The Cities of Bolivia

 La Paz, the highest capital city in the world is crazy, chaotic and noisy but somehow still manages to be colourful, interesting and rather charming. Its busy streets are crammed full of traffic, pollution, colourful markets and colourful people, it very much reminds me of Mumbai. It is an excellent place for people watching as the women wonder around the streets wearing their brightly coloured traditional clothes, carrying their children on their backs wrapped in colourful material whilst selling fruit. I found the most interesting part of the city to be the Witches Market. A small square of stalls selling llama skeletons, feotus´ , dried sea creatures, herbs and potions.

According to Bolivian tradition, if you bury a llama skeleton under your house, it will bring you good luck!

Next on my list of Bolivian cities was Cochabamba. A non-descript, run down city. It´s a city that runs from 11am until 10pm, outside of these hours the place is completely shut down, dark and rather grim. Due to the bus schedules we were forced to stay in this uninteresting, unfriendly, grey city for longer than we would have liked. Two days was more than enough.

Beautiful Sucre was a complete contrast to Cochabamba and La paz. A pretty city of white buildings and terrecotta roofs, stone archways, flowered plazas and grand churches. It is very similar to something that you would expect to find in Spain.

I spent two days getting lost in the maze-like streets of this beautiful city and stumbled accross the food market. Brightly coloured and sweet smelling rows of exotic fruit and vegetables. Women dressed in traditional clothes and huge smiles making fresh fruit smoothies. Delicious!