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La PazThe air is indeed rare in La Paz, the world's highest capital city, at two and a half miles (4km) above sea level, or 11,910ft (3,630m). Living in La Paz is a bit bizarre because it is akin to living in a giant bowl. Around the rim are brick buildings and workshops, the inside slopes are scattered with houses, and across the bottom is the dense city center. Rising up in the background is the most well known of Bolivia's lofty peaks, Illimani, standing at 21,188ft (6,420m). The most pleasant way to explore the diminutive city center is on foot; the alternative is to sit on a crowded
bus in congested traffic. Expect your sightseeing to leave you breathless. Steep, narrow streets lead into an assortment of little alleyways while well-used staircases wind their way up between crooked houses and colorful hotels.
More than a million people live in La Paz, adding color, culture and vibrancy to the otherwise dusty barrenness of a high altitude city. The most rewarding (and least exhausting) activity is to people-watch. Andean women dress in brightly colored, multi-layered skirts and thick knee-length stockings with bowler hats perched jauntily over long, plaited strands of hair. There are also smartly dressed businessmen and scruffy street urchins wrapped in woven blankets, shoe shiners and fruit sellers, trinket vendors and alpaca wool weavers.
The city also has some interesting museums, modern and comfortable hotels and is an excellent place to purchase authentic local souvenirs. Beautiful hand-spun alpaca wool products, paintings, silver handcrafted jewelry, music and musical instruments are just some of the many things on offer.
Getting Around: La Paz is small with one main road running along the bottom of the valley, and satellite streets reaching up the sides of the canyon. It can be explored on foot, unless you find the hillsides a bit tiring in the high altitude. There are buses and mini-buses plying various routes, and plenty of taxis available. Transport is extremely cheap.
PotosiUNESCO declared this a World Heritage Site because of its rich history and Spanish architecture. Potosi is known as the Imperial City and is situated at the foot of Cerro Rico (Rich Mountain) famed for its mineral wealth. The Spanish created one of the most important and populous cities on the continent, after the discovery of the silver-rich mountain in 1545. Situated at an altitude of more than 13,123ft (4,000m), it is also the highest city in the world although not quite the thriving metropolis that it once was.
The architecture is its main attraction with a distinct Spanish influence evident in the houses and beautiful churches. There are an astounding 80 colonial churches in the city filled with art and artifacts from their history, notably the Convent of San Francisco and the Convent of Santa Teresa.
A visit to the city would be amiss without a trip to the mines of Cerro Rico where miners, working in appalling conditions, chip away at the rock walls in the hope of riches to come.
Getting Around: Taxis are generally cheap and plentiful around Potosi. It is recommended to check the fare or negotiate a price before you leave as some charge per person which could cause arguments when it comes to paying.
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