Jordy and Em South America Trip!

Our second stop in Bolivia was La Paz!

On our first day in La Paz we did a walking tour of the city. Our guide was a local who taught us a lot about Bolivia as a country while showing us around the city. The most interesting part was a visit to the “Witches Market”, where people sell tokens for spiritual ceremonies. We had two tokens “blessed” in the market, one representing strong relationships and one for safety while travelling!

We caught up with a friend we met in Ecuador and explored La Paz from above using their cable car system! We did a circuit of the whole city with amazing views of the city and surrounding landscape.

Another very unique experience in La Paz was the “Cholita Wrestling”. This is a dramatised show where women in traditional dress “fight” (in a very scripted manner!) in front of a crowd. The background story behind the Cholita wrestling is really interesting; it was started by indigenous women in El Alto (adjacent to La Paz) as a form of empowerment. Now the Cholitas are also mountaineers as well as wrestlers, and have climbed some of the most challenging peaks in South America (also in traditional dress of course)!

From La Paz we head to the south of Bolivia to the Uyuni salt flats!