La Paz, The City in the Clouds

With an elevation of 12,000ft, La Paz is known as the city in the clouds. I have always been interested in Bolivia since my dad served a church mission there in the late 1970s. 

Recently I visited the breath-taking Bolivia. Here is a short photo tour:

My son Cole journeyed with me. He is a fantastic traveller. He is quick to adapt and mostly cares for his own needs. The flight to South America is long. Luckily the plane had wifi so I could stream the last day of The Masters. 

We met up with Dad and Evelin in Lima, Peru. After taking the last flight to Lima and finding our apartment. I was especially happy to see that the building had an elevator because the alternative climb was not inviting. 

As the sun rose, it was exciting to wake up to this great mixed view of old and new La Paz.

We joined the local church for worship services. They asked Cole to help pass the sacrament. He did so despite the major jet lag. 

As the meeting began, there were so few people there. I was happy to see that the Bishop still started right on time. By the time the worship service was done, the room was mostly full. 

After the meeting, Cole and I went to find some food for the apartment. He was happy to see that candy, in any other language, is just as sweet. 

I asked the local bishop to join us for a tour of La Paz on Mi Teleférico. It was so helpful to have him there as we soared above the city. 

I hurriedly snapped a photo of some houses on the edge of a cliff. I have no idea how those people can sleep at night. 

We spent a couple days visiting surrounding cities where Dad had served as a missionary. We visited cities like Santiago de Huata and Achacachi. We were excited to see beautiful church buildings in towns that had few members 45 years ago. 

Cole got a kick out of the bags of water. 

We left La Paz for a couple days to visit Cochabamba. This bustling town has Cristo de la Concordia, the second largest Christ statue in the world. It also has a temple for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. (Both are visible in the picture above.)

We visited each of them. 

We were very humbled to visit a local orphanage where we could distribute some needs and wants for the kids. I really admire Evelin and her ability to direct and take charge of situations.

I’ll never forget the little girl who took one lick of the lollipop and then set it down just so she could celebrate the treat. She reminded me so much of my daughter Jane, who finds such pleasure in sensations. 

We enjoyed exploring the cities on foot. With the help of Grandpa Dale, Cole purchased some little dog figurines for his siblings at home. We enjoyed frozen yogurt, cereal with bagged milk, and a good American dinner. (Extra credit to Evelin for keeping her dinner choice healthy.)

The return flight always feels longer. You push through early hours and airport food because you know home is waiting. 

In Bogota, I was flagged for some extra security so I gave most of the bags to Cole and told him to go on the plane without me. (That would save a long bag check with security.)

When I finally boarded the plane, I was so happy to see that Cole had already gotten situated. He was in his seat with drinks, blankets, and new friendships with the flight attendants. He schmoozed so well that they even gave us hundreds of dollars of flight vouchers to be sure that Cole would have a chance to fly with them again. 

We were happy to finally arrive in Las Vegas and we brought home a little bit of Bolivia for the rest of the family. 

After decades of desiring a trip to Bolivia, it was just as enjoyable as I had hoped.

—
“Notes From” is a series where I share observations from recent adventures. You can read more of these in the “Notes From” category.