La Paz, La Ciudad
This means, the city, in this case my new home of La Paz. I have already mentioned the altitude here, how it feels like you’re walking in space, minus the astronaut outfit. But I can already claim that I love this place, something I was never able to say about Kathmandu.
Where to begin? Picture Bryce Canyon in Utah, truly a gorgeous place. Then imagine a city in its midst and that’s La Paz for you right there. The city is surrounded by cliffs and mountains of various heights, shapes, and forms. In fact, I can see several of them from my house. That picture I took of the little church and the huge cross in the header of this blog is what I see from my yard. It is up a hillside a few hundred yards from here. Now pivot ninety degrees to your right and you will see snow capped mountains looming in the distance.
Kathmandu was always a bit of a tease. Less than a mile in altitude, Kathmandu is surrounded by large green foothills that seem too remote to really enjoy. Every now and then you might spot one of the huge peaks of the Himalayas on a clear day, and you would be tickled pink that they appeared so close, which really wasn’t the case. Think of the rare appearances the sun makes on a winter’s day and that in essence sums up Kathmandu. You would always see a little of the Himalayas, whenever the weather fancied it, but to see the big boys of the Himalayas you would have to hike for miles.
Not so in La Paz. Here you can walk anywhere in the city and just gawk at the mountains and high cliffs. There are no particular buildings that stand out here in La Paz, nothing I would consider truly unique. There are a few churches that are certainly worth your time, but La Paz clearly earns its keep with its natural surroundings. Two other things that have impressed me are the abundance of parks and the sidewalks.
In Kathmandu, you had to look for ages before you found a park or a playground. If you were lucky you would spot a little sandy pit holding a slide and maybe a battered sea-saw. Here in La Paz, they are everywhere, complete with a well maintained blanket of grass. Then there are the sidewalks, which were virtually non-existent in Kathmandu. Here there is barely a block without a sidewalk, which makes things so much easier. Fancy an afternoon stroll with the kids? Sure let’s do it, because there are sidewalks here. That makes a BIG difference.
In essence, you have a big city scattered throughout several mountains, different neighborhoods and different altitudes, and a breath taking scenery that you would not expect in a city. Now we can only start to imagine what life will be like in the country.
Where to begin? Picture Bryce Canyon in Utah, truly a gorgeous place. Then imagine a city in its midst and that’s La Paz for you right there. The city is surrounded by cliffs and mountains of various heights, shapes, and forms. In fact, I can see several of them from my house. That picture I took of the little church and the huge cross in the header of this blog is what I see from my yard. It is up a hillside a few hundred yards from here. Now pivot ninety degrees to your right and you will see snow capped mountains looming in the distance.
Kathmandu was always a bit of a tease. Less than a mile in altitude, Kathmandu is surrounded by large green foothills that seem too remote to really enjoy. Every now and then you might spot one of the huge peaks of the Himalayas on a clear day, and you would be tickled pink that they appeared so close, which really wasn’t the case. Think of the rare appearances the sun makes on a winter’s day and that in essence sums up Kathmandu. You would always see a little of the Himalayas, whenever the weather fancied it, but to see the big boys of the Himalayas you would have to hike for miles.
Not so in La Paz. Here you can walk anywhere in the city and just gawk at the mountains and high cliffs. There are no particular buildings that stand out here in La Paz, nothing I would consider truly unique. There are a few churches that are certainly worth your time, but La Paz clearly earns its keep with its natural surroundings. Two other things that have impressed me are the abundance of parks and the sidewalks.
In Kathmandu, you had to look for ages before you found a park or a playground. If you were lucky you would spot a little sandy pit holding a slide and maybe a battered sea-saw. Here in La Paz, they are everywhere, complete with a well maintained blanket of grass. Then there are the sidewalks, which were virtually non-existent in Kathmandu. Here there is barely a block without a sidewalk, which makes things so much easier. Fancy an afternoon stroll with the kids? Sure let’s do it, because there are sidewalks here. That makes a BIG difference.
In essence, you have a big city scattered throughout several mountains, different neighborhoods and different altitudes, and a breath taking scenery that you would not expect in a city. Now we can only start to imagine what life will be like in the country.
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