5 Tips for Beating Altitude Sickness in La Paz

Altitude sickness is a strange beast; it can have little to no effect on some people but leave others gasping for breath and feeling like they’ve aged forty years overnight.

This was certainly the case for me when I arrived in La Paz, a city precariously perched at 12,000 feet above sea level in the Bolivian Andes.

Whilst my girlfriend was blissfully unaffected by the sharp increase in altitude, as soon as we left the plane at El Alto Airport in La Paz I could feel the altitude taking an effect. By the time we were in a taxi on the way into the city, I felt noticeably sluggish.

By following these tips, you can lessen the effects of altitude sickness in La Paz, and get to see more of this fascinating city.

1. Drink Coca Tea

A popular and cheap method of dealing with altitude sickness in La Paz is chewing coca leaves or drinking them in a tea. The effect of the tea is mild and in no way comparable to coca in its illegal powdered form. Whilst this won’t transform you from a groggy to energetic state or alleviate the problem, it does take the edge off. Many hotels and hostels will provide coca leaves free of charge on request. In Cruz de Los Andes where we stayed twice the leaves were freely available in the breakfast room.

To prepare this, crumble the leaves up in a cup and then add boiling water. The flavour isn’t particularly pleasant, but then again neither is the overpowering lethargy of altitude sickness.

Coca tea - all legal and helps take the edge off altitude sickness

2. Don’t Exert Yourself

La Paz’s near vertical streets can be challenging at the best of times, and can feel an impossible challenge under the influence of altitude sickness. It’s important to pace yourself when walking, especially uphill.

3. Stay on a Lower Floor of your Accommodation

This may seem tongue-in-cheek but it genuinely helps, particularly if you are staying in lift-free accommodation! Our move down from the top (fifth) floor to the second floor definitely had a positive effect – not least because of the gruelling slog up five stories of steps! In the room itself, I felt tangibly less short of breath, my head stopped pounding and the tingling fingers subsided to some extent.

La Paz's higher reaches viewed from our hostel

4. Eat Sensibly

Eating a heavy meal is proven to worsen altitude sickness so resist temptation to gorge on the Bolivian staple of fried chicken. Eat something light in a sensible portion-size instead.

5. Avoid Alcohol & Drink Plenty of Water

La Paz isn’t renowned as a party city but there are more bars and hedonistic hostels beginning to spring up. Bear in mind that a hangover at altitude is a normal hangover squared. High altitude can cause pounding headaches anyway, especially lying down, so avoid alcohol until you’re accustomed to the elevated height.

Flying into La Paz from Santiago was a gamble which, if we’d had the luxury of more time, we probably wouldn’t have taken. It took about two days in La Paz to adjust, after which I felt no repeat of the symptoms in the weeks after, even at a higher altitude in Quito.

Have you experienced altitude sickness in La Paz or any other city? 

Puerto Ayora: A Visitors Guide

If you start your stay in the Galapagos Islands by flying into Baltra from mainland Ecuador, it’s more than likely you’ll be making the forty minute drive down to the southern coast of Santa Cruz’s main town, Puerto Ayora.

It’s a charming and blissfully relaxed little town, but still has the necessary amenities at the beginning of a stay in the Galapagos. Whilst it lacks the unpolished charm of say Puerto Villamil on Isabela, for me it strikes just the right balance between developed and quaint.

Yes, there are cash points, taxis and small supermarkets, but everything is still charmingly relaxed and low key. It’s also an ideal base for island hopping and daytrips for those that don’t have the budget for the big cruises.

Getting Around Puerto Ayora

It doesn’t take long to notice the steady flow of white pick-up trucks that circle Avenida Charles Darwin and the surrounding streets. A ride anywhere in Puerto Ayora itself is just 60p ($1). If you don’t fancy walking in the heat to some of the cheaper accommodation on the outskirts of town, a fixed price taxi will not be hard to find. After the negotiation that’s usually necessary in urban areas, it’s a welcome change to be able to hop in and hand over a dollar, safe in the knowledge there will be no end of journey price hikes. NB. This fixed price only applies to the town itself, not the rest of Santa Cruz.

To access certain parts of Puerto Ayora may need to make use of water taxis. For example, to access Las Grietas – a popular natural swimming hole in crack in the rocks - you’ll need to hop on a two minute water taxi ride across the harbour ($2). There was always a collection of boats ready to make the trip throughout the day and early evening.

Of course, most places in Puerto Ayora are easily accessible on foot. It takes around half an hour to walk from the edge of town to the seafront. Some people visiting Tortuga Bay – the entrance of which is down a back street on the western end of Av. Charles Darwin - choose to take a taxi to the entrance before the 45 minute walk to the bay. Everything else is very much within walking distance.

Cocktails at Il Giardino

Restaurants and Bars in Puerto Ayora

For such a small town, there is a surprising amount of options for eating out in the evening. Our favourite place to refuel was definitely Café Hernan, near the harbour at the western end of Av. Charles Darwin. It serves amazing vanilla milkshakes and chocolate brownies, as well as burgers, pizzas and most importantly, good quality fry-ups. They also show English and Champions League football which is a nice bonus/mild irritation depending on your interests.

For an evening meal, Isla Grill was recommended to us by Kevin – owner of Galapagos Best Home Stay – and we weren’t disappointed. Their BBQ chicken burgers are AMAZING – expect it to be busy though. Making a reservation for peak times might be necessary unless you’re happy to wait at the bar.

For cocktails Bouganvilla – at the eastern end of Av Charles Darwin next to the research station – serves impressively strong cocktails in a friendly, partially al fresco setting. Check out the artistic creations made from coke cans and plastic bottles.

An honourable mention also goes to Il Giardino; this distinctive tree-house style restaurant is home to steaks, cocktails and some imaginative desserts, although prices are distinctly tourist-conscious.

Those on a budget can step back a block from the seafront and eat with the Galapageños in ‘Kiosk Street’; plastic tables and chairs in the street with fish stews (‘ceviches’ to the locals) from $4.

Cash Points/ATMs in Puerto Ayora

Cash points are generally pretty scarce in the Galapagos Islands but not to the extent that popular online opinion and some guide books would have you believe. We unnecessarily withdrew hundreds of dollars each at Quito Airport because of the numerous warnings about how difficult it is to withdraw cash in the Galapagos. Whilst this is true on Isabela, Floreana and to an extent San Cristobal, we had no such problems in Puerto Ayora.

Av. Charles Darwin has several cashpoints which never ran out of money during our stay. It’s certainly a good idea to have some money ready for arrival just in case – including the $100 per person park entry fee payable upon arrival in the islands – but we experienced no problems at all in withdrawing money during mid to high season.

Accommodation in Puerto Ayora

The majority of the accommodation is in and around Av. Charles Darwin along the seafront. There’s no shortage of high-end comfort in the various low-rise hotels for larger budgets.

We split our two stays on Santa Cruz between two different price ranges. Our first stay was at the mid-range Hotel Fiesta, on Moises Brito, near the Tortuga Bay entrance. Very friendly staff, quiet location and varied breakfasts – a great place to stay for a couple of days’ break from hostels.

For our second stay on Santa Cruz we cut costs and stayed at Galapagos Best Home Stay on the northern outskirts of town; a real home from home and the total antithesis of the disappointing budget stay. Rooms come with a spotlessly clean kitchenette and the unlimited free drinking water is a fantastic addition.

Read about the Top Things to do in Puerto Ayora

5 Things to do in La Paz

Precariously perched in the Andes Mountains at between 10,500 and 13,500 ft, and practically in the clouds themselves, La Paz can be a tiring city to navigate. That said, the de facto capital of Bolivia has some unique attractions that make its near-vertical streets well worth visiting. Here are five things to do in La Paz to get the most from your stay.

Look over the city from El Alto

Flying into La Paz does certainly have its pitfalls (altitude sickness isn’t much fun, even with coca tea to take the edge off!) but the view over the city from El Alto is certainly a plus. La Paz is a city full of dramatic photo opportunities but for the most impressive view over the city, the higher the better.

Bucking the usual trend that dictates that the higher the area, the richer it is, La Paz’s highest districts are actually its poorest. From up high in El Alto however, the full sprawling mass of La Paz is fully visible stretching into the valley below. Anyone flying into La Paz airport during daylight hours will be treated to a spectacular view on the descent into the city and again on the taxi/bus ride down the mountain (main image).

See Moon Valley

La Valle de la Luna (Moon Valley) is found at the bottom of La Paz in the Pedro Domingo Murillo Province. Whilst it doesn’t compare to the scenery of the Salt Flats, it makes a nice change from the hectic city streets and is just a short bus ride from the centre of La Paz.

There are some wonderful photo opportunities of the clay and sandstone monoliths which can change in appearance as the sun moves across the sky. It’s best to follow the trail that winds between the otherworldly rock formations.

Cholita Wrestling

Whether you’ve any interest in wrestling or not isn’t really an issue. Seeing two middle-aged women in traditional dress doing battle in the ring is certainly not an experience you get in every city around the world and is an interesting way to spend a Sunday evening. Yes, just like WWF it’s a bit of a pantomime - complete with mock arguments and even flirting with crowd members - but it’s a fun evening out.

Visit the Witches Market

One of La Paz’s most photographed areas is the el Mercado de Brujas (Witches Market), a colourful hotchpotch of small shops and stalls on Calle Jimenez and Calle Linares in the Rosario district. The market sells all sorts of unusual things like soapstone figurines, aphrodsiac remedies and the ubiquitous dried lama foetuses – customarily buried in the foundations of new buildings as an offering to the goddess Pachamama.

Tucked away just between the stalls is the Coca Museum – a small but comprehensive homage to Bolivia’s most notorious export. The museum also includes a café selling various coca-related products such as coca cake and sweets.

Grab a Street Market Bargain

There are some weird and wonderful bargains to be had on the streets of La Paz outside of the Mercado de Brujas. Taking a lung-busting walk up the almost vertical streets of Rosario, there are lines of small market stalls selling some bizarre football shirts amongst other things. 

More intriguing still are the frail old women that perch on the pavement of the city streets, selling the kind of items you’d expect to see in a chemist rather than a street corner. There’s toothpaste; shampoo; soap; stationary; all at a bargain price on the kerbside. These street side entrepreneurs have embraced the digital age too; I picked up a cut price USB stick which is still serving me well.

48 Hours in Buenos Aires

We began our South American adventure in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires – a large, lively metropolis in the north east of the country. Buenos Aires is a popular place to start a journey round South America from Europe and there’s plenty to see and do while shaking off any lingering jet lag. Here's where to head if you've got a weekend in Buenos Aires.

Palermo Soho

We spent our first night in Buenos Aires the leafy, uber-trendy neighbourhood of Palermo Soho before moving somewhere more central. This is a great neighbouring to eat, drink and shop. Prices are certainly more ‘European’ than other parts of the city, and there is certainly a European feel to the area. If BA is your first destination then Palermo Soho is a good neighbourhood to gently ease yourself into South America whilst you’ve still got some money to spend.

The popular Mark’s Deli and Coffee House (on the corner of Armenia and El Salvador) is a great spot for lunch (provided you can find a table). Plaza Serrano is a good place to head at night with plenty of lively bars and of course steak restaurants. Try Sheldon for a lengthy list of elaborate cocktails.

Getting there:

No tube lines run through the heart of Palermo Soho but it’s just a ten minute walk from the green line (Scalabrini Ortiz or Plaza Italia) or red line (Malabia).

The multicoloured Caminito

La Boca

One of the most photographed parts of Buenos Aires, the Caminito of La Boca is an array of primary colours – the work of 1960s artist Benito Quinquela Martín. The distinctive décor of its houses, shops and bars draw thousands of tourists a year and its colourful façade and imaginative murals offer lots of cool photo opportunities. Fans of one Diego Maradona will not be disappointed. He may have retired over fifteen years ago but La Boca is almost a shrine to him with murals, papier-mâché figures and all manner of Maradona merchandise.

The area between the port and the football stadium is pretty tourist-friendly but La Boca isn’t a particularly safe neighbourhood, particularly after dark. The surroundings get considerably sketchier a block or so south of the stadium so keep an eye on where you’re heading.

Getting there:

No tube lines run through La Boca. There are numerous buses running from the centre that will drop you at the waterfront in front of the Caminito.

La Bombonera - home of Boca Juniors

La Bombonera

The towering home of Boca Juniors is tucked away behind the technicolour houses of the Caminito, just a couple of blocks away from the waterfront. Fans start arriving for games around two hours before and TV coverage is intensely dedicated, even by European standards. 

The Argentine season is split in two and runs from August to December and then February to June. Tickets for Bocas games are often thin on the ground for bigger games, so try and get tickets in advance if possible. It’s not advisable to buy from touts around the grounds as scams are common.

If you’re not lucky enough to get tickets, it’s still worth visiting the stadium during the day to do the stadium tour or see the Hollywood–style plaques outside featuring famous names like Carlos Tevez,  Juan Roman Riquelme and of course the omnipresent Maradona.  

Getting there: See ‘La Boca’

Buenos Aires' skyline from the Eco Reserve

Ecological Reserve

I’ve always preferred cities that give you the chance to escape the hustle and bustle. A visit to Buenos Aires’ Ecological Reserve is great for getting some peace and quiet during the day if the noise and traffic gets a bit overwhelming. It’s known for its bird watching and although we didn’t see much avian life, we did see a wild guinea pig scuttling in and out of the undergrowth and some interesting views of the city skyline.

Getting there:

The Ecological Reserve is on the seafront, just past the affluent docks area. From Av. 9 de Julio, walk down Av. Belgrano and then cross over the docks towards the seafront. The nearest entrance will be on the right hand side of the wetlands, about five minutes walk away.

Getting into Buenos Aires from its airport(s):

International flights land at Ministro Pistarini Airport - a 45 minute taxi ride from the city centre. The safest way to travel by taxi is to go to the booths just outside the arrivals hall and book one with an official company.

If you’re flying on elsewhere in Argentina, domestic flights go via the smaller Aeroparque Jorge Newbury, which is much closer than Ministro Pistarini Airport. It shouldn’t take more than 15-20 minutes by taxi from Av 9 de Julio, unless the traffic is particularly bad.

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Have you been to Buenos Aires? What would you add to the list?

5 Reasons Why Valencia is the Best City in Spain

Spain’s third largest city Valencia is sometimes overlooked as a holiday destination, but offers a huge variety of attractions and without the crowds of Barcelona and Madrid. Here are five reasons why Valencia is the best city in Spain:

1) Architecture

Normally this would be fairly low down on my list of my interests - I always find too many buildings fill me with a weird sense of outdoor claustrophobia - but the futuristic City of Arts and Sciences is genuinely something special. 

Marking the end of the Turía gardens down by the port, it’s a collection of mind-bending architecture including attractions as diverse as Europe’s largest aquarium, a science museum and a concert hall. In recent years it’s hosted the MTV Winter festival and the ATP World Tour tennis tournament. My personal favourite? The Hemisféric pictured above.

2) El Carmen

After dark, the locals flock to Valencia’s labyrinthine ancient quarter El Carmen. It’s an atmospheric part of the city centre where I discovered and then subsequently lost several bars during my time living in Valencia. At El Carmen’s its western edge is the atmospheric Plaza de la Virgen; the perfect place for kicking back with a glass of sangria or agua de Valencia (cava, orange juice, vodka, and gin) and watching the world go by. The plaza really comes to life on Friday and Saturday nights and is a popular hang out for locals. 

Often there can be a kind of no mans land between the bars shutting around 12pm and the clubs getting busy around 2/3am, so grabbing a few cans and watching the world go by here is a good option. A visit to the ceramic-tiled chupitería (shot bar) and its multicoloured spirits is a great way to end, or indeed start the night in El Carmen; just remember, you have to find your way back out of the maze again!

3) Mestalla Stadium

Yes it may be crumbling, dilapidated, and only still in use because Valencia CF can’t afford to finish their new stadium, but the Mestalla is a great place to watch football. The stands tower over the pitch, giving it an intimate feel that belies its 55,000 capacity.

Tickets along each touchline can be pricey but there are cheaper options up in the gods. The view from the cheap, vertigo-inducing seats in Grada de la Mar offer a lofty but uninterrupted view of the pitch and even part of the city’s skyline. Avoid the lower parts of Gol Xicolet Alto and Gol Gran Alto behind the goals – there are awkwardly placed gates that restrict your view. Few La Liga games sell out; you can buy tickets at the stadium on the day of certain games, although opening hours are erratic.

4) The Turia

An idea so good it really should be implemented in other cities around the world. When the Turia river flooded its banks in 1957, it was re-routed out of town. The dry river bed was then gradually transformed into one long meandering park which bisects the city like an eco-friendly tube line. 

It’s possible to cross the city from the port to its north east edge via the Turia without a car or traffic light in sight. It’s generally pretty safe at night too – there is a steady stream of joggers and cyclists after dark. Anyone that’s ever tried commuting from east to west London should be lobbying for the British government to do the same with the Thames.

5) The Beach

La Malvarossa is surprisingly clean for a city beach, and its sheer size means that there’s always plenty of space even when it’s busy. The tide never encroaches on the upper level of the beach so no matter what time of day it is there’ll be space to spare and no uncomfortable overcrowding. 

Cold drinks, ice creams, even massages are available where you lie. There are a few parasols available for hire, and if lounging around gets dull there’s always volleyball nets and five-a-side pitches on the golden sand.