This was my second visit to La Paz after my one day stint early on in my Bolivia trip. It’s a beautiful city (not the buildings but the landscapes) surrounded by mountains including the two 6,000m behemoths Huayna Potosi and Illimani. It also has the interesting geological formations of Valle de la Luna and Valle de las Ánimas right outside the city.
I had planned to spend about a week in La Paz as there was a few hikes I wanted to do including the three day, two night trek to Huayna Potosi. Little did I know that I would get trapped there due to the bloqueos (blockades) outside the city. I had read that blockades on the highways in Bolivia was a common occurrence for people to protest, but up to this point my transportation experiences in the country had been seamless. It wouldn’t be a trip to Bolivia without a few roadblocks.
On my third day in La Paz I started hearing stories of blockades popping up and people taking 3 days to get back from the jungle (normally 10 hours) because they had to “blockade hop” and take 5-6 different rides to keep moving. By the time I got back from hiking Huayna Potosi, tensions were high and the bloqueos had reached a new height with an estimated 64 road blocks around the country. The protestors had blocked every exit point from the country by road. My original plan before all this chaos was to head to Sajama National Park, but after waiting a few extra days in La Paz to see if the political situation would change, I decided that the uncertainty of waiting indefinitely was enough reason for me to get out of Bolivia and book a flight to Cusco. Even though it was kind of pricey, it was the only way out of La Paz. Oh Bolivia! You’ve been so good to me, but it was only fitting for me to experience the true turmoil within the country. At least it happened at the end of my stay here. And luckily I had a great crew after the Huayna Potosi trek so I had people to hang out with. While I was really looking forward to Sajama and sad to miss it, at least it was going to be my last stop in Bolivia. Something to come back to next time. Plus in hindsight I got lucky that I had changed my plans to do Bolivia first and Peru second (due to weather in Peru). Had I stuck with my original plan than the bloqueos would have ruined most of my Bolivia plans. Instead I had a great four week stint in the country and plan to return someday in the future.
Getting In
I took the night bus from Cochabamba to La Paz. We were supposed to leave at 10pm but ended up leaving at 10:30, no biggie. I should have peed before we left as the bus had no bathroom, but luckily I fell asleep early on in the trip. I arrived in La Paz around 6:30am. Mark had an Air Bnb with a pullout couch in Sopocachi that he was letting me crash at for free (I ended up buying him a nice lunch to show him my appreciation). He sent me the building code and he left the key attached to the door know as he would still be asleep. It was easy entry and I fell asleep for about 45 minutes before he got up and we started our day.
Lodging
I spent my first four days at Mark’s apartment in Sopocachi where we were on the 17th floor and had incredible views of the city, Huayna Potosi, and the Valle de la Luna. Two more floors up was the rooftop which had even slightly better views than our apartment. The sofa bed wasn’t amazing but it was comfortable enough. Plus the apartment had a washer so it was convenient to be able to do laundry. Mark cooked us breakfast the first two mornings and in the evenings we would watch a movie to wind down. It was nice to have some of the creature comforts.
Mark left for the two day, one night trek to Huayna Potosi on day three so I had the place to myself that Saturday (although I was gone pretty much the entire day hiking Pico Austria). While I wanted to do the trek with him, the weather report looked cloudier on the weekend (in the end it would have been totally fine) than the middle of the following week, and I decided it was worth waiting since I had more time than him. Plus the agency he booked the trek with didn’t have amazing reviews, whereas I had been recommended another one by several backpackers, so I decided to wait a few extra days.
Nights five and six I slept at base camp and high camp on Huayna Potosi trek (more on that later). Then I spent three nights at a hotel in El Centro to have some space to myself; which was much needed after the trek and after the big day of partying that followed. The hotel had a really nice seventh floor view from the breakfast area. My last night I stayed in a hostel just outside El Centro to save a little money and check out a new area.
El Alto
On my first day in La Paz, after a leisurely start to the morning having breakfast in the apartment, listening to YouTube music, and chatting it up with Mark; we decided to go to El Alto. This was formerly a suburb of La Paz, but it officially separated from the city in 1987. In the early 1900s, El Alto’s population was mainly railway workers but it has been rapidly growing over the past few decades and now has a population of almost one million people, which is greater than La Paz. It is now the largest city in Latin America inhabited by indigenous Americans and the highest major metropolis in the world.
El Alto’s main attraction is its open air market on Thursdays and Sundays that stretches over five kilometers and sells everything imaginable. Lucky for us it was Thursday. We walked to the teleférico and for less than a $1 took the yellow line to the silver line to get to 16 de Julio. This was my first trip on the famous La Paz teleférico. At first I thought okay I take gondolas all the time when skiing so this isn’t really a tourist attraction for me, but it was actually really cool. There were great mountain views of the giants Illimani and Huayna Potosi (covered in clouds) looming over the city but also a number of other peaks. The teleférico truly is a great form of transportation for a hilly city like La Paz. All the locals are so used to the views they were just listening to music and glued to their phones. The city is a little rougher around the edges as you go up the hill. More favela like with small houses clustered together and a staircase running through the middle to provide a pathway from the road. As we got to the top, some of the houses were on the edge of the hill and looked like they were one strong rainstorm away from land sliding down the valley.
Once off the teleférico, Mark and I walked around for about 30 minutes window shopping all the different vendors. Just like La Cancha in Cochabamba, you can buy anything and everything at this market. We stopped for lunch to get chicharrón de cerdo and could not have picked a better time to be under a “roof.” All of the sudden dark clouds rolled in and it started raining, and then the rain turned into hail. It started absolutely dumping hail. The restaurant owners were using brooms to knock the hail off the canopy roof to ensure it didn’t get too heavy and collapse. At least we were under cover.
We had finished our lunch but waited out the storm for another 20+ minutes before it settled down enough for us to walk back into the market toward the teleférico. It had been a beautiful day walking through the El Alto market until all hail broke loose. Our market experience got cut short but at least we got to spend some time walking around before the storm.
Valle de La Luna
On day two, after another home cooked breakfast in the apartment and leisurely start to the day, Mark and I decided to go to Valle de La Luna via public transportation. We walked down to the teleférico and took the blue line to the green line to get to Zona Sur in La Paz. The teleférico gives good perspective on both the massive expanse of the city as well as seeing some of the lower income neighborhoods that you wouldn’t necessarily want to walk through.
It’s really humbling to see the lower income housing in the outskirts. Any time I think my life is tough than I can only imagine what they are going through. Some people are living on unimaginably small incomes just to feed their families and get by. Once you get to the other side of the hill, Zona Sur was really upscale and affluent, which was quite unexpected. From there we took a bus to Valle de La Luna. There was certainly no need to book a tour for this excursion, it’s always more fun when you figure it out on your own via public transportation.
We only needed 45 minutes or less to walk around Valle de La Luna, but it was quite a cool site to see. The rock formations look like stalagmites and are the remains of a mountain composed of clay and sandstone battered by strong winds and time. It’s said that the name comes from Neil Armstrong comparing the geology to what he saw on the moon. If it impresses Neil Armstrong then it impresses me. It’s so crazy that these types of rock formations exists just right outside of La Paz. There really is so much diversity of landscape surrounding the city.
Pico Austria (5,350m – 17,552 feet at peak; 6.1 miles; 2,755 feet elevation gain)
For my third day I had booked Pico Austria with Jiwaki, the same agency I would be doing Huayna Potosi with two days later. They gave me a small deal for booking both at once. While the hike didn’t necessarily need a guide (the peak is high altitude but there was nothing technical about the hike), transportation to the trailhead was difficult, and I didn’t feel like figuring all that out. Plus I wanted to meet some new people after spending the past few days only hanging out with Mark. The group size was way too large for a day hike with over 20 people in total, but I did end up meeting a lot of great people. I ended up having a conversation with most of the group, but highlight interactions were with an Australian couple Pat and Taylor, two Belgian sisters Elien and Hanne, an Austrian guy Manuel, and an American guy Stephen.
They had four guides to split up the large group but they could have done better. There was more than 10 people for the one guide in the front. Me, Manuel, and a Chilean guy wanted to go quicker (or at least to stop less) but we had to set a pace suitable for the large group size. It’s fine to go slower at high altitude but sometimes all the stops were a bit frustrating. It is harder to re-catch your breath with so many stops than it is to keep a slow continual pace.
The first 1.5 miles of the hike to Laguna Chiar Khota were a moderate incline to get our legs warmed up. This lake offered us our first stunning views of the giant mountains of the Bolivian Cordillera Real.
The next 1.1 miles up to the mountain pass was more challenging as we gained 1,400 feet of elevation and reached 16,840 feet high. The conversations were less and the stops more frequent as we trudged our way up this steep section along the side of the mountain. There was definitely some moments where my breathing was very heavy and it was much harder to re-catch my breath. But with one foot in front of the other, the body just keeps on moving forward. The views were astonishing: multiple lakes, countless peaks with Condoriri in the foreground, Glaciar Ventanini, and more. And we weren’t even at the top yet! Pico Austria was in sight.
The final push was another 550 feet of gain over 0.5 miles, but it didn’t seem as challenging as the last section as the peak got closer and closer. The terrain was rocky but there was nothing technical about it as we worked our way up the final set of switchbacks.
It was an amazing sense of accomplishment to be at the peak: 5,350m – 17,552ft. It was the second highest I’d been up to this point, and the highest peak. The 360 views were out of this world with the Cordillera Real mountains on on one side, Huayna Potosi in the clouds on another, the buildings of El Alto looking like ants, Lago Titicaca, and way off in the distance you could see Sajama volcano (the highest point in Bolivia). There were some clouds but otherwise the weather was perfect. It was so nice that we were able to stay at the top for nearly 45 minutes eating our lunch and soaking in the views.
It also just so happened to be my friends Sumner and Abby’s baby shower. I had held onto their invitation knowing I would probably be somewhere beautiful on that day; and it could not have been better timing for me to be at the top of Pico Austria. I took some photos and videos with the invitation to send to them.
On the way down the guide let those of us who wanted to take a shortcut on steep crushed rock. It was a fun section to “run” down. Then we continued down the trail with everyone in happy spirits and chatty moods. I talked with Taylor most of the way down. When we got back to the car these two little boys ran up to us asking for snacks. They hauled in a bunch of fruits, chocolates, and other goodies. I’m sure that’s always the best part of their day. When we got back to La Paz, Manuel and I went out for beers. He’s a very smart guy and we had some good conversations, but it also got a bit too heavy into American politics and I was ready to have Mark’s Air Bnb to myself and watch a movie (this was the night he was doing Huayna Potosi). He did give me an interesting fact that only 20% of the Bolivian economy is salaried and reported to the government. I’m not sure where he got this statistic, but I believe it. Most of the country is one giant ope air market with goods exchanged with cash.
Cholitas Wrestling
On my fourth day in La Paz I mostly took it easy in preparation for the start of the Huayna Potosi trek the following day. I took Mark out to a nice churrasqueria lunch to thank him for letting me stay at the Air Bnb. I also felt bad because he wasn’t able to summit Huayna Potosi due to his partner. He had gotten partnered with an Israeli guy who had struggled all morning (and had even puked the night before) and they couldn’t summit. I made sure to double check with my agency what would happen if my partner couldn’t make it, and they said I would be paired up with a different group. Poor Mark. He just chose a bad agency. For high altitude hiking, it’s always worth double checking with the agency what their plan B is if someone in the group is struggling with altitude sickness.
Anyways, Pat invited me to go to the cholitas wrestling event from 4-6pm and I figured why not; it’s considered a top tourist attraction and I would still be home early. I came in with low expectations and they were greatly exceeded. I ended up very much enjoying the event and was glad I went; even though it was very touristy.
The crew was me, Pat, Taylor, Stephen (all from Pico Austria), and Pat’s friend Charlie (who ultimately became my Huayna Potosi partner). We had front row seats, which was great for being in the action. And just like seeing a stand up comedy in the front row, it made us a part of the act. The whole experience was very interactive.
The first round was two meat head wrestling guys in Lucha libre masks. I had come in knowing the wrestling was fake but there was a group of backpackers behind us disappointed to find this out. Personally I thought it added to the humorous good time. It was all very silly. At one point they took the girl sitting behind me’s flip flops to smack each other and shove in their mouths. I’m sure that tasted great. They also did the classic move of pantsing the ref. Eventually after 30 minutes of making a show, one guy won.
The next round was two fierce looking cholitas (indigenous Bolivian woman in traditional dress) who paraded around the stage during their entrance. One of the cholitas invited me to dance with her during her walk out song. The other one invited Pat on stage and they had him check their outfits for props and ended up kissing him on the cheek. He did a good job playing the part. Once again the match was very staged and they made it so one of the cholitas (my dancing partner) was the enemy we all booed. She kept spitting water on the other cholita and at one point we were in the splash zone. It was another 30ish minute match of staged moves and interactions. The best part was when one cholita went up to the second floor and flew down onto the other one.
The final match was again two cholitas and while it was still entertaining; it was just more of the same. The highlight being when this little American kid got pushed on stage by his dad (all night the dad had been heckling the ref and the wrestlers) and he became a part of the show. The dad was being an embarrassingly loud and stereotypical American coaching him from the corner as the little kid participated in the wrestling moves. Good for that kid! This will be a childhood memory that lives on forever. The cholitas were loving it! Overall it was an entertaining couple of hours.
Huayna Potosi (6,088m – 19,774ft at the peak; 9.7 miles; 5,069 feet elevation gain; 3 days, 2 nights)
The main event of Bolivia – my first 6,000m summit and personal record for highest elevation. I had my eyes set on Huayna Potosi since I had heard about it nearly four years prior when backpacking South America. Huayna Potosi is the sixth largest mountain in Bolivia and it looms over the city of La Paz on a clear day. I had already seen it countless times from the city and couldn’t wait to get up close and personal with this beautiful beast.
It’s known to be one of the “easiest” 6000m peaks but there is nothing easy about it (or any 6000m peak for that matter). The summit day requires a five hour ice climb ascending and two hours descending. It’s a very popular peak amongst backpackers: many try, many fail. This mountain is no joke. It’s also incredibly cheap for the experience: (a) it’s in Bolivia and everything is cheap and (b) lots of competition amongst the agencies helps keep the price down. For only $180, I paid for a three day trek that included ice climbing training; all meals and lodging; professional guides; mountaineering gear – heavy jacket and pants, crampons, harness, ice axe, fleece jacket and leggings, and gloves; and a sleeping bag (normally extra but mine was included since I booked pico Austria at the same time). You really can’t beat that deal! Needless to say I gave my guide a good tip because these guys work hard! They climb this mountain day after day; and they do a great job keeping all these non-mountaineers safe on a behemoth mountain.
Day 1: Ice Climb Practice (2.5 miles; 853 feet elevation gain; sleep at base camp – 15,643 feet)
The buzz and excitement was real before the journey even began. We met at the agency at 8:30 to try on gear and already the group energy was high. I chatted it up with a few people including some good Spanish practice with a Bolivian girl (the only local amongst a mass of backpackers). She was doing the two day, one night trek so this would be the last we chatted. You have the option to do the climb in two or three days. The additional day includes a practice ice climb and a night sleeping at base camp which provides better acclimatization. I had the time and definitely think it’s worth it to add the extra day. Plus the ice climb practice turned out to be great!
My mini bus to base camp had some familiar faces: the Belgian sisters Elien and Hanne from Pico Austria; as well as a German guy Niels and an Austrian girl Nicole who were traveling together and had been at the agency the same day as me when I booked Huayna Potosi. There was also the Bolivian girl and her French guy, and an older Dutch woman (who greatly underestimated what she signed up. She stayed in base camp night one then went back down). Niels was a German physicist and one of the smartest people I have met. He was incredibly talkative and knowledgeable about every subject matter. No matter what topic we discussed he knew obscure details and facts beyond belief. This would be a running theme throughout the trek. He also had a laugh you could hear from a mile away. Most everyone enjoyed his dense knowledge and subject matter expertise; except the group of four from Poland, who didn’t really vibe much with anyone. Niels was always talking and quite loud so I could see why it could be a bit much.
On the way to base camp, we made a stop in El Alto to try on our mountain boots. Here I chatted with Charlie (the Australian guy who I saw the Cholito wrestling with). Even though he was from the flat lands, he seemed very determined to make it to the top, so we decided to be partners for summit day. I also chatted with a British guy, Jude, and an Italian guy, Consta, who would both turn out to be my good friends on the trek and over the course of the next week.
Once at base camp, all 20 of us were crammed in one room (luckily I got a bottom bunk) and got handed our mountain gear that we had tried on that morning. The Refugio was actually quite large: hiker dorm, dining room, kitchen, area for putting on shoes, guide dorm, indoor bathroom, and two outdoor toilets (where you had to use a bucket of water and plunge down your poop with a stick since there was no running water).
Then we had lunch – soup followed by llama with potatoes, rice, and veggies. Niels could be heard by all knowledgeably chatting about 30 different things. He clearly has a photographic memory for things he reads and hears. But it’s funny because Nicole said he can’t remember what they did two days before. Some brains just work different.
Then we did a short hike to a Glacier Viejo where we were taught the basic techniques of ice climbing and then did a practice ice climb on a vertical wall (which was not necessary for Huayna Potosi). They showed us a few different techniques for walking up and down an ice slope with crampons and the ice axe that were good to know as it wasn’t always just walking one foot in front of the other like normal hiking. We practiced being roped up together and shifting which side you held the ice axe and the rope when coming up on a corner and changing direction. Finally we went up to a vertical ice wall where we all got the chance to use two ice axes and do an actual climb. Again, not necessary for the normal Huayna Potosi route, but it was great to get this experience.
It was way more challenging than the guides made it look and only one person from our group, an Italian woman named Carlotta, made it to the top. We were all cheering her on and it was the beginning of three days of great group chemistry and all of us supporting each other. I made it a little more than halfway up before my arms totally gave in and I flung out on the rope. It was very strenuous on the forearms, especially since I had no real technique and wasn’t properly sticking my crampons into the wall. It was a decent enough attempt. My forearms were absolutely screaming afterwards.
I’m glad we got this experience and I would definitely try it again. Ice climbing is very popular in Ouray, Colorado so maybe I will give it another shot sometime in the future. While I don’t expect to become an expert ice climber, learning the basics could open up some more technical mountaineering trips in the future. Although if this was just a practice wall, I can only imagine how intense the experience is on an actual mountain. But our practice wall was over 16,000 feet high so there’s no discounting the effort we undertook. After everyone got their turn at the wall, we made our way back down to base camp. It was a really fun first day together and the group was really clicking. Other friends I made besides previously mentioned people were: Lucie from Belgium, Ronan from France, Carlotta from Italy, Tom from England, and Joyce from the Netherlands. It was a very eclectic group.
We got back for tea and popcorn and chill time. Not long after it was dinner time – soup followed by llama pasta. Then the head guide gave us a briefing for the next day’s schedule. Afterwards a big group of us played a few rounds of Uno using a combination of everyone’s different rules. We were all in bed by 8:30pm. The door to leave the dorm was squeaky and you could hear people leaving throughout the night to pee (one side effect of taking altitude medicine is it makes you pee more). I had to go twice myself.
Day 2: Base Camp > High Camp (1.6 miles; 1,612 feet elevation gain; sleep at high camp – 17,277 feet)
It was a slow start to the morning where they loaded us up with a lot of food while we were at lower elevation (plus they have more food to serve at base camp than high camp). Even though breakfast wasn’t until 8, I was awake at 7 and wanted to beat others to using the inside toilet. Charlie was also awake so we chatted for a bit in the dining room as others slowly trickled out of the dorm. Breakfast was from 8-9 and we had a full spread of fruits, bread with jam and butter, and two pancakes each. Then we had an hour to pack our bags with all of our mountaineering gear, sleeping bag (which was incredibly bulky), and whatever else we needed to bring. My big backpack was filled to the brim. The weight was definitely going to add a challenge to the day. Then we all sat around anxious and excited before our 10:30 lunch of chicken thigh with rice and veggies. Even though we had just eaten breakfast, I did my best to shove down as much lunch as possible while at a lower elevation. Some people were struggling to eat, whether it was too soon after breakfast or the altitude.
We were on trail by 11:30 starting with the section we did yesterday to get to the glacier. The incline was mild but definitely made harder with the weight of the backpack. Then we continued another mile toward high camp as we climbed 1,300 feet with our heavy packs up a steep rocky incline getting to over 17,000 feet high. The main guide did a good job keeping us at a slow pace and taking periodic pauses; but it was still a tough stretch. I could definitely feel my breathing intensify and just tried to focus on one step at a time. At least the views kept getting better as we got higher.
There was not a whole lot of chatting in the group during this part. Toward the end we had to go up a small staircase, which actually turned out to be the hardest part. Something about going up steps at that altitude and with that much weight on your back; it was an absolute ass kicker. Finally we made it up to high camp at 17,227 feet; just a little over two hours after we had started. It felt longer. I was toward the front of the group so once again I was lucky enough to get a bottom bunk. High camp was smaller than base camp but it still had all the essentials (although no indoor bathroom this time).
Upon arrival, we had tea and crackers then we had the rest of the afternoon to chill and soak in the views. We sat outside chatting and continuing to enjoy each others’ company; hyping each other up for the big day ahead. There were also a few new characters in the group that were just doing the two day, one night trek; including a guy from Barcelona, Romá, who was in his mid 50s and chalked full of energy. He was very lively and made his presence felt immediately.
For dinner we had another soup followed by a chicken breast and veggies. Some people were really struggling with their appetite but I was able to eat perfectly fine. Then the head guide gave the briefing for summit day: 12:30am wake up with breakfast, gear up at 1:00, and start the climb at 1:30. It typically takes about five hours on the ascent to arrive at sunrise and two hours on the descent. Besides the sunrise views, it’s important to start so early because once the sun comes out then there is a greater risk of avalanches as the snow starts to melt.
Afterwards we caught a beautiful sunset over the mountains before everyone attempted to go to bed around 7pm. It’s already hard enough to try to sleep at that hour and when you factor in the nerves, anxiety, and excitement for the summit push plus the altitude; almost everyone had a horrible night’s sleep and some people said they didn’t sleep at all. I finally fell asleep at some point because I had a few dreams but I don’t think I got more than two hours of sleep total.
Day 3: High Camp > Summit > High Camp > Base Camp (6,088m – 19,774 feet at peak; 5.5 miles; 2,605 feet elevation gain)
12:30am came up way too quickly. Why do I like doing this type of torture? The brain was groggy. But without thinking I started putting on my layers and getting ready for the morning ahead. I drank some coca tea and had a few bites for breakfast to give myself some energy but I really wasn’t very hungry. Probably a mixture of nerves, altitude, and the fact that it was 12:40 in the morning. Not exactly my normal breakfast time. I was lucky to get out a quick poop before getting my harness on and really settling in to what lied ahead.
Charlie and I were ready by 1:30 and our guide Felix had us get started before everyone else. I was cool with being in the front. That way if Charlie bailed out then it would be easier for me to join another group. It was a 5 minute walk scrambling over the rocks before we made it to the snow, put on our crampons, and roped up together. Here we go!
Felix only spoke Spanish so had me in the middle and Charlie in the back so that I could be the interpreter. This also worked out because Charlie was slower and I was able to pull him along at times. The first section was immediately steep as we got into the rhythm of taking small steps and slowly made our way up the mountain. There was a clearly defined path as we started to zig zag across the mountain rather than going straight up. While we were in the front for our tour agency, we were behind a number of other different agencies. At certain points there would be a small “traffic jam” where we would have to wait. The angle of the slope with the crampons was absolutely killing my lower calves whenever we had to wait. I had to ignore the pain and focus on the goal ahead. We would go up 100-150 meters before taking a small break to catch our breath and drink water. Sometimes I found the breaks hurt more than they helped because the first minute afterwards I would be breathing heavily and my legs felt every ounce of soreness. But then we would get back into our rhythm and I would be fine. My breathing was even better than I expected. Rarely did I have any issues.
After a relatively flat section we came up on our first big challenge. We had to pass a small crevasse then it was a very steep uphill section with a narrow footpath and a cliff edge to the left. Plus there was a line of people which made us frequently have to pause. My heart was pumping and all focus and energy was required. It only last about 10 minutes but felt like a lifetime. The adrenaline was high and I was more than happy to take a break at the top of this section. We were a little over two hours into the ascent and Felix announced we were at the halfway point.
Charlie was totally on the struggle bus now. Every time we stopped for a break from here to the summit he would lie down on the ground and close his eyes. Felix kept asking if he was okay and I would ask Charlie who would give a thumbs up. I give him credit for his grit and determination. Meanwhile I was doing quite well, even better than I expected, and I would chat with Felix during the breaks. Sure I needed water and occasionally would re-up on coca leaves, but I knew that I could make the summit if my energy remained this high. We continued along another moderate incline for awhile when the true summit came into view. But we still had a long, steep path ahead.
The next 45 minutes or so were very steep as we slowly continued our way up the mountain before we came on the true crux of the route. It was another narrow footpath with a sheer drop to the left; similar to before except this time the trail was even steeper and the drop off greater. Not to mention the fact that we were at a higher altitude with much thinner air. I’m not sure if it was better or worse that it was still so dark, but it was definitely a high anxiety section. Once again it probably only lasted about 10-15 minutes but felt so much longer. There was no turning back; the footpath wouldn’t be wide enough. I used all my energy just to keep moving forward up the steep slope stabbing my ice axe into the snow and sometimes having to pull Charlie up a bit. Iwas actually quite impressed with his ability to keep going when we hiked because he was absolutely dead each time we took a break. I breathed a sigh of relief once we got past this section and the peak of the mountain was so close by. Of course we’d have to go down later but why think about that now.
It was probably just a tenth of a mile to the peak, which was nothing after all that we had done. We made it to the summit at 19,774 feet and I had never felt such a sense of accomplishment. It was the highest I’ve ever been and so well deserved! We had spent 4 hours and 40 minutes trudging our way up the snowy mountain to reach this point. The peak was small and there were a number of other groups at the top, plus more coming up, so our time was short.
After drinking some water and eating a bit of chocolate, I took some time to embrace the views. It was perfect timing with the sunrise. Even though it was a bit cloudy, the views were magical: the Cordillera Real mountain range, Lago Titicaca, the lights from El Alto, the gigantic mountain Illimani, and so many other peaks were all in view. Plus we stood high above the clouds. It was truly a surreal moment that was almost hard to fully appreciate at the time. I’m sure the lack of oxygen didn’t help. I took some photos of the scenery as well as the classic summit shots of me, Charlie, the two of us together, and the three of us with Felix.
Within 15 minutes we were already starting our descent. It all went so fast. Other groups from our tour were just getting to the top as we started to go down. It was interesting to see who was paired together as most people who started with one partner were now with someone else. I think about 55% of the group made summit. For the way down, Felix had me lead in the front since I had more energy and ability to set the pace (the guide always stays in the back for the downhill). The path was easy enough to follow so I had no issues taking lead. We stopped a few times along the way for photos or to rest, but otherwise we had a strong pace. Charlie was still struggling but he did a good job to keep going.
The narrow, steep uphill section was not nearly as bad going down as I thought it would be; although it still required sure footing as the drop off to the side hadn’t gotten any less sheer. Otherwise the path down was pretty straightforward and my energy was so high from making the summit that I had us going down at a strong pace. Felix was pleased with my lead. Some of the other people that summited said the downhill was the hardest part because they had no energy, but I thought it was a cakewalk. The key difference was that I’ve done so much hiking that I had more endurance than the rest of the group. Now that it was daylight, the views going down were absolutely astonishing. Plus we got to see all the craziness we had done in the pitch black during our ascent.
The only other tricky part was the crevasse after the steep narrow section at the halfway point. It was a tiny little bridge to cross but was a bit nerve racking after the long day we had. Once that part was done, it was all downhill and smooth sailing from there. We made it to high camp in just under two hours from the top; it was a little before 8am and we could finally breathe easily. I was riding high from the amazing morning, drinking hot tea and conversing with those who had turned around. Truly an unbelievable experience that I will never forget! Over the next hour the rest of the crew that summited trickled in. They all looked like walking zombies. I had never seen Niels so quiet. But I was proud of all of them who made it!
We had soup for “lunch” around 10am before packing our bags and heading down. Once again we had to carry a heavy pack but at least it was downhill this time and we already knew the route. I chatted with Carlotta most of the way down. It took 1.5 hours to get back to base camp, but felt like much longer. All of this and it wasn’t even noon yet…sheesh what a morning! We returned our gear then had to wait around base camp for a bit before heading back to La Paz. Luckily the bloqueos didn’t stop us from getting back into the city.
Bloqueos – Stuck in La Paz
I had originally planned to spend the afternoon after Huayna Potosi in La Paz (and possibly one more day depending on how much recovery time I thought I needed) before heading to Sajama National Park. But by the time we finished the trek, the bloqueo situation in the country had gotten worse. Luckily we had no issues getting back to La Paz and returned to the city by about 2pm after the trek. But the political unrest had gotten worse and the number of blockades setup around the country had dramatically increased. The chances of going anywhere by bus out of La Paz had gone from slim to none with no end date in sight. At least there was a website that you could check to see which highways had blockades (although it wasn’t clear exactly how many there were). Unfortunately the situation didn’t improve over the next three days and as I already mentioned above, it led me to fly out of the country rather than waiting indefinitely to go to Sajama.
I got back from Huayna Potosi on Wednesday afternoon and after getting chicharron for lunch and taking a shower, I slept from 4:30 to midnight (I guess my body was used to this wake up time from the night before). I was worried that I had fucked up my sleep schedule by not trying to power through until later in the night. I watched a movie on my iPad then read for a bit and luckily was able to fall back asleep from 3-7am and get back on a reasonable schedule.
Thursday turned out to be an all day (and night) party with some of the Huayna Potosi crew. We started drinking at noon and didn’t stop til 2:15 in the morning. It was a long one. The day started at Popular Cocina Boliviana, a well known upscale lunch spot that changes their menu selection every week. They don’t take reservations so Charlie and I got in line at 11:30 for their 12pm opening and it’s a good thing we did as the queue gets long quickly. We were able to get a table for six and were joined by Jude, Costa, Elien, and Hanne. The meal started with warm bread paired with a hot sauce and pico de gallo like salsa. Then we got to choose an appetizer, entree and desert; plus we all decided to do the wine pairing add on. All of this for about $30…how could you not?
For an appetizer I ordered tucumana de papalisas which was a fancy fried empanada. Then I had fricasé which is a traditional Bolivian dish prepared with pork in an ají Amarillo sauce and this version was served with crispy rice wontons. For desert I had four different delicate melon bites in a sweet sauce. Everything was delicious. Each of the three dishes were also paired with a Bolivian wine or champagne. The server liked us and decided to leave the bottles on the table for us to pour ourselves an additional glass, but she quickly realized it was a mistake when she saw how full we poured our glasses and took the bottles away.
After lunch, incredibly full and slightly buzzed, we went to a cafe bar and got a round of espresso martinis to energize ourselves after the heavy lunch. Throughout the day there was a rotating cast of characters from the Huayna Potosi group. We lost Costa and gained Lucie. Then we went to a bar in El Centro where we would spend the next five hours or so drinking beers and playing card games. At one point we lost Lucie and gained Niels and Romá. Jude taught us how to play this really fun card game called Shield and we must have played at least 20 rounds. Our beer graveyard was quite absurd, but overall no one was drinking too fast as the main focus was the card games. There were a few pizzas ordered as well.
We stopped by our hotel for a few of us to change before walking to Malegria Club in Sopocachi for live music and dancing. Of course we got some rum along the way for the 25 minute walk. The club was very local and it didn’t take long for me to stray away from my group and find a Boliviana. The band was playing upbeat folkloric music that had the whole dance floor moving. They played for about 30 minutes before reggaeton overtook the speakers to which every Boliviano in the crowd knew all the words. The band came back for a second set where they stood on top of the bar to play their instruments. It was quite the show! Around 2:15am my energy from drinking all day had faded dramatically and I took a cab home.
I was an absolute zombie on Friday after a full day of drinking. That was my first party day of the trip which led to my first hangover; and it was a reminder how shitty that feeling is. I extended my hotel stay another night because there was no way I wanted to be in a hostel dorm room feeling like death. I left my room for the hotel breakfast and later on for a quick lunch, but otherwise I spent the entire morning and afternoon in bed binge watching a show on AppleTV. Finally that night I went out to meet up with the crew (Charlie, Costa, Jude, Elien, Hanne, Carlotta, and Romá) for dinner to get in a little social interaction. But that was the extent of my day.
On Saturday I went to the National Museum of Ethnology and Folklore with Elien and Hanne. It was a good stuck in La Paz activity to get a little culture. The museum was quite extensive and we ended up spending close to 1.5 hours there. The first room displayed indigenous clothes over the years and had videos showing traditions and ceremonies that are still prevalent in Bolivia. It’s great to see how strong the indigenous cultures still are throughout South America and it’s sad that it doesn’t really exist in the U.S.
The next room was my favorite as it had all the different masks worn during ceremonies and celebrations. Some of them were crazy elaborate and hard to imagine being worn for hours due to the weight and difficulty seeing; especially while dancing. You could see the inspiration for horror and suspense movies.
The third room had black and white photos of Bolivians from the 1950s-1980s and I particularly enjoyed the one with the out of place giraffe. The next couple rooms contained ceramics, feathers and birds, minerals and mining. Overall it was a good trip to the museum with lots of culture to soak in.
I spent the rest of my afternoon Brazil planning and catching up on the blog before heading out to get a haircut. I had a 19 year old Argentinian barber who loved saying boludo (which can mean stupid or idiot but also dude, man, bro) every sentence. He must have said boludo 100 times during my 30 minute haircut. It was his filler word. Overall it was a good convo (mostly about Latinas) and we chatted the entire time.
Then I went out for dinner and drinks with Elien and Hanne. Eventually Jude and Costa joined us when they got back from biking Death Road. We played Shield for about an hour then a round of pool before calling it a night. With the bloqueos still in full force and no end in sight; Charlie, Jude, Costa, and I had all bought a Sunday flight to Cusco. At the time of this writing, 12 days since I left Bolivia the political unrest has gotten worse and the bloqueos have not stopped. The citizens are now even blocking the teleféricos and the road from La Paz to El Alto (where the airport is) so I definitely made the right decision to leave Bolivia when I did.