We arrive in La Paz via El Alto, an immediate change of scenery! We jump in a private transport to cross this giant market and we stop at the first cable car station. We take altitude, to realize what La Paz looks like, for real, this city extended in a huge crater. Small colorful "casas" as far as the eye can see, markets in all directions ... the cabins fly above this chaotic atmosphere, full of life, with the snowy peaks of Huayna Potosi and Illimani (emblematic glaciers of Bolivia over 6000m altitude) as a backdrop. We stop at Sopocachi, a stone's throw from the hustle and bustle of the center. We love to walk in the quiet streets of this small district of La Paz. We find small shops, small bars which are worth stopping by. We will take a mate of coca at the market of Sopocachi, the sacred and traditional drink, the remedy against the altitude sickness. And the yapa, the little extra offered by the saleswoman, because we "yapa" always a good customer here.

We leave for a day of exploration in La Paz. We walk through the streets of Sopocachi, towards the center, with a break for a fresh juice at the mercado Sopocachi and a "salteña" on the way. The salteña is the Bolivians's 11am snack, it is a small pastry filled with chicken or beef in its juice. The challenge: to eat it, without cutlery and staining... La Paz is a mixed and contrasted city, the perfect sample of a whole country. From the market district, full of colors and smells, we cross a few streets to find ourselves in the heart of the historic district, now a business center. Two worlds that coexist 200 meters apart and the only thing they have in common is the permanent and noisy chaos that characterizes them. We take a mate of coca, or chewing leaves on the Sagarnaga street. We cross the Mercado de Las Brujas (Witches market), where we buy a miniature to please the Ekeko, god of abundance. The tradition wants us to project all our hopes in the purchase of the coveted object in miniature, which will then be ritualized. In the historic district, we walk along Calle Jaen, one of the last colonial streets of the city, with its cobblestones and colorful houses. We take the time to push all the doors to discover small courtyards, galleries, the museum of musical instruments, and we meet Rosario. She tells us about culture, clothing, traditions, and invites us to try on her many cholita skirts (7 overlapping ones, they say), giving us all her secrets of cholita. We have lunch at one of the common tables of the market, with the Paceños. The choice of dishes is rich, and the smells of grilled meat with Aji sauce mix with those of fried food and other spicy soups. We reach El Alto by cable car, we fly over houses as far as the eye can see, we intrude above the inner courtyards, terraces where traditional clothes and dance costumes dry... On the cliffside, the shamans are perched, leading the offering ceremonies to the Pachamama. Let's venture to one of

We jump on a local public transport with our private guide (micro, mini-bus, truffi or cab) and let our guide take us to the district of Ovejuyo, at the entrance of the city of La Paz. We are at the beginning of a ridge separating La Paz and the Illimani Valley, a sacred mountain 6,439 meters high. A perfect playground to prepare our lungs for the altitude. We start our walk at 3,850 meters above sea level, following the ridge separating the two valleys. Very quickly, the sprawling geography of the Bolivian capital, the Illimani Valley, takes shape on the other side. In the middle of our path, we cross an "apacheta", a pre-Hispanic sacred monument dedicated to the "Pachamama", Mother Earth, and to the gods living in the mountains. We can also observe the fantastic "Valle de las Animas", the valley of souls. Let's start our trek preparations. Need equipment? Go to the base camp in the center, a real Ali Baba's cave, there is something for all needs and all styles (especially retro!). In the evening, we have a nice pasta dinner at home, reviewing the itinerary before a good night sleep.

Equipment: ready. Acclimatization: in progress. Thirst for adventure: to the max! We leave La Paz, its chaos, its giant market, to go to the shores of the minor part of Lake Titicaca, the starting point of our Andean epic. We are greeted by Maria and Roberto, our guides for the day, with whom we are introduced to traditional fishing on Lake Titicaca. The lake trout with llajwa sauce is a delight. You will stay in a small guest home run by the community.

We begin our adventure with Lake Titicaca as our playground. It is a good first step to perfect our acclimatization, in the soft air of the lake. We sail from Pariti Island to Suriki Island, where our guides for the day are the boat builders. We end our day with a sunset like we rarely see, on the Cojata peninsula, where we will spend the night, hosted by a family from the village. Walking time: 3 hours. Gradient: +300m / -300m. Altitude: 3800m.