Day 1: Safe Travels

We have safely arrived in Bolivia! After a 2 hour flight to Miami, a 1 hour layover, then a 6 hour 40 minute flight into La Paz, and some altitude sickness, the adventure has begun! At 13,300 feet, the altitude at El Alto airport in La Paz Bolivia can be very difficult to adjust to. Once the airplane doors opened and the pressurized cabin adjusted to the air pressure of the city, my mom and I quickly felt the altitude. The altitude brings headaches, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, among other things. Each individual’s reaction to the altitude varies. Some people don’t even experience any sort of altitude sickness. Regardless, when you exit the aircraft you find paramedics waiting with oxygen. Needless to say, we did not need any.

Miami airport: At the gate waiting for our flight

 We arrived at 5:30am to a cold, dark, yet welcoming city. Early rising Bolivians went about their business preparing for an average Friday. My grandpa, or as we say, “Papito” was waiting for us at the airport. When you leave the terminal, you find Bolivians making a living (via tips) assisting travelers with carrying their luggage to their cars.

Coca Tea- You can't see the leafs in the water

When we arrived to my papitos neuva apartamento (grandparents new apartment), we had some Coca Tea. The Coca leaf is a leave that is almost sacred in Bolivia and other South American countries. Used as medicine, the coca leaf provides relief for all sorts of things, including altitude sickness. That’s why we drank it. As you can see in the picture, the coca leaf is placed in hot water, and sugar is added. To the average American, it looks like a bunch of leafs in hot water, but it actually provides much needed relief for the altitude. Other uses of coca tea include stomachache and headache. I know what you are thinking, coca leaf… cocaine. While the coca leaf is used to make cocaine, so are many other chemicals that we do not have, nor want. It is perfectly safe to drink in hot water, or even chew. There is no “high” associated with the leaf itself. It’s the leaf when combined with chemicals and all sorts of other bad things.

Because of the altitude, my mom and I felt very tired. So tired to the point where we slept after having coca tea and bread (desayuno- breakfast), woke up for lunch (a soup with chicken and potatoes… no picture of this meal, sorry), slept, and then woke up for “cena” or a light evening tea. Bolivians are used to this meal schedule of light breakfast, heavy lunch, and light dinner. The high altitude can cause indigestion, which can make it difficult to eat big meals.

Since I don’t have a stable Internet connection, I will be blogging these posts irregularly. While I am writing daily, I cannot post daily. So, when I have Internet I will post all of the posts I have written.