Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ALTITUDE SICKNESS
The main problem you're likely to face when you arrive in La Paz is the
altitude
: the city
stands at over 3500m above sea level, and the airport in El Alto is even higher, at over
4000m. If you're flying in or arriving by bus from lower elevations you may suffer from
altitude sickness
, also known as
soroche
, a debilitating and potentially dangerous con-
dition caused by the reduced oxygen levels found at high elevations. Mild symptoms can
include breathlessness and lethargy, sleeplessness, headaches and nausea, though for most
people these fade within a few days as the body adjusts to the rarefied air. On arrival at
high altitude you should take things very slowly and get straight to a hotel where you can
leave your luggage and rest. It's also best to avoid smoking and alcohol, and to drink plenty
of liquids, particularly
maté de coca
, an infusion of coca leaves that any local will tell you
is the ideal remedy. Alternatively, all chemists stock
soroche
pills; they're high in caffeine,
however, so don't take them at night unless you fancy even less sleep than the altitude
already dictates.
In its more serious forms, altitude sickness can be dangerous or even
life-threatening
.
If you think you may have the symptoms of high-altitude pulmonary or cerebral oedema
(see the section on
Altitude sickness
) you should seek immediate medical advice. The best
place for this is the High Altitude Pathology Institute, Clinica IPPA, Av Saavedra 2302 (
02 2245394,
altitudeclinic.com
)
.
Orientation
La Paz's geography makes it a difficult place to get lost in: if you do become disoriented, just
head downhill and you'll eventually hit the city's main commercial thoroughfare, the broad
avenue known locally as the
Prado
(or El Prado). Lined with trees - a rarity in La Paz - and
with a central promenade full of pleasant gardens and benches, the Prado is one of the city's
few flat and spacious areas, and a popular place for strolling and socializing. The street runs
southeast along the course of the
Río Choqueyapu
, whose heavily polluted waters are now
entombed in concrete beneath the streets.
To the east of the Prado, the
colonial city centre
is still the main commercial and govern-
ment district, dominated by banks, ministries and the men in grey suits who run them. It also
houses most of the city's museums and surviving colonial churches. To the west of the Prado,
meanwhile, the main
indigenous neighbourhoods
sweep up the steep slopes of the valley.
This is also where much of the budget accommodation and other tourist services are found,
centred above all on
calles Sagárnaga
and
Linares
.
Heading southeast down the Prado, the street's official name changes from Avenida Mar-
iscal Santa Cruz to Avenida 16 de Julio as it passes the suburbs of
San Pedro
to the west and
Miraflores to the east. The Prado ends on Plaza del Estudiante, south of which is the pleasant
