I arrived in La Paz at about 7am on Wed morning. Flying into La Paz I could see the Altiplano (High Plain), which is the largest expanse of level land in the Andes. It extends from Bolivia into Southern Peru, northwestern Argentina and northern Chile. It was certainly an impressive expanse of land. The portion that we flew over contained mainly farms, and not one single tree.

Susana (my boss) was there to meet me at the airport with the UNICEF driver. We had to go in search of my luggage, because somehow it got here Tuesday. I’m not sure how, because my flight from Chicago to Miami (delayed) landed at the same time my connecting flight to La Paz was taking off. However, I eventually got my luggage and we were off into the city! The airport is actually located in another city called El Alto, which is located above La Paz. La Paz is located in a valley and is spread up the sides of the mountains. So we drove down into La Paz. Unfortunately it was a bit foggy, but some of the views were still magnificent (I will take and post pictures at some point!).

La Paz is at an altitude of 3660m, which means it is going to take some time to get used to the elevation. So far I haven’t experienced anything horrible. Headaches and shortness of breath when climbing up 4 steps! Recommendations for acclimatizing are to take it easy for a few days when you first arrive and drink lots of water. The local people recommend coca tea, so I have had a few of those as well. So far there are no signs of major altitude sickness. To be safe I will be taking it easy for another few days at least!

The population of La Paz is about 1.5 million. We took a short drive around the neighbourhood this afternoon. There are lots of shops and eateries around. The driving isn’t as crazy as I have seen elsewhere. You can cross the street without worrying to much about death once you’ve looked both ways. As is typical in a developing country there are lots of people trying to make a little money here and there. Today I saw one I hadn’t seen before. We were stopped at a light and three guys walked out in front of the cars and started juggling. It isn’t as noisy as some cities I’ve been to, at least in the neighbourhood where I’m living. It is also not as dirty.

I have seen a lot of Cholitas around the city. Cholitas are indigenous women who wear the characteristic dress that was imposed on them in the 18th century. The outfit consists of a bowler hat and long braids, a skirt, blouse, woolen chompa (sweater), a vest and an apron and sometimes a wollen shawl. They also have a colourful sling that they wear across their back to put things in.

I am living in a suburb in one of the nicer areas of La Paz. The house is pretty big, with a garden around it. So far it’s pretty comfortable. We have a TV, microwave and soon wireless internet. There is also hot water and electricity doesn’t seem to be a problem. In developing countries these things are not to be taken for granted! The UNICEF office is not far from the house, probably a 15 minute walk. Thursday I will go to work, as today was spent unpacking and settling in, and sleeping after a sleepless night on a plane.