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We arrived in La Paz late last night and all crashed as soon as we got to our hotel. We heard from our taxi driver that there is skiing on a mountain an hour and a half outside La Paz, and we decided to be adventurous and go. We had absolutely no idea what to expect or even where we were going but when we woke up this morning we were all fired up to go. So at 8:15 AM, a taxi driver picked us up in his Toyota Tercel station wagon (not the car I would have chosen had I known where we were going) and we headed off for Chacaltaya mountain.
After about 15 minutes of driving on paved roads we ended up in a city that sits above La Paz (which is deep in a valley) called El Alto and the roads abruptly changed from paved to gravel to dirt to dirt with rocks to dirt with small boulders. El Alto was our first true exposure to third world living -- very little infrastructure, run down houses, stray dogs EVERYWHERE, and general uncleanliness. It was certainly eye opening. So, at this point we were on the worst road on which we’ve ever traveled getting thrown around this station wagon, not knowing if we were going skiing or being sold to a Bolivian slave lord in the countryside. As we continued ascending in altitude, the landscape became more and more incredible and the views of La Paz and the surrounding area more stunning.
After passing a huge pack of llamas, the road turned into one of those roads that induce reflex panic attacks when looking out the window -- it was one lane wide, still all dirt and rocks, and had about three feet on the side whereupon there was a 500 - 600 foot drop down a rocky cliff and no guard rail to speak of. At this point, being sold to a Bolivian slave lord was looking more and more enticing.
We finally made it to our destination (with the help of God and a good Toyota clutch), only to find a very small and rudimentary collection of buildings, a far cry from the posh ski lodge that we were expecting. There was no heat and the altitude was so severe that we were turning more blue by the minute (note the bluish hue of our lips and faces in the picture).
Not only that, but soon upon arriving we found out that there wasn’t enough snow for skiing (news which I received happily b/c based on the road we took I was expecting to get dropped off on the top of the mountain by a helicopter to ski/front-flip down a double black diamond slope). Instead of skiing, we took an unbelievable hike to the peak of the mountain and ended up going with a 27 year old Canadian, his dad, and their English speaking guide. It was about a 2 hour hike and gave us some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen.
The altitude (over 16,000 feet) was a bit of an issue and the first 30 minutes felt more like getting punched in the stomach than an enjoyable hike; however, we acclimatized rather quickly and made the rest of the hike with relative ease. The trip back to La Paz was much quicker (and accordingly much more nerve racking) but we made it in one piece and are feeling more adventurous than ever!
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