Parties - embraced.
Protests - avoided .
Processions - witnessed.

With a population of 1.4 million, La Paz lies in a preposterously steep valley at around 3,500m. Medieval buildings ascend the slopes, spilling over the edge into the rough commerce hub of El Alto, while to the south the serene three-peaked Illimani (6,402m) watches over the city.

The city is divided into three distinct zones:
El Alto, north of the city centre, is a fast-growing commercial and industrial hub and focal point for Aymara culture;
The city of La Paz in the valley;
Zona Sur, at a lower altitude and thus a more tolerable climate, where the city's wealthy live, and where we chose to dine on our first evening in La Paz...

Afterall, it was the festive season and Amanda's, our Californian flatmate, birthday. She chose Claus Meyer's 'Gustu' Restaurant and we indulged in their five-course menu with accompanying drinks. Tasty..but thank goodness for the endless supply of home-baked bread rolls with 'coca-infused butter' to fill us up . Claus Meyer is also the man behind 'Noma' in Copenhagen, supposedly the world's best restaurant with a six month waiting list, but his philosophy at Gustu is to give aspiring Bolivian chefs the opportunity to cook world-class food using solely Bolivian ingredients. Unashamedly, we treated ourselves here and paid 45GBP each for the privilege, which even included a tour around the kitchens at the end.

In contrast to this fine dining experience, we spent another evening up in El Alto watching Las Cholitas wrestle. A bit like WWF, but with large (fat but fertile!) Bolivian women in traditional dress. Our ticket for this Bolivian spectacle in a large, icy warehouse included tear-offs for a snack, souvenir and toilet visit. Most of the action seemed to take place outside the ring as baying locals threw rotten fruit at the 'baddies' and the referee joined in the 'fight.'  Ridiculous but entertaining.

We checked-out of our favourite South American hotel and became 'Wild Rovers' for New Year's Eve . The Lonely Planet describes the Wild Rover hostel as having a 'high-octane, take no-prisoners vibe that 20-somethings will love and 30-somethings will loathe.'  At the time of booking Sophie weighed in at 29 years 317 days, Sam 40 days lighter, and we decided to challenge the boundaries of this crude assumption. After fully embracing the night, we concluded that we had 'still got it.'  We checked-out the following day...

Thus far we had found La Paz to be a little sinister yet serendipitous. It was time to see the sights. We took our seats on an open-top tour bus around downtown, avoiding the many low-hanging power cables. We stopped off at El Valle de la Luna, which gains its title due to its Moon-like appearance, as confirmed by Neil Armstrong on his visit! Formerly a riverbed, its sandy composition is a dynamic landscape of erosion and will eventually disappear.

We took one of the free walking tours to see the city sights, which transpired to be an excellent private tour led by the informative Sergio . We passed the alternative 'Red Cap' walking tour group with its 30-strong contingent - we were glad to have chosen 'La Paz Walking Tours.' 
We began in Plaza San Francisco where the church reflects a blend of 16th-century Spanish and indigenous trends.
A highlight of La Paz is visiting its many buzzing and frenetic markets including El Mercado de Hechiceria (Witches' Market) where Sergio explained the significance of various Andean rituals, such as the offering of a llama fetus to bring good luck when needed.
We visited Calle Jaen, La Paz's finest colonial street, home to a few museums and previously residence to several significant freedom fighters for Bolivian independence, including Senor Murillo.
La Paz's main cathedral and the Presidential Palace are situated on Plaza Murillo. It was also the site of mass anti-government riots a decade ago, as evidenced by bullet holes on the walls.
Sergio's most memorable stories were saved for outside San Pedro Prison. One of the world's most notorious / bizarre prisons, but not really a prison at all . Guards remain on the outside and the prison is allowed to operate through its own informal economy complemented by the infrastructure of a small town, including a school and hotel. Wives and children move in with convicted husbands. Rich prisoners purchase jacuzzis with a city view! Apparently the best cocaine in Bolivia is produced within its walls...

After nailing the La Paz city sights, it was time to leave the hustle and bustle for a day and visit the massive 7.3m Monolito Bennett Pachamama in Tiwanaku! Tiwanaku is a ceremonial centre constructed more than a thousand years ago (pre-Inca) on the southern shore of Lake Titicaca. Today it's nothing more than a few ruins with a few carved monoliths, archways and arcades.

In total, we spent two weeks in and around La Paz with a trek in La Cordillera Real, a few days at Lago Titicaca and a stay in Coroico via a mountain biking experience down the World's Most Dangerous Road, blogs to follow...