In the southwest area of Bolivia lies area called Lipez. It is home to arid deserts, salt plains and a wealth of mineral deposits.When one of the largest, and maybe the largest ever found, silver mines was discovered just above a small town called San Cristobal and the concession was purchased by the Canadian mining consortium Apex Silver the problem arose - what should we do with the town below?

This little museum is hidden away up an alley off Calle Linares aka ‘Gringo Street’ due to all the travel agencies and clothing or crafts shops. 
Whilst tiny in size it is bursting with information about the little green leaf that has been held sacred in the Andes for centuries. The displays themselve look a little worn and the whole setup can seem a little amateur, but if your patient enough to follow the self guided tour whilst reading the provided infomation in your own language (available in many languages) you will no doubt learn plenty of facts you didnt know about the coca plant.

Uyuni is one of the most popular destinations in Bolivia as most visitors to the country try to include a salt flats tour in their itinerary and Uyuni is the main starting point for these tours (Tupiza and San Pedro de Atacama in Chile are other places where tours can be started). Although not a small town Uyuni is located in an isolated part of the country and road infrastructure is not in good condition in this area although there are plans to improve the road.

Buses From La Paz to Uyuni / Bus Uyuni to La Paz

There are direct buses each night from La Paz to Uyuni. There are no direct buses in the day although it is possible to take local buses from La Paz to Oruro then onto Uyuni , these are low quality and not recommended.

Tourist Bus Todo Turismo

There is a nightly tourist bus service run by Todo Turismo that leaves La Paz at 9pm and leaves Uyuni at 8PM each night (although from time to time there are cancelations for maintenance or due to conditions). This service is semi cama (reclining seats half way back) and has heating, toilet, hot meal, English speaking attendant and emergency oxygen bottles. This is a safe bus service and the drivers are breathalised before and after the journey. The journey is usually around 10 to 11 hours although during rainy season there can be significant delays and when conditions become too bad the service is stopped until things improve.

Open this article to read more information on getting to Uyuni

Villa Bonita is located just 10 mins walk from the  Plaza in Coroico and is the perfect place for a relaxing few days. Apart from offering accomodations in its cabanas or room in the main building it has a popular vegetarian restaurant which is well known locally for its homemade ice cream.

The  accomodations are basic but adequate and are located amongst  lush gardens with views across the yungas hills. There are also hammocks available and a patio area for guest use. Water is heated by solar power and the owners advise that you use it in the morning for best results.

The restaurant serves food outside in the front garden and has daily specials in addition to the menu. Fresh pasta dishes, veggie burgers (with lentils and soya),Rostis and

Salteñas are available everywhere in Bolivia and , though originally from Argentina, are one of the most typical Bolivian foods. Each day you will see people queueing at their favourite Salteña stands to buy them. At only 1 or 2 bolivianos each they are a cheap and tasty option for breakfast or mid morning snack - in fact any time of the day..

One of the things that sticks in the mind of most visitors to La Paz is the traditional dress of many of the local women - a bowler hat worn slanted on the head and a long decorative skirt called a pollera or often 2,3 or more of them! These distinctive looking residents of the capital city are known as cholas or cholitas and have been wearing this traditional dress for many years.

The witches market or ‘mercado de las brujas’ in La Paz is surely on every tourist’s must see list when visiting the capital. On Calle Linares, just off Calle Sagarnaga (aka Gringo Street), it seems more touristy than mystical nowadays as the artesian stores make up the majority of the area. At the Calle Santa Cruz end of Linares however there are still a few genuine stalls selling all sorts of weird and wonderful, well wonderfully disgusting, things. Dried Llama fetuses, dried toads...

Just a few blocks away from San Pedro plaza, Namas Té is hip and arty veggie café that is highly recommended. If you decide to visit at lunch time and are planning to have the set lunch then you should definitely book ahead as it always sells out quickly.

The menu (in Spanish and English), whilst not huge, offers a mixed variety of dishes from classic staples such as veggie burger to pad tai noodles including plenty of vegan options that’s are clearly marked as such.

The atmosphere of Namas Té is bright and welcoming with helpful friendly staff making it a nice place to hang out (free wifi available) for a few hours.

They are also open for serving breakfasts and from Thursday to Saturday open for a couple of hours in the evenings.

If in La Paz, veggie or not, this place is well worth a visit.

Opening Times - Mon to Sat 8am to 4pm     and  Thu to Sat 8pm to 10pm

Address - Calle Zolilo Flores 1334 one the corner of Almirante Grau, Tel 2481401

Web Site - www.namastebolivia.com (show a directions map and also has the menu online)

Fans of the football team "La Paz FC" took it upon themselves to "kidnapp" their team as an act of protest when it was annouced that the team would start to play their matchs in a different stadium.The team is actually from the city of El Alto , which is situated above La Paz City itself and is considered a city in its own right.

We are currently in the process of moving our office in "The Adventure Brew Hostel" to a new (nicer, larger ad better positioned) office inside the newest Adventure Brew Hostel Building. The old (current) setup of the "ABH" was split across two buildings - the ABH main that contained reception, the bar, various rooms, offices and our travel agency office and "The ABH Too" - which housed various dorm rooms, a groovey outside BBQ area and the usual recreational areas for TV, kitchen etc

In many typical bolivian eateries you will see a bowl of red (sometimes green) sauce on the table served along side the other condiments.This is the spicey sauce known as "Llajua" (or llajwa).  If there is not a bowl on the table then you will probably be able to request some as they will probably most likely have some ready made in the kitchen. In Bolivia Llajua is as common as ketchup in the many western countries and is used to add to kick to soups and main courses by many people.

I made a previous post on the blog annoucing my intention to Climb Huayna Potosi again in the coming months andd that i would be doing this with Osgur the owner of Loki La Paz. He has started to blog about this idea and will be posting his progress on the Loki Hostel Blog. 

Whilst uploading the some photos of our climbing tours I had decided recently that i wanted to get out and climb a few mountains this year. I havent managed to get out into the great outdoors as much as id like these last few years - funny how running a travel agency can mean you dont have as much time to travel - and looking at photos of me stood on top ofHuayna Potosi gave me the urge again to put some crampons on and get on the snow. Strangely enough today , Osgur, the owner of Loki Hostel in La Paz, asked if I fancied climbing Huayna Potosi soon as he had decided he would like to also. So today we agreed to get into shape and climb te 6088 meter peak of Huayna Potosi in a couple of months time - exact target date to be decided on soon.

Travellers to Bolivia that witness one of the large street protests are sometimes, unsurprisingly,  shocked and always intrigued if they seeminers letting off dynamite in the streets as part of the protest.  The miners are a strong political force in Bolivia and they will usually be involved in any large scale protest, descending on La Paz in groups numbering tens of thousands to march through the streets to make their collective voice heard.  Along the way they will detonate small amounts of dynamite in the open streets which explode with a thunderess bang that vibrates through the buildings all around.It is very rare anyone is hurt during this noisy display as the miners are well versed in keeping people away and only use small amounts but to the uninitiated it can be quite alarming.

Located in one of the growing areas for restaurants in San Miguel , Zona Sur, La Paz, FRIJOLEROS 99% Mexicano has been a popular choice since opening in early 2009. With its clean , sleek decor and open relaxing feel it is equally suited for relaxing evening of sipping margaritas as it is for a quiet meal for two.  The service is friendly and efficient and the menu varied enough for everyone’s tastes. Although the prices are above average for a La Paz restaurant so is the standard so it overall it seems fairly priced.

Shangra La is  Japonese style restaurant in the mega center in la Paz. Aiming at more upscale customer than the food court below and also providing the food service to the VIP cinema service.Read our review for more details on the food

Driving in La Paz is not for the faint hearted. If there are traffic rules then seemingly nobody knows what they are. If a car leaves a couple of inches between itself and another then most likely a bus of taxi will try to enter that space. If they do actually use their indicator lights at all it will most likely be after they have already maneuvered. Amongst this chaos wonders the pedestrian and many from La Paz seem to have developed a suicidal bravery for crossing the roads, walking out in front of mini buses in the hope the drivers highly tuned reactions will serve him well to avoid hitting them. As some drivers are often not so highly tuned or some pedestrians a little too over confident this results in many accidents.

Bolivia is an incredible country for photographers as it has an amazing variety of scenery and a diverse and rich culture. From lush Amazon jungle scenery full of wildlife to the white barren landscapes of the Salar de Uyuni Salt flat, colonial architecture and colourful traditional costumes – a visit to Bolivia will keep any keen photographer occupied with an endless choice of subjects .

Up until recent years La Paz, a city of nearly 1 million inhabitants, had a handful of small cinemas but nothing as modern as it deserved. Santa Cruz and Cochabamba both could boast quality multi screen complexes for some time and it seemed strange that the de facto capital had nothing of comparison.

This all changed with the opening of the Mega Center in a neighborhood of Zona Sur called Irpavi.A huge building with 18 screens, a bowling alley, food court, shopping area, indoor football pitch, restaurants, banks and a hypermarket - La Paz now has the best complex in all of Bolivia

The Mega Center is owned by the same "Cinecenter" company that has locations in Santa Cruz and Cochabamba and shows the latest movies , often in English with subtitles or dubbed in Spanish, including 3D movies. Prices range from 25bs to 45 bs depending on the day / time and type of movie (3D  or normal). There is also a special VIP cinema with luxury seating and food/drinks service available.

Alasitas, athough celebrated in many places in Bolivia it is certainly best witnessed in La Paz. It is the first major festival of the year in Bolivia (there always seems to be some festival or other) and is probably the quaintest of them all. It is a festival/fair in celebration of Ekeko the god of abundance who is often represented as a Super Mario look alike that seems like he has just looted Walmart. Makeshift stalls selling miniturised versions of just about anything you can imagine spring up all over the city on January 24th and from around midday the buying begins.

La Paz is the de facto capital of Bolivia, being the center of administrative activity. The city is host to about a million people according to the 2001 census.

La Paz has also been a hub of sports activity over the years. Various sports clubs are actively involved in promotion of their favorite pastime. But like all Bolivians, it is football which really fires the imagination of the population.

La Paz is host to a number of club sides, some of which have been at the top of the Bolivian pyramid for a long time.La Paz also has its own regional league below the top tier from which sides can gain promotion to play against the top dogs if they can come through against the teams from the other 9 departments (into which Bolivian teams are tradiionally separated into) in the annual Copa Simon Bolivar, named after the founder of the modern nation. The regional league is further subdivided into 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels, providing a good depth to the whole structure.

Located in a valley near the small town of Yolosa La Senda Verde animal refuge & ecolodge is just 15 mins drive from the popular yungas tourist town of Coroico. The refuge provides a home for many rescued animals but also makes for a perfect refuge for the weary traveler to relax for a few days & get close to nature.

Upon arriving at the entrance there is a “Welcome to our home” sign by the rustic wooden bridge and you are immediately aware that you are in the ideal place to get away from it all. The views of the surrounding yungas hills and the clear flowing river are soul soothing. Time to start relaxing.

After strolling across the bridge and through the tropical foilage you will find that a number of the animals roam free. It is not uncommon to be greeted by a friendly spider monkey as you make your way towards reception.

Everyone who finishes the super hot "Worlds Most Dangerous Vindaloo" gets a free t
shirt to prove it!

Backpackers traveling through South America, especially British backpackers, will notice there is a lack of Indian food establishments available along the well trodden gringo trial. Quito has a good selection but for some reason there are not too many places that can offer a good curry. La Paz offers a welcome relief for curry addicts though with the British owned "Star of India" curry house.

Located in a conveniently central area (close to Oliver’s travels English pub and Sol y Luna Dutch lounge bar) it is popular with travelers for a spicy evening meal. The meals on offer include the classic dishes you would expect to find such as onion bahjis, samosas, for starters and kormas, madras and vindaloos as mains.

In the last year or so there has been many news reports on the potential for Bolivia to profit from its vast lithium carbonate  reserves (search google for Bolivia + lithium and you will find hundreds of articles). Lithium has been touted as the “new oil” as it is only available in limited amounts in certain parts of the world and is a vital component in a number of popular products used today and also for products of the future. Mobile phones, PDAs and laptops all use batteries made with lithium and, perhaps the most crucial factor for the future,  the car industry is moving towards a greener future with  electric cars that use lithium or lithium hybrid batteries. This will increase demand immensely and with Bolivia having around 50% (5.4 million tones) of the worlds Lithium deposits it could offer the poorest nation in South America a chance to increases its revenues dramatically. The deposits are located in the Salt flats of Uyuni which is a principle tourist attraction in the country.