Flight into the highlands to La Paz

So today we definitely continue. From the hot, humid Amazon lowlands up to La Paz at almost 4000 meters above sea level. We check in at the office of Amaszonas and are driven by the bus to the airport hut. After an unnecessarily complicated procedure, we finally get going at 9.30 a.m. In 40 minutes we fly up to La Paz, the heart of the country. In this way we avoid the unnecessary and dangerous road through the Yungas, where there are frequent deaths, especially in the rainy season.

In La Paz or the neighboring town of El Alto we land on the highest international airport of the world. During the impressive taxi ride from the high plateau down to the totally built-up area La Paz Basin we get a little taste of what to expect. At Landscape B&B we have reserved a nice, albeit slightly more expensive room than last. We finally use the functional internet again to contact friends and finally ours Ancient iPhone 3 put into operation. The other valuables stay in the hotel, we only have copies of passports with us and we hide one in our shoes Emergency note, after all, La Paz is not considered the safest city.

After a little rest, we set off in thick sweaters and jackets towards the center and treat us to a delicious fruit salad. The mighty Illimani towers over the city, at 6439 meters above sea level the second highest mountain in Bolivia. In the steep streets of La Paz we soon get to feel the thin mountain air. We stroll through that countless tourist souvenir stands full of Indian handicrafts. It's just too bad that we don't have enough space in our luggage for more purchases. A real shopping paradise, but the prices need to be compared. We are already thinking again whether we want to send another souvenir package home.

But first we go to the Madidi Travel office, where we get our money for the completely unsuccessful jungle tour fully refundable to get. Next door we get information about day trips from La Paz at another tour office. Excursions to the pre-Inca ruins Tiahuanaco, a city tour with a visit to the Valle de la Luna and the well-known mountain bike descent on the World's Most Dangerous Road will be up in the next few days our program, in addition to the obligatory colorful markets of the city.