Thanks for this video. I went to La Paz in 2018 as it’s where I was born so went to see what it was like. Found your video a good reflection of my own experience.
So many questions…..Mask requirement? How long ago did you film this? I don’t imagine they have oxygen bars like they do in Vegas? Love me some street meat. But I get it, not before the hike. Will you do a food/restaurant review after?
Hi TC, This trip was taken at the end of June (finally getting around to putting the vids together). At that time, both Peru and Bolivia had both indoor and outdoor mask requirements in cities. Fortunately, they'd dropped their isolation requirements for travelers (which was the reason I cancelled my trip in 2021). The altitude was tough. Many of the hotels have oxygen for guests that are having a lot of trouble, but I decided to tough it out. I wasn't having any symptoms of severe altitude sickness, like shortness of breath, pink flem, etc., but my head felt like it was going to explode. I basically had a migraine-style headache for about 12 hours. After vomiting and taking some painkillers, I turned myself around. Over the next several weeks, I'll be putting together several videos about the trail (Cordillera Real), Copa Cabana and Isla del Sol, and the Uyuni Salt Flats. I won't have any restaurant reviews, but I will review a couple salt hotels, which were pretty cool. Stay tuned!
All the 3000+ m andean cities are aggressive against life in general, lack of humidity, oxygen and sun radiation so high against skin and human cells, that viruses surely doesnt proliferate much either, but some bacteria got very resistant at this high so local water and food for foreigners also cause tummy problems for some weeks. Lifestyle also feels rushed and notime for care other life beings specially elderly people that why even most of them suffer from heart problems aging and finally move out to lower altitude lands like Cochabamba(2600m) or sea-level cities like SantaCruz(300m). But for young people is an adventure to experience these things....Informality and chaotic lifestyle.
Yea, my stomach was queasy for about a week after I got there, definitely not something you want when hiking at higher altitudes. But I eventually did turn it around and started to enjoy the local food. 👌
Thanks for the video. I plan on going to Bolivia and La Paz next year. Your video was helpful. I have a question for you: I will be traveling alone. I'm a world-wide traveler. Did you feel unsafe walking around the city on your own or any apprehension? I was thinking of hiring a guide, but, I don't like to use guides unless absolutely necessary. I speak a little Spanish and use Google Translate app.
Excellent, glad you enjoyed the video! I felt pretty safe in La Paz proper walking around alone, though I didn’t venture into El Alto much, which has a lot of open markets. I was advised to stay away from El Alto during the night. The only time I felt unsafe was when I was hitching a ride up to Laguna Ajoyan (see the video “Robbed and Coughing up Blood”). It was with a family, and one of the sons was asking me some weird questions, like was I afraid, was I carrying a knife, etc. I had a feeling if I’d stayed at that lake that night I might have been robbed in the evening…or worse, so I kept going over the ridge far away from any roads. 😬
Great, thanks for the info. By the way, have you ever tried getting oxygen treatments for the high altitude sickness? I've done it several times in the past in Quito, Cusco, and Calama. Worked like a dream!!
I've never been in altitude in SA, makes me wonder if you would have felt better very quickly had you simply had 7-10g of coca leaves, either as a tea or in powdered leaf mixed with water and drunk... My guess is yes, just one cup was not enough, one cup is 1g normally. The reason being it makes oxygen more available to the body...
I actually had 3 cups of tea with lots of leaves in them, but it just didn't seem to have any effect. Everyone reacts differently to alkaloids and altitude. ;) In the end, I just had to suffer and treat it with pain meds (400 mg Aleve every 12 hours). But after 12 hours the pain had gone way, and within 24 hours I was walking around the hills of La Paz...slowly ;)
@@MiguelGomezMountainRunner I've never been in such high altitude but from experience one teaspoon of leaf powder mixed in water and drunk definitely gives some energy you can easily feel the effects, it would help any kind of lethargy for about 1 hour and a half.
Damn man, seems like it hit you pretty hard. What elevation were you coming from? I want to visit La Paz, but my city is literally at 28 feet lol. My only problem with altitudes was in Bogotá Colombia, and I just felt a little fatigued and out of breath for three days. Also, how did the coca tea make you feel? Last question I swear: had you taken any altitude meds beforehand? Cheers, and I enjoyed the video. Thanks for any help!
Yea, I’d flown from Lima, so sea level to 11k ft in a few hours. ☹️ But after 24 hours in bed and a couple naproxen, I was able to walk again. The coca tea didn’t do anything for me, so after the hotel I never drank it again. Unfortunately I’m allergic to diamox, so I just have to suffer until I acclimatize. Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hilarious!! We live in LP! Only eat chicken at Pollos Copacabana😂😂. There’s other awesome places for burgers. Bolivia is definitely for the hard core travelers…not alot of luxury ☺️
“Only eat chicken…” I’m pretty sure I got that advice from an old guy while eating there. 😂 To be fair, La Paz was actually much more interesting than Lima, but I did want to warn people that this city is definitely only for the hardened adventure traveler! 🤙
Unfortunately, the coca tea didn’t seem to help me. I had to take naproxen (Aleve) for a few days until I stopped having headaches at night. But you can also chew the leaves with llipt’a (organic ash type stuff) that apparently accelerates the absorption of the coca. Didn’t try it, but I saw other people do it. My best advice is to try to spend a few days at ~8000 ft before heading higher (if you’re coming from sea level).
Thanks for this video. I went to La Paz in 2018 as it’s where I was born so went to see what it was like. Found your video a good reflection of my own experience.
Thanks Casi! It’s great that you were able to get back there and rediscover your roots. 👍
So many questions…..Mask requirement? How long ago did you film this? I don’t imagine they have oxygen bars like they do in Vegas? Love me some street meat. But I get it, not before the hike. Will you do a food/restaurant review after?
Hi TC,
This trip was taken at the end of June (finally getting around to putting the vids together). At that time, both Peru and Bolivia had both indoor and outdoor mask requirements in cities. Fortunately, they'd dropped their isolation requirements for travelers (which was the reason I cancelled my trip in 2021).
The altitude was tough. Many of the hotels have oxygen for guests that are having a lot of trouble, but I decided to tough it out. I wasn't having any symptoms of severe altitude sickness, like shortness of breath, pink flem, etc., but my head felt like it was going to explode. I basically had a migraine-style headache for about 12 hours. After vomiting and taking some painkillers, I turned myself around.
Over the next several weeks, I'll be putting together several videos about the trail (Cordillera Real), Copa Cabana and Isla del Sol, and the Uyuni Salt Flats. I won't have any restaurant reviews, but I will review a couple salt hotels, which were pretty cool.
Stay tuned!
Another good 'un, Miguel.
Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it! 😁
All the 3000+ m andean cities are aggressive against life in general, lack of humidity, oxygen and sun radiation so high against skin and human cells, that viruses surely doesnt proliferate much either, but some bacteria got very resistant at this high so local water and food for foreigners also cause tummy problems for some weeks. Lifestyle also feels rushed and notime for care other life beings specially elderly people that why even most of them suffer from heart problems aging and finally move out to lower altitude lands like Cochabamba(2600m) or sea-level cities like SantaCruz(300m). But for young people is an adventure to experience these things....Informality and chaotic lifestyle.
Yea, my stomach was queasy for about a week after I got there, definitely not something you want when hiking at higher altitudes. But I eventually did turn it around and started to enjoy the local food. 👌
I'm no spring chicken but I'm willing to try. 🐔
Thanks for the video. I plan on going to Bolivia and La Paz next year. Your video was helpful. I have a question for you: I will be traveling alone. I'm a world-wide traveler. Did you feel unsafe walking around the city on your own or any apprehension? I was thinking of hiring a guide, but, I don't like to use guides unless absolutely necessary. I speak a little Spanish and use Google Translate app.
I'm 63 and in great shape.
Excellent, glad you enjoyed the video! I felt pretty safe in La Paz proper walking around alone, though I didn’t venture into El Alto much, which has a lot of open markets. I was advised to stay away from El Alto during the night.
The only time I felt unsafe was when I was hitching a ride up to Laguna Ajoyan (see the video “Robbed and Coughing up Blood”). It was with a family, and one of the sons was asking me some weird questions, like was I afraid, was I carrying a knife, etc. I had a feeling if I’d stayed at that lake that night I might have been robbed in the evening…or worse, so I kept going over the ridge far away from any roads. 😬
Great, thanks for the info. By the way, have you ever tried getting oxygen treatments for the high altitude sickness? I've done it several times in the past in Quito, Cusco, and Calama. Worked like a dream!!
How you felt , is how i felt the 1st 5 days of my philippines trip. It was from the 17 hr flight lol
Ouch! Yea, travel stress and jet lag can be a killer. 😬
I've never been in altitude in SA, makes me wonder if you would have felt better very quickly had you simply had 7-10g of coca leaves, either as a tea or in powdered leaf mixed with water and drunk... My guess is yes, just one cup was not enough, one cup is 1g normally. The reason being it makes oxygen more available to the body...
I actually had 3 cups of tea with lots of leaves in them, but it just didn't seem to have any effect. Everyone reacts differently to alkaloids and altitude. ;)
In the end, I just had to suffer and treat it with pain meds (400 mg Aleve every 12 hours). But after 12 hours the pain had gone way, and within 24 hours I was walking around the hills of La Paz...slowly ;)
@@MiguelGomezMountainRunner I've never been in such high altitude but from experience one teaspoon of leaf powder mixed in water and drunk definitely gives some energy you can easily feel the effects, it would help any kind of lethargy for about 1 hour and a half.
Damn man, seems like it hit you pretty hard. What elevation were you coming from? I want to visit La Paz, but my city is literally at 28 feet lol. My only problem with altitudes was in Bogotá Colombia, and I just felt a little fatigued and out of breath for three days. Also, how did the coca tea make you feel? Last question I swear: had you taken any altitude meds beforehand? Cheers, and I enjoyed the video. Thanks for any help!
Yea, I’d flown from Lima, so sea level to 11k ft in a few hours. ☹️
But after 24 hours in bed and a couple naproxen, I was able to walk again. The coca tea didn’t do anything for me, so after the hotel I never drank it again. Unfortunately I’m allergic to diamox, so I just have to suffer until I acclimatize.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
Hilarious!! We live in LP! Only eat chicken at Pollos Copacabana😂😂. There’s other awesome places for burgers. Bolivia is definitely for the hard core travelers…not alot of luxury ☺️
“Only eat chicken…” I’m pretty sure I got that advice from an old guy while eating there. 😂
To be fair, La Paz was actually much more interesting than Lima, but I did want to warn people that this city is definitely only for the hardened adventure traveler! 🤙
Pobrecito!
Gracias, pero no estuvo tan mal. 😉
I want to go to Ecuador & maybe Bolivia. I will probably face the same thing. Did the cocoa leaves help?
Unfortunately, the coca tea didn’t seem to help me. I had to take naproxen (Aleve) for a few days until I stopped having headaches at night. But you can also chew the leaves with llipt’a (organic ash type stuff) that apparently accelerates the absorption of the coca. Didn’t try it, but I saw other people do it. My best advice is to try to spend a few days at ~8000 ft before heading higher (if you’re coming from sea level).
@@jeanettelebarron3306 You can buy Sorojchi Pills in any pharmacy in La Paz. They help.