La Paz

Expect: Chaos, lama foetuses and to be almost constantly out of breath.

Pack: Oxygen, Marching Powder by Rusty Young, and an open mind. 

La Paz

As you hit the ridge for the first time, and the epic city of La Paz sprawls under you, a gorgeous mess of houses and skyscrapers leaning haphazardly into the hillside, only one thought accompanies your sense of wonder and fear; why would anyone build a city here? Bathed in a manic light, the heady mix of altitude and smog, Bolivia's capital covers every possible inch of the steep bowl in which it sits. At night, in the cloudy-orange sky, holes can be seen in the otherwise perfect carpet of lights. But the daytime sun reveals these to be sheer cliff faces, on which even the most desperate daren't build. The highest capital in the world, La Paz rises from an impressive 3,300 metres at its centre, to an insane 4,100 metres, on the city's edge. Even if you manage to adjust to the dizzy altitude; La Paz's rushing energy, staggering variety, and special location will leave you breathless. 

With bustling markets selling anything from handmade guitars to lama foetuses, women wrapped in indigenous dress sitting beneath towering colonial buildings, and screaming bus conductors absolutely everywhere; La Paz is what many people imagine when they think of Bolivia. The city's chaos is, however, beautifully accessible and most travellers quickly feel comfortable here. Indeed, people rarely manage to leave on the day they originally planned, kept hostage by the capital's strange magic. In some ways La Paz is stingy on must-see, box ticking, sights. However, this shortage is really a blessing. It gives you the time to just wander the streets, getting to know the city; falling into its rhythm. 

The San Francisco cathedral is stunning, and the plaza in front is a great place to watch people from all echelons of Bolivian society going about their day. In the Witches Market you will find the most intriguing array of things, including the much-talked about lama foetuses, and alternative remedies for absolutely everything. A few museums stand out as being worth visiting, namely The Museum of Coca and The Museum of the Revolution, but neither is sensational. 

However, if you're in La Paz, one thing you will no doubt end up doing is the adrenaline packed descent of the "Death Road". The road between La Paz and Coroico was for many years officially "the world's most dangerous road" according to the Inter-American Development Bank. The narrow stretch of dirt road, often no more than 3 metres wide, descends 3,450 metres in a mere 61 kilometres. Until 2008, when the road was in full use, an average of 26 vehicles used to go off the road's edge, falling a staggering 600 odd metres to their fate.  Thankfully a new, safer and paved, road has now been built, leaving the "death road" for tourists to race down on mountain bikes. It is a sensational ride, but be prepared. The corners are sharp and the ground loose; rain and fog can make the whole experience even more hectic, and bikers do still die every year (two in 2009). I rode with ProDownhill and was extremely happy (and felt pretty safe), but ask around, things change.