With a weekend in La
Paz this week, we decided to get up early on Sunday
morning and go to El Alto Market, known to the locals as Mercado 16 de Julio. We
had heard that it was experience not to be missed, not least because of its
vast size and ability to sell everything you could ever imagine. We had also be
warned that it was fairly dangerous and not to take anything remotely valuable
with us. El Alto is situated above La Paz , high
up on the mountain side (4150m above sea level) and is considered one of the
fastest growing urban areas in Bolivia .
However, El Alto is also considerably poorer than most parts of La Paz and is a much more
dangerous place for tourists to venture, particularly at night.
Despite this and a few scare stories, we decided to get the
bus up the mountain on Sunday morning (which costs just 2 Bolivianos or approx
18 pence). My first impression of the market was the sheer volume of people,
all locals, browsing, pointing, bartering and buying all sorts of goods. The market
is situated right on the edge of the mountain, with the most incredible,
crystal clear view of the whole of La
Paz to one side.
Now, when it comes to what they sell, there really is no
other way to describe it other than to give you a smattering of examples. They
sell: fake designer clothes, rip-off adidas trainers, toiletries, old tyres,
bits of engine, live chicks (10p each!), a puppy, llama feet, trout, the face of a
cat, a 3 piece suite, carpets, beds, televisions, posters of naked women, phone chargers,
potatoes, army gear, fresh juice topped with whipped cream (?), musical
instruments, pirate dvds of every description, wads of fake money, fake taxi
signs, number plates, baby clothes, billions of plastic toys, a sheep, used
socks, CD’s, underwear, alpaca woollen clothes, make up, food
processors, pans, plates, teaspoons, prams, cuddly toys, watches, brooms, mops
and so much more…
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