Spent a day floating above La Paz, Bolivia.
La Paz is the god of cable cars, it's so cool. 🚡
Because of the high altitude, ground transportation isn't convenient, so the whole city is connected by cable cars. The person who invented cable car transportation is a genius.
I stayed at the Atix Hotel, located in the wealthy Calacoto district. The hotel facilities are relatively new and well-designed. The downside is that it's far from the airport, about 100 BOB by taxi. 🏨
There are many hotels in the city center, but the conditions are worse.
A 5–10 minute walk from the hotel takes you to the terminal station of the Green Line cable car. Going to the city center (including the Witches' Market and the San Francisco Basilica) is very simple and convenient. Take the Green Line, transfer to the Blue Line, and go straight to the last stop. If you're unsure, use Google Maps; it's very accurate.
For currency exchange, I recommend going to the Basilica. After getting off the Blue Line, navigate for about 10 minutes, and you'll find small stalls with women sitting in the middle. Any of them will do... Bolivians are very straightforward in business, and the prices are the same. 💲
The official USD exchange rate is 1:6; hotels and Uyuni basically use 1:8; the women near the Basilica offer 1:11. I exchanged 100 USD for 1,123 BOB.
After exchanging money, walk along the small road, and you'll immediately reach the Witches' Market. I didn't see any witches, just souvenirs like fridge magnets and shawls (you can haggle a little, but they're generally not willing to budge much). 🦙
After that, there's not much to do... You can walk a bit and navigate to the Purple Line to continue taking the cable car.
The Purple, Red, Yellow, and Green lines are the most beautiful, offering a top-down view of La Paz. At sunset, I recommend going to the intersection station of the Yellow and Gray lines to eat at the legendary highest-altitude fried chicken restaurant. The view outside the window is very nice. The food is decent, and you can order by clicking pictures on a machine, so you can eat even if you don't speak Spanish. Credit cards are accepted.
If you plan to take many cable car rides, buy a transportation card, as their ticketing rules aren't very smart. You can only transfer twice before having to buy another ticket. The transportation card costs 30 BOB, with 15 BOB pre-loaded for cable car rides. Just swipe the card to enter, and recharge it when needed. Just give them the money, no need for conversation... An introvert's dream.
For night views, go to the Kili Kili platform. You'll need to climb a few steep slopes, not friendly for altitude sickness... But Bolivia is quite safe at night. Walking on the pitch-black roads at 8–9 pm, no one bothers you.