traffic jams, and creative interpretations of traffic laws.  The public cable-car system is clean, cheap, and efficient.  I take the gondola to work most days.  It costs about a dollar round-trip and gives me spectacular views of the city.  It feels a little like going to Disneyland every morning - except I’m commuting to work.

One of the intrepid migrants takes in the view from the teleferico.

This is my actual commute home from work.  That's Mount Illimani with a cloud on it in the background.

There are a total of 10 teleferico lines.  This is the view from the fried chicken restaurant at the top of one of them.  This is my vote for the best fast food restaurant in the world!

Everyone uses the teleferico.  Half of Bolivia's population is indigenous, so I regularly share a ride with a "cholita" - an indigenous Aymara woman who wears the traditional pleated skirt and bowler hat.  The juxtaposition of the traditional attire with the super modern transportation is uniquely Bolivian.

There are, of course, tradeoffs.  Bolivia has struggled with fuel shortages, and the lines became particularly awful during the blockades.  People waited days for gasoline.  Fuel quality has also caused problems, including ruined engines for some Embassy staff.   For these reasons, we decided not to get a car.  We also don’t drink the tap water and use distillers for drinking water.  And then there’s the altitude.  11,000-ish feet is no joke.  Some people acclimate quickly; others never really do.  For us, the biggest issue has been sleep.  Falling asleep and staying asleep can be difficult, and headaches aren’t unusual.

We went to the grocery store on La Paz Day, an annual holiday in July that commemorates the 1809 uprising against the Spanish and the start of Bolivia's independence movement.  The grocery store employees were decked out in traditional costumes.  Bolivians know how to celebrate!

After a year, I’d describe La Paz as beautiful, chaotic, fascinating… and exhausting - all at the same time.  It certainly isn’t the quiet tour I expected – but it has been a pretty great experience.

Street dogs are EVERYWHERE in La Paz, and Bolivia in general.  

The dogs are super well cared-for.  Communities put out dog houses for them and feed them.  When we first arrived, there was a mass immunization event going on with pop-up, street-side clinics giving shots to all the dogs.  They all got a lime green tie around their neck after they'd had their shots. 

This is an office building of some sort around the corner from our house.  They have two "resident" dogs - one that likes to lay in the middle of the sidewalk, and the other is on the lawn on the left of this photo.  Both have their dog houses and seem quite happy.

They are generally super well-behaved, just hanging out and living their best lives.

They all have their own "beat."  This one hangs out at the teleferico station near the embassy.

Laying in the middle of the walkway to the teleferico seems like just as good a place as any.

If you look closely, this sidewalk dog house is occupado.

Communities put out houses, food, and clothes for these guys.  While it doesn't snow in La Paz (at least not in central or zona sur), it does get cold.  Lots of the street dogs spend the winter running around with coats on.