Same road, but north of La Paz. It is in the nosebleed section of the Andes. One has a constant dull headache, because the air is so thin. La Paz is the only city in the world where the poor live in the hills with the view, while the rich are on the valley floor - just because there is a little more air there. The Fire Dept. trucks have just sat and perished, as, try as one might, getting a fire going without air is virtually impossible.
La Paz airport, at 14,000 ft, is the world's highest. The runways are actually built on a slope to help the planes get airborne. On the flight out, the plane has pretty much empty tanks, to save on weight. You struggle into the air, grab a bloody mary, and then dive bomb / plunge down to Santa Cruz in central Bolivia, where there is air, so they can gas up and head for Miami. Good ol' American Airlines.
Our previous flight, in southern Peru, from Cuzco to Juliaca, in a very dodgy old 727, had been the white knuckle job though. Flying at 15,000 ft on a very short flight, we were zigzagging through the peaks of the Andes, looking at sheep at wing height. The only other tourist aboard was a Scotsman, and a pilot. He had sauntered into the cockpit for a visit (ah, security) and come back very concerned that the pilot spoke no English. My thought was that where we were, air traffic control probably spoke no English either, so that was a good thing.
Fascinating trip in all - Cuzco / Macchu Picchu, Lake Titcaca, and La Paz. Anybody looking for something besides a beach in Florida for their next vacation, this is trip you will always remember.
Cheers,
Mike
